On the path of mills and water: from the Tési Plateau to the Gaja valley

Itinerary

• From the center of Tés, we start southwest on the P◼ trail marking.
• At the edge of the village, turn right onto the P trail marking.
• From the edge of the Gaja Gorge, continue on the K+ trail marking towards János-árok.
• From the forest resting place, the KΩ markings guide you to the Roman Bath waterfall and the Savanyó Jóska Cave.
• Returning to the resting place, continue along the K marking alongside the Gaja stream towards Jásd.
• From the Tési forest fork, follow the K▲ markings to the Széchenyi Zsigmond Lookout, then climb up to the edge of the plateau.
• Walk along the K marking to the main street of Tés.
• Close the hiking loop on the K◼ markings.

Detailed description of the hike

Down from the plateau

We begin our hike from the center of Tés on the P◼ trail along the main road of the village. From the edge of the village, we already follow the P markings, turning right next to the cemetery onto Arany János Street. At the last house, the asphalt ends under our feet, and from there we proceed on a cart road towards the edge of the beckoning forest.

We start the descent. In the next section, we leave behind the elevated Tési Plateau and descend into the Gaja valley, then continue sinking along the watercourse all the way to Jásd—totaling nearly 250 meters of altitude loss. We walk through a beautiful mixed beech forest on a loess path amid the comforting embrace of the dense undergrowth of the Tési Forest. From the acorns falling from the larger trees, seedlings grow, whose leaves are tasty for the game. We cross two firebreaks, then proceed along the winding road between Bakonynána and Tés, hearing our footwear's steps, and continue here for a while.

In a sharp bend, we reach the mouth of Csepegő-árok. It's worth detouring a bit into this side valley and examining up close the many rounded smaller and larger limestone rocks brought down by heavy rains. Numerous similar ravines deepen in the steep cliffs of the Tési Plateau, which periodically channel floodwaters coming from above.

Continuing on the gravel road, we see yet another similar rocky bed, then turn to the K+ trail sheltered by a barrier. On a ridge path under tall beeches, we make the final stage of our descent to the Gaja’s water. Occasionally we step over exposed roots caused by soil erosion, finally arriving at a large rest area by the creek among rock outcrops.

In the Gaja Gorge

A small clearing equipped with shelters and fire pits has been made comfortable right next to the rushing stream. It is an excellent place to rest from the fatigue of walking and immerse in the atmosphere of the gorge.

The largest river of Eastern Bakony is the Gaja. Its total length approaches 100 km, with about 40 km of mountainous section. Near Nagyesztergár, its springs are found, then it winds towards Fehérvárcsurgó in the forefield of the Tési Plateau, then enters the depth of the Móri-árok, finally joining several other streams on the Mezőföld plain under the name Sárvíz. The purity of its water means trout live in it, as well as numerous other fish species. Fishing is allowed in certain sections.

The stream meanders through a fairytale environment but has two sections of particular note: near Bodajk and here at the edge of Bakonynána, it breaks through large cliff walls creating a wild stone gorge. We soon enter the latter.

Roman Bath: grotesque fantastical

We cross the bridge to the far side of the creek and follow the KΩ markings along the shore to the most interesting part of the valley, near the narrow section of the nearby Roman Bath. Huge limestone benches and vertical cliff walls, along with the roar of the cascading water, indicate we have arrived at the multi-step waterfall. The basin and its surroundings are mesmerizing, inspiring locals to name it so after a series of sculpted basins and pools. While a trade route ran through the area during the Roman Empire, there is no evidence it was used as a bath in antiquity. Béla Hamvas writes about the vivid view in his essay titled Bakony: "There is something grotesque and fantastical in Roman Bath, as if it had been cut out from the American Yellowstone park and brought here. Strange-shaped rocks, wildly tumbling creek, waterfalls, suspended, house-sized trees, and bare roots in the hillside."

An issue of the magazine Tourism and Mountaineering from 1918 reads: "No pen can describe the captivating majesty of this place; we stand enchanted near wildly tossed rocks, roaring, swirling, occasionally falling several meters; barely realizing that here we actually stand in a secluded corner of the Bakony, not in the Alps or the Carpathians’ far rarer beautiful places! (...) A gorge surrounded by stories, framed by story-high and vertically rugged cliff walls, a gorge of wonderful beauty, which, of course, has nothing to do with the Romans and was only named by a clever person long ago!"

A path leads above the cascade to the 12 m long Savanyó Jóska Cave, named after a Bakony bandit, hollowed into the cliff wall; however, the trail marking to it has been removed for safety reasons. The notorious Bakony bandit's hollow was indeed a good hiding place for those fleeing the law.

Where mills and waters converge

Returning to the resting place, we cross the footbridge and continue on the K markings past the forestry memorial. We ascend above the valley and reach the forest section fenced off with a gate, after which we descend on a deep loess path again to the Gaja’s shore. On the branching K● marking to the right, we can make a detour to the abundant Vadalmás spring. The tasty and cool karst water gets replenished from the swallow holes of the Tési Plateau above us and surfaces here from the limestone after infiltrating precipitation. We arrive at the base of old trees, at a small spring pond where we can refill our bottles. Alongside the nearby waterworks fence runs an unmarked path leading back along the creek to the Roman Bath, so we can admire the gorge also from a lower perspective. Continuing on the K marking, we leave the Gaja gorge section behind. From here we continue through a gentler valley section. The landscape opens up; we turn right and cross the creek multiple times, skirting the Vadalmás meadow, used as a campsite during summer, indicated by a large shelter and a designated football field. From here to the edge of Jásd, we walk along charming meadows and pastures beside the Gaja.

In 1937, Béla Hamvas, traveling from Várpalota via Tés, wandered toward the Roman Bath. Around here could be the clearing which was one of the destinations of his several-day excursions: "I leave Tés with its unpleasant drafts and windmills that already lie in ruins. They say wind blows here all year round, always from the north. I go down through young forest to the valley. I want to reach the meadow that is one of my goals. It floated before my eyes at home when I decided to come. The forest opens, and I am there. I remember it from the first time I was there. My breath stopped when I stepped out from among the trees, and immediately Böcklin’s painting titled 'Gefilde der Seligen - The Grove of the Blessed' came to mind. Actually, nothing resembles Böcklin’s painting. Yet I felt the same mood and nature, then and now. This landscape radiates such sweet and smiling cheerfulness with its flowery tranquility, radiant freshness, and fresh harmony as if not on Earth but on the island of the blessed. (...) I sit and admire the flowers and breathe in the scent of sage. I have to come here once for several days, with a tent, I must live here to feast on this beauty and otherworldly peace to the fullest. Less than half an hour from the Grove of the Blessed is the place called Roman Bath."

After the campsite, we leave the gravel road, wade across the creek to the far side, and shortly spot a group of houses on our left: Vadalmás, also known as Tési mill, appears. It is worth crossing the bridge and examining the site closely, imagining what the millers’ and their families’ lives were like here among the mountains. The renovated mill saved from decay is currently owned by an association. The area serves as a campsite, and one building functions as a hostel.

Many similar structures were built on the fast-flowing waters of Bakony in the past, and most villages had a few of them operating. On the upper section and tributaries of the Gaja stream, nine mills were still active with different tasks in the 1940s. They not only ground grain but were also used for milling, hulling, sawing, and processing wool (fulling mill). During the communist era after World War II, the state took over the mills from the millers, leading to the ruin of most. Recently, a few have been saved, such as the Prémmalom near Bakonynána and the operational Poós and Vadalmás mills here near Jásd. The earliest source mentioning a mill on the Gaja dates from 1410, showing the long-standing tradition of utilizing water power in the area.

The village of Tés requested permission to operate a mill since it was not possible on the plateau, but some of the water that drives the wheel actually comes from there—thus the meeting point of mills and waters.

Márkus Castle and the Holy Well

Continuing along the Gaja, we soon pass beneath a forested rise called Márkus Castle, where old trees hide the earthwork defensive double trenches of an ancient fort. It is uncertain which people built it and when, but most researchers associate it with Celtic origins.

A few hundred meters later, we bypass the waterworks area and then immediately reach the famous Holy Well of Jásd. This beautifully organized and maintained pilgrimage site is Hungary's earliest recorded and still thriving sacred place; a church document from 1845 states it was already over 600 years old then. Our ancestors came here to sacrifice before Christianity, and in 1164 a Benedictine abbey was established on the village territory, which was destroyed along with the village and shrine during the Turkish era. Its whitewashed chapel was consecrated in 1837, followed by the construction of a Calvary and an open-air mass celebrating place.

The site’s legend relates to the spring originating here, also used by the adjacent waterworks. According to the story, Peter the Hermit went to the nearby mountains to do penance. One summer drought dried up the Gaja as well. Peter, who had been thirsty for days, dreamed in which the Virgin Mary showed him where to find water. The monk began digging at the indicated spot, and thus the spring emerged, on which the now visible small house was later built. Over the centuries, many miraculous healings occurred here due to the water’s effect. The figures of Virgin Mary and Peter the Hermit can be found here as stone statues. The excellent quality karst water also arrives through the rock passages from the Tési Plateau above. It's worth resting at the holy place, sitting a while beneath the shade-giving trees, and quenching your thirst.

From Jásd back to the plateau

After a stretch, we cross the Gaja again via a bridge and enter Jásd's inner area. We cut through the village streets on the K markings. If we need to shop, there is a convenience store and a bistro here. The village, founded in the Árpád era with a long history, was repopulated after the Turkish period with Slovaks and Germans. The modern settlement pattern and roots of some of the population originate from this period. At the end of our loop village visit, we cross the now familiar Gaja again at another crossing—but this time for the last time—as from here we start ascending. So far, we have descended almost 250 meters from Tés, which we need to recover over the remaining 3 km to arrive back at the plateau. Bidding farewell to the creek and leaving the valley behind, our inviting path leads into the dense forest. Soon we reach the Siska-kút resting place, which, like the earlier springs, is the outflow point of water arriving from above and also feeds the Gaja.

We climb through medieval beech forest, followed by a young clearing opening the view towards the sky. After a gap and new growth canopy, we join the already familiar Tés–Bakonynána transport road where the ascent eases. Here we temporarily leave the previously followed marking to follow the K▲ guidance winding on the hillside towards the Széchenyi Zsigmond Lookout.

From the standard wooden lookout tower, we can observe the prominences of the Northern Bakony and the Gaja valley area, while the Vértes range is also clearly visible. We can spot the wind turbine towers erected near the border of Csetény and Szápár too. Descending back to the tower base refreshed, we can start the remaining 60-meter ascent to the edge of Tés. We continue on young beech forest paths along the K▲ markings and soon reconnect to the K marking, from where we walk among older forest trees. We pass a rest place made comfortable with a bench, then reach the country road at the plateau edge. Turning right on it, we stroll back to our starting point among the houses of Tés on the K◼ marking. Along the way, there is an opportunity to make a detour and see the famous windmills and the blacksmith’s workshop.