On the yellow trail of Budai Fehér út

Itinerary

• Follow the S markings all the way.

Detailed description of the route

Nagykovácsi

Nagykovácsi, located next to the capital, has a truly exceptional setting: it is framed by mountains on all sides, lying like a real cul-de-sac at the bottom of its basin. The area was inhabited already in Roman times, but it got its name in a later period when royal servants, specifically weapon smiths, lived here. Then it was depopulated during the Turkish era, and later Swabian settlers arrived in the mountains. They were abundantly supplied with work and goods: the basin is coated with the fertile soil of former stream deposits, which enabled agriculture, while the extraction of limestone, dolomite, and then coal also provided an important source of income. Also the forest, where logging and lime burning provided livelihoods. However, Germans are hardly found anymore: after World War II, in just three days, 800 families were sent by train from the Solymár railway station to Germany. Only a dozen families remained in Nagykovácsi - in place of the deported, Slovak Hungarians arrived under the Hungarian-Czechoslovak population exchange agreement. (Smaller numbers of new residents came from Transylvania and the Jászság region as well.)

We start from the well-kept main square in the center of Nagykovácsi, heading west along the main street (following the S marking). As we reach the edge of the settlement, a rocky dirt road breaks forward between two bushy areas. To the left springs the source of the Ördög-árok brook, which flows through Budapest (partly underneath) down to the Danube. We moderately but noticeably ascend, to the right ahead rises the 559-meter-high mass of Kutya-hegy - looking at the map, it is noticeable that this number is also next to the name of the highest point of the mountain range, the Nagy-Kopasz, which rises to the south. There is a slight difference between the two peaks (more precisely summits) in favor of Nagy-Kopasz.

Among the forests

For now, we trudge among tall trees, predominantly in oak-dominated associations, on our right a fence appears, intended to keep wildlife away from the saplings and the rare plants of the meadows. The forest, interspersed with rocky outcrops and meadows, was still a closed hunting ground in the second half of the 20th century, where so far only a single hiking path offers entry. There is still a lack of markings and infrastructure serving hikers here - theoretically now for nature conservation reasons. The grasslands serve as refuge for rare plant species (such as King's gillyflower), just as the special microclimate conditions on the rocky slopes of the narrow valleys create specific habitat conditions.

A path joins from Kutya-hegy, and with that we reach the highest point of our route (471 m), where we begin a barely noticeable descent. We are on the Fehér út (White Road), named after the color of dolomite, which continuously emerges here and constitutes the entire area's composition, also coloring the tire tracks. In earlier, wetter geological periods, streams cut deep ditches into the easily gravelizing rock, carving a distinctly rugged, lively topographic zone here, at the western tip of the mountain range.

On the edge of the bare rocks

The mixed character of pine patches, oaks and clearings forms a distinctive moodful corner of the Buda Hills, where the influence of the nearby big city is hardly felt anymore. At one point a tiny trail calls left, a few meters ahead a ridge offers a great view towards the Zsámbék Basin and Gerecse (to the left the Velence Hills appear, and in the distance the Vértes and Bakony ranges). The hiking path descends slightly and along former crown estate border stones it guides us with a never-endingly beautiful line among dry steppe meadows. We walk up to an elongated clearing, from where we can admire the distant hills of Gerecse again, and the elongated ribbon-like Vértes is clearly visible, as well as the Bakony peeking out from its cover. The Velence Hills can be identified as two small mounds; on the right, above the treetops, the back of Pilis-tető appears. The harsh dolomite barren slopes leaning into the Mária Valley also emerge, so the area's special steepness is not only visible on the map anymore.

Only a few trees are planted on the barren dolomite ribs of the Mária Valley side, opposite rises the treeless peak identifiable from the cross of Meszes-hegy. Behind it, beyond the undulating surface of the Zsámbék Basin, we can discover the twin-mass of the Velence Hills and the treeless, elongated highland of Vértes.

Into the basin

After enjoying the views, a less memorable section awaits: we descend on a deep road on the side of Zajnát-tető. We walk for more than 1 kilometer through dense, bushy forest before reaching the fields and pastures surrounding Perbál. The marking can be misleading here: the hiking trail turns right, so we must climb over a fence made passable with a ladder. Spacious fields accompany us, and looking back we can measure the steep edge of the entire mountain group we walked along, the edge of the Buda Hills and Zsámbék Basin. The undulating road does not last long, and its open terrain is a sharp contrast to the earlier part of the route.

The dirt road squeezed between the fields soon joins the busy main road forming Perbál's main street. We leave the church building on the left here, and finally find the stop for intercity buses in the center. Before boarding the bus, check which side of the street suits your destination to avoid surprises (Budapest buses leave in the opposite direction to our arrival).