Orfalu circular walk

Itinerary : 

• We start our route on the P◼ trail, on Orfalu Main Street.
• After leaving the village, following a short walk at a small forest resting point, we switch from the P◼ trail to the P trail.
• Following the P trail southwards to the border, on the former track we continue eastwards on the Z trail.
• Remaining continuously on the Z trail, we pass through the Orfalu-Büdfalva border crossing point, then after less than one and a half kilometers (before reaching the signs indicating further directions of the connecting hiking trails), we follow the direction sign of the Áfonyás nature trail, leaving the Z trail and sharply heading north.
• After about 200 meters, we reach the intersection of the S+ trail and the Áfonyás nature trail. From here, we continue along the S+ trail westwards back to our starting point in Orfalu.

Detailed description of the route : 

The history of a border village

Orfalu (Andovci) is a small scattered settlement in the Vendvidék region. Its characteristic L-shaped farms are situated in a landscape dotted with forests, meadows, pastures, and arable fields. The village was first mentioned in official records from 1332, at which time it, together with the surrounding settlements, was part of the estates of the Cistercian Abbey established by King Béla III at Szentgotthárd. During the Turkish occupation period, according to old records, the village population was obliged to pay a tax of 1 forint per household. Additionally, there was a smoke tax per farm and the "basa tax," paid in kind with wine and butter. Unfortunately, the local wine is no longer known today! The small-scale peasant forestry management typical here in the past and traditional animal husbandry have also become history.

Currently, an increasingly defining lifestyle is emerging based on gentle tourism and the demand for a healthy lifestyle. The craftsmanship tradition is preserved in the village through pottery, the old flavors are brought closer to today's people by cheese making and beekeeping, and the knowledgeable use of medicinal and aromatic herbs is experiencing a renaissance.

From the Tea House to the bell tower

We start our route from Orfalu's emblematic building, the building formerly known only as the "Rabbit House," now called the "Tea House." Due to its function, this building has had several names. It was once a school and a cultural center but later fell into total abandonment. A recent complete renovation has transformed it into a Spice Shop, Herb Garden, and Tea House, together with the garden next to the building, making it a bastion for local public life and tourists seeking refreshment.

First, it is worth walking around the bell tower behind the Tea House, built in 1823, which watches over the past as a witness. This two-column, fully enclosed lower structure was originally covered with wooden shingles but now has a tile roof. Typically, in the predominantly Catholic, Slovenian-speaking Vendvidék villages, not all had the opportunity to build a church, but at least a bell tower was erected everywhere. These bells were rung on extraordinary occasions, such as births, deaths, holidays, or emergencies. The religious population of the village has long attended the church of Saint Stephen in Harding, Apátistvánfalva. Near the bell tower is the community's bilingual centennial memorial stone, erected in 2000, which also lists the names of the then 56 residents.

From the iconic "Little Triglav" to the border

Orfalu, surrounded by forests and showing a unique scattered settlement structure, is explored following the P◼ trail up the Main Street. Following the climb, we soon reach the Slovenian Open-Air Museum. Inspired by the local witch legends, an escape room and a community space showcasing traditional Slovenian rural foods and crafts operate here by prior appointment. The main attraction of the courtyard is the one-ton "Little Triglav," composed of rock pieces from seven Slovenian settlements of the Triglav National Park in Slovenia. The "Little Triglav" is also the starting point of the pilgrimage route leading to Triglav. Local tradition says that every member of the Slovenian minority living here should make a pilgrimage at least once in their life from this point to the country's highest peak. The yard offers a nature-embedded selfie frame to capture memorable moments with a forest background.

The Slovenian Open-Air Museum fence and the markings painted in its garden do not always allow following the trail continuously; therefore, we bypass the property on the left side from our direction to rejoin the P◼ trail. Spiritual guidance can be drawn at the stone cross decorated with a Virgin Mary statue erected in honor of the people of Orfalu at the village border. Leaving the village west-southwest after a couple of hundred meters, our path is bordered by an imposing, sprawling oak tree, and a little further we reach the V-shaped confluence of the P trail. Here, a modest occasional resting place awaits hikers, with opportunities for gear adjustment and refreshment.

From here, we head slightly left towards south, following the P trail to the nearby border. We walk on pine needle cushions of a forest pine forest, touching the Mura Raba Tour route crossing the border. A sturdy beech tree provides help along the P trail. From here, just a few steps, and we reach the Z trail, marking the former track zone.

Border adventures, a nostalgic walk on the former track

Here at the border, we bid farewell to the P trail and follow eastward (turning left) the Vasfüggöny route's Z trail. At this point, we also meet the Rábavidék circular route and again the Mura Raba Tour trail. Shortly after the border junction, about half a kilometer away on the Slovenian side, there is a covered forest resting area. Along the former track, our path is lined with border stones. Walking from stone to stone, the once strictly guarded border's eventful past comes alive: the post-Trianon dispersal, the painful memories of families torn apart, strict border control episodes, patrols, barbed wire fences attached to poles, the 24-volt S-100 electronic signaling system, carefully raked tracks, and patrol roads. Perhaps the adventure-seeking tourist now also walks in the footsteps of the former special police unit with tracking dogs.

Continuing, we soon reach the border of the scattered settlement Büdfalva (Budinci), which is also a stop on the Rábavidék circular route. From here, we have two options for continuing our journey: either along the track further hidden by trees (on the Mura Raba Tour trail), or alongside the border stones, following the Z trail parallel to the track about 30 meters away, walking on the asphalt road around Büdfalva to the Orfalu-Büdfalva border crossing point. The two alternatives meet there. From that point, we continue eastwards on the Z trail, along the former track. A small plank helps crossing the ditch.

A glance beyond the border…

The Slovenian neighbor of the Őrség National Park is the Goricko Landscape Protection Park. Büdfalva (Budinci) is a typical border scattered settlement with a mosaic landscape structure. Its brick-built, tile-roofed, about hundred-year-old bell tower deserves mention. Near the bend close to the border crossing, on a hill stands an old, impressive chestnut tree next to a small chapel. Directly towards Büdfalva border, in the shrubs at the forest edges on rural fence posts, we can find the thorn whistle, a black-eyed black stripe bird, known for perching its prey on thorns and performing its characteristic gliding flight to the chosen branch.

Büdfalva meadows provide an ideal habitat for daytime butterflies. Among them, colorful marsh fritillaries found in dry and semi-dry grasslands and wet meadows around the area are particularly interesting, as they live in a special dependency with ants.

The guardians of clean air, the forests

A significant part of our route is accompanied by mixed broadleaf and lime-avoiding forest pines. These communities typically include oaks and partly beeches in the upper canopy layer besides pine. The lower canopy level is mainly characterized by hornbeam. The shrub layer occasionally includes the protected wolf's bane with its hibiscus-like flowers. The rare pine almond (Teucrium scorodonia) occurs mostly in the western zone of the Vendvidék forests. Regarding semi-shrubs, the black blueberry, and among herbs, the white-flowered round-leaved wintergreen, which delights the eye in early summer, offer a special experience.

On our way, nutrient-poor, leached spots are bordered by mossy and juniper patches. Juniper, blooming in late summer to early autumn, offers a pleasant sight with its purple-pink inflorescences and is considered an ornament of lime-avoiding forest pine woods. The region's rare, protected plant is the flat clubmoss, a bush-like perennial with flat shoots and scale-like leaves reminiscent of cypress species, growing up to 20-25 cm tall. Sharp-eyed hikers may also spot the black-capped, black-throated forest crested tit, representing the birdlife.

The border crossing can also be a disembarking point if we return north on the renewed asphalt road, or follow the marked Orfalu circular route back from here to the starting point.

Along the former track by the border stones, touching the Áfonyás nature trail, we proceed. After less than one and a half kilometers, before reaching signs indicating further directions of hiking trails, we follow the nature trail's direction sign, leave the Z trail, and sharply turn south. There is no marked hiking trail on this short stretch.

From here, we only need to walk 200 meters to reach the information board presenting the forest pine wildlife of the nature trail. About 20 meters from there is the intersection of the S+ and Áfonyás nature trails.

From here, we continue along the S+ path westward until the end of our route. At a Y-junction, we turn right, then descend gradually until we reach a charming forest clearing in the valley neck. Here, we walk along the forest edge before sharply turning left at the valley floor pasture, climbing back up to the crest. Reaching the top, we remain on the S+ trail and can admire the Orfalu farms.

Breathing fresh air and enjoying the expanding panorama, we soon reach the asphalt road descending from the border crossing towards the village center. Along the right side of the steep road, we see the region's characteristically old, sadly pruned sweet chestnut tree. In the surrounding village's inner and outer areas, and at many points in the forest, we can also find sweet chestnut trees. After a few hundred meters, we return to the starting point of our tour, the Tea House, where we can refresh ourselves and, after a short rest, explore further attractions of this magical village.