Panorama hunting in the Keszthely Mountains

Itinerary:

• From the bus stop to the Szépkilátó we take the path through the parking lot with a short out-and-back detour.
• To the Batsányi Lookout we climb on the P▲ trail marker.
• On the P, then the Z+ trails we cross the Bise-kő peak and the Kalossza valley.
• On the P+ trail we cross the Márványkőfejtő peak to the plateau.
• Following the P trail to the left, we cut across the plateau to the Kígyós valley up to the saddle.
• From the Büdöskúti rest area, we take a detour on the S, then the Z▲ trails to the Padkű Lookout.
• We return to the junction of the P and S hiking trails, and return along the S trail in the Kígyós valley to the Bélapi rest area.
• We climb up the S+, then S▲ trails to the Bél Mátyás Lookout.
• Returning to the S+ trail, we continue to the saddle, then at the Szerelemdombi rest area we turn right on the P trail to descend back to the starting point.

Detailed description of the route:

The Szépkilátó is truly a beautiful Balaton lookout point

We start our hike at the Szépkilátó on the eastern border of Balatongyörök next to main road 71. At the end of the parking lot, a gravel path leads to the circular bench sheltered by pine trees. The lookout stretches over the entire hillside with its natural setting and barrenness, but it is here under the pine grove that the landscape really opens up: neither vegetation nor buildings obscure the magnificent panorama. Within easy reach before us lies Central Europe's largest lake, Balaton, which always fascinates the viewer in different colors and moods. It shines in many shades from bright blue to pastel green depending on the time of day and weather conditions. At sunrise, the water sparkles in the glittering colors of dawn as we look directly eastwards to the lake.

Most captivating is the sight of the witness hills rising above the lake's mirror surface. From the opposite hills of Fonyód to Szent György Hill we can see the basalt volcanoes and their ruins. These hills always delight observers with their unique character depending on which side is visible. Defining is the uniform flat plateau of Badacsony, the highest peak in the region, whose skirt flattens and extends far into the lake’s mirror, merging with the reeds and water. In front rise the hills of Szigliget, and further scanning we can identify Gulács, Csobánc, and the closing Szent György Hill in order.

From the Balaton bustle to the cicada-sounding pine forest

Filled with the view, we cross main road 71 and set out on the bazaar side on the P▲ marked trail up the hillside. After just a few food stands selling lángos and fried fish, we turn onto the asphalt road lined with holiday homes, which becomes forked and uncertain at the end. Next to a fence, we climb into the bushy forest where behind us remains the noise of Balaton, the buzz of the resort area, and in a Mediterranean atmosphere pine forest we ascend along the dolomite gravel ridge.

The Mediterranean-like climate and poor water retention of the dolomite surface have led to planting non-native pines in the Keszthely Mountains. Unfortunately, the particularly hot and dry summers weaken the otherwise drought-tolerant conifers, making them less resistant to fungal and bark beetle attacks. Evidence is the many dried and reddened pines that forestry tries to remove by cutting to prevent pest spread.

On the crumbly, resin-smelling path, after a short but strenuous climb, we reach the sparse top of Pap Hill ridge where the panoramic view cries out to be admired. This spot is indeed worthwhile as it offers a similar view to Szépkilátó, but from a bird's eye perspective. Above Balaton and the Szigliget hills but still below the basalt cap, the mosaic landscape unfolds from an ideal altitude. The Balaton water surface spreads widely around the undulating dolomite ridges forested below us. On the southern edge of the lake, far off can be seen Marcali ridge, the hills of Outer Somogy, and the double-peaked witness hill of Fonyód. The basalt volcanoes stand out more distinctly thanks to the ideal mid-height view. Szigliget hills are visible, while between Badacsony and Szent György hills the Balaton Uplands roll into the distance. Above houses of Becehegy and Balatonederics, beyond the Tapolca basin, the southern end of Bakony greets with its radio towers on the highest Kab Hill.

Deep in the Keszthely Mountains

Above the lookout, we join the P trail which, if followed to the left, forms a small loop of a few kilometers returning through the Bél Mátyás Lookout to Balatongyörök. But if we want to delve deeper into the atmosphere of the Keszthely Mountains, we follow our original direction and head north to the right on the P trail to the Bise-kő peak. We cross the ridge in the oak, flowering ash, and karst scrub forest typical of the mountain range, enriched with friendly descriptions from the Pele Grandpa educational trail.

At the saddle after the peak, we briefly cross the Kalosza valley on the Z+ trail, beyond which we set out on the hiking path characteristic to much of the Keszthely Mountains, following a firebreak. The P+ trail climbs straight up to Márványkőfejtő Hill, from where looking back the lake gradually unveils more thanks to the long firebreak. The wide clearing hosts protected flowers in spring and early summer: yellow spring hellebore and purple pasque flower delight spring hikers. The meadow lined with old oaks accompanies with a pleasant atmosphere as it rises to the progressively flattening top.

After the rocky top of Márványkőfejtő Hill, we enter the depths of the mountain range with gentle undulations. After dense, interwoven shrubs of the oak forests, beech trees mix into the forest at the head of Keserű-berek valley, showing the effect of the valley's cooler climate. The Festetics family had a game park here in the last century; intensive hunting is still ongoing, indicated by regularly spaced hunting stands. On the steep, rocky slopes live muflons – wild sheep introduced from Corsica – while roe deer and deer graze on the firebreaks from the inner areas. If we hike quietly, we might encounter wildlife in this less frequented inner region.

At the next crossing firebreak, by a hunting stand, the P trail crosses, on which we turn west (left). We walk among clear-cuts and tree plantations; the forest here resembles agricultural plantation broken only by a few old pines beside the road. The grid layout of roads and clearings is broken by Boncsos Hill, around whose natural curve we descend in mixed beech forests into the Kígyós valley. From the south, the S trail joins; we will follow it in the second half of our route out of the mountain, but before that, we make a detour to the Büdöskúti arboretum and Pad-kű.

In the center of the Keszthely Mountains, at the Büdöskúti arboretum

Along the S and P trails we reach the bottom of the Kígyós valley and the asphalt road crossing the mountain. On the road circumnavigating the valley head, we arrive at a saddle where we pass a pleasant forest clearing (Büdöskúti resting area) with covered structures, benches, and tables, a great opportunity for recharging, resting, and eating halfway through the hike. Behind us lies a forest section with mixed thuja, pines, red oak, and native species, called an arboretum. Next to this atmospheric forest, a road lined with thuja trees branches off towards Pad-kű, which we ascend following the Z▲ trail. After just a few hundred meters, we reach the lookout on the hilltop, from which a distinctive panorama unfolds from the heart of the Keszthely Mountains.

Here you can really see the character of one of Hungary’s smallest mountain ranges. To the east, the dolomite block tops with a uniform plateau and a long, flat ridge, behind which appears alone the basalt plateau of Badacsony, which rises higher. To the south and west, the calcareous sediments have formed into longitudinal ridges, descending with winding terrains and colorful forests toward the Balaton plain. The most striking are the basalt plateau blocks behind the northern mountains, the Kovácsi hill and the forested massive of Tátika, between which the white shining cone of the Zalaszántó stupa can be sharply spotted in the distance.

Back to Balatongyörök

From the atmospheric lookout point, we return by the same route to the Büdöskúti arboretum, then on the opposite side of the Kígyós valley below Boncsos, now turning south following the S trail. Along the curve of the valley, we initially walk among beeches, then in the saddle below Boncsos Hill, we begin a long descent in an atmospheric oak grove into the Püspökháza valley. After a large clearing, we step down through youthful forest. A few legacy trees show how the forest would look without intense forest management, which strongly influences the landscape’s atmosphere here. Moreover, bypassing the Szoba-kű cliff, the S trail runs for two kilometers through a firebreak.

We break monotony upon returning to the Kígyós valley, where we walk along the asphalt road among clearings and groves decorated with legacy trees. Supplemented by the Kalosza valley, from here on we stroll in the spacious area called the Bélap valley, with narrow arable land and tree-lined road fitting side by side.

After a barrier, we arrive among ancient oaks at the Bélapi rest area, where we pass a forest theater and an exercise track. Here we can climb back up to the ridge, where from one last lookout we can glance around above Balaton. For this, we head east on the S+ trail on a gravel road climbing through sparse oak forest, then shortly turn right on the S▲ trail leading to the hilltop. On this short section, we make a detour to Garga Hill, atop which, beyond the sparse pine forest, awaits the Bél Mátyás Lookout.

The panorama is similar to the first two lookout points of our hike – which can also be spotted from here – but westwards we can follow the Balaton arc all the way to the end of the Keszthely Bay. We crown our hike with this westward opening view if we arrive late enough: from here we can even follow the play of sunset light, although in summer the sun sets northwest behind the hills.

From the lookout, multiple options arise to return to the village. Unfortunately, the shortest direct path is unmarked and overgrown, so we recommend the S+ trail, where we continue right over the Garga ridge and arrive back to the starting point through pine forests and holiday homes.