Pilisi hike - 1st section (Dorog - Piliscsaba)

Pilisi hike - 1st section (Dorog - Piliscsaba, Klotildliget)

Many hikers might wonder – and I must admit, this was my first thought as well – what more the Pilis and the Visegrád Hills, which I have known since childhood, can offer me. So I took out the map and followed the 163 km route of the Pilisi hike, marking the places I had not visited yet. And I had to realize: there are many things I had not seen or known about the Pilis. Excited by this fact and with the exploratory curiosity of a wanderer, I grabbed my backpack, tied my hiking boots, and took with me the certification booklet and the stamp pad to start another journey.

While taking the train to Dorog, the starting point of the hike, I read several interesting facts about the Pilis in an old guidebook and online. Beyond the meditative experience of solitary walking, I became increasingly interested in the origins of the geographical names on the Pilis map and the history of the area. And although I cannot count how many times I have already been here, I knew nothing about most of the caves here. For example, the Csévi Cave at Basina, where, according to my new map (which comes with the certification booklet), a marked hiking trail leads. I could list many other places unknown to me. I decided to make small detours from the hiking route to the parts I had not yet visited, which promised new experiences.

Arriving at the Dorog train station and after stamping, I already started the Pilisi hike at the western foot of the Pilis. We leave Dorog, a town with a long history, mainly famous for coal mining, through its garden district heading southeast. I am interested in the history of every settlement, but this time my path and thoughts lead me towards nature, so I do not dwell much on this settlement inhabited since Roman times, boasting many other historical curiosities. On the national blue trail, we leave Dorog's outskirts for good through acacia groves and sandy terrain and approach Kesztölc. Undoubtedly this is not the most beautiful section of our current route nor of the Blue Trail. However, the dolomite cliffs occasionally appearing from the dense acacias and the sight of the moustached serin slightly distracted me from this trashy path. I reached the connecting road; from here only a few steps to Kesztölc.

We pass through the northern part of the village, thus not visiting its more than two hundred-year-old country house and characteristic cellar rows. The people living here have been engaged in viticulture even before the Hungarian conquest, and this is still the case today. Through the village vineyards, we head towards Öreg-szirt to then climb up to our first viewpoint on the Kétágú Hill. The sinking sandy soil is replaced by slippery limestone rocks, and oaks slowly replace the acacia groves. It is as if we had been on the Great Hungarian Plain until now, except for the smaller and larger elevation differences. Looking out from the barely 500-meter-high hill, the scars of the landscape caused by mines and quarries are clearly visible; these provided livelihood for the local people for many decades. Today, the mines are closed.

After viewing from the top of Öreg-szirt, we walk through a strictly protected area to the Sasfészek guesthouse on Black Hill. The cozy building has served tourists since the 1930s. It has undergone several renovations, and its excellent current condition is thanks to the 2014 refurbishment. Unfortunately, I had no chance to see inside, but the terrace offers a nice view to the north. I rested a bit here and, looking at the map, discovered the Jakus tree marked barely half a kilometer from me. Why is it called that? After a little research, I found the story: János Jakus was the chief forester of the area in the 1920s; because of his profession, timber thieves and poachers disliked him. Jakus was tied to a big beech tree dressed as a woman by his enemies and left there. The unlucky man had to wait three days without food or drink until a passerby freed him. Instead of gratitude, the semi-dead forester reported his rescuer to the authorities because he was trespassing in the forest.

Continuing on a comfortable forestry road, we leave Black Hill and reach the World War II memorial at Pilis Saddle, which stands at a site of heavy fighting. In early January 1945, the front crossed here when German and Hungarian troops from Esztergom tried to liberate the encircled capital. After the war, in 1955, a monument was erected to the 16 Ukrainian soldiers who defended the saddle and fell or were buried here. The “liberating” Soviet heroic monument was repeatedly vandalized over time and eventually nothing remained of it. I consider remembrance important, so I am glad that in 2009 a new memorial was built on the old site, which no longer commemorates “heroes” but all victims of the Second World War.

In the shade of hornbeam-oak forests, I follow, even devour, the path. I think I should slow down because not only my legs but my thoughts also change places too quickly. I feel I am not fully here, wandering and roaming somewhere else. I have known this feeling from previous trips. At times like this, it takes a little while to tune into the forest and the path. We need to slow down if we really want to recharge. The urban pace is not good here.

We continue on the red trail towards Piliscsév. This path takes us almost in a straight line into the village. But before arriving, small detours offer opportunities to discover beautiful views, ruins, and caves. First, a westward detour of barely 1 km allows a lookout from the Kémény Rock over the area. But at a later junction, we can decide to climb up to the Leány and Legény caves or descend to Klastrompuszta, where the first monastery of the only Hungarian-founded monastic order, the Pauline Fathers, stood. This time, I chose the viewpoint and the monastery ruins as my destinations. This is not a big detour and is worth the extra kilometer.

The leader of the hermits living in the caves of Pilis was Blessed Özséb, founder of the Pauline order. The monks built a monastery and church in mid-13th century at today’s Klastrompuszta. Özséb led the order until his death in 1270 and was buried on the monastery grounds — today only the foundations remain. By the way, Klastrompuszta and its surroundings are also archaeological sites from other eras. The local caves were excellent shelters for prehistoric humans, and objects from a counterfeiting workshop operating during Ferdinand’s reign were also unearthed here.

After the small detours and another 3 km, we reach Piliscsév from the aforementioned junction. If we still have energy, it is worth climbing up to the Csévi Cave above the village. This is a larger detour but worth the view. Piliscsév was founded in the 18th century by Slovak families settling here. A few kilometers west of today’s village lay the former Csév village, mentioned in medieval documents. Likely, Piliscsév inherited the name of this village destroyed in the Turkish era. I first saw its church on a stamp of the hike located on Basa Street, then I admired the impressive Church of the Nativity of the Virgin a few blocks away in person. In the heat, I stopped for a refreshing beer, then continued trotting through acacia groves and sinking sand, which I do not like. Never mind, I can already see the Nagy-Kopasz!

After a small climb, we are up on Nagy-Kopasz Hill. The lookout tower here, resembling a “Jenga” tower, was handed over to hikers by Pilisi Parkerdő Ltd. a year ago. I have never been here before, so I had no chance to view the Pilis from here. The view is magnificent, even if we are only 500 meters high including the tower’s height. I really like the shape of the tower itself, but the surroundings less so. Unfortunately, there are still some people who leave their trash in the forest. To them, I can only ask: why don’t you take it home with you?

From here, less than a kilometer remains to the end of the first stage of the Pilisi hike at Klotildliget. We stamp here as well, and if we don’t want to walk the entire more than 160 km route at once, we can take the train and continue next time from here. On varied terrain and in great heat, I covered more than 30 km, discovering two new places I had not visited before. Looking at the route and the map, I will visit many similar places in the coming days. And maybe I will also manage to slow down my pace to better absorb the nature and atmosphere of the Pilis. The next section I will walk is from Piliscsaba, Klotildliget to Pilisszenlélek, passing new historical and sacred places as well as the highest point of the mountain range. Put on your hiking boots and set off! Discover new places or follow the Pilisi hike with me on the next section too!