Pilisi Wanderung - 5th section (Pilisszentlászló - Pilisszentlélek)

Pilisi Wanderung - 5th section

Another ridge route and even more views await us on the 5th section of the Pilisi Wanderung, which leads along the andesite rocks of the Visegrád Mountains for 22 kilometers, touching several iconic hiking spots.

I ended the 4th section of the Pilisi Wanderung in Pilisszentlászló, surrounded by mountains after a beautiful but long path. I like this settlement, from where I have started and finished many hikes before or stopped at its pub for a refreshment while passing through. Despite having visited here many times, I knew nothing about the village's rich history, which I had time to read about now, while on this exploratory trip. The village was inhabited as early as the Bronze Age. In the Middle Ages, it was called Kékes and was a favorite hunting spot for our former kings. In 1291, King Andrew III built a hunting lodge on the current church hill, which was soon donated to the Pauline Order. The monks converted the building into a monastery, where, among others, King Louis the Great and King Matthias also visited. Unfortunately, like many of our historical treasures, the building and the village were destroyed during the Turkish occupation. The village received the name Saint Ladislaus at the end of the 1600s, upon its reconstruction, in honor of our former king.

Well rested, I said goodbye to the village and headed west on the red cross trail starting from the Kis Rigó restaurant. At first on a wide forestry road, then ascending on a narrow, overgrown path to Tüskés Hill, from where we basically continue ridge hiking. On the right, through the trees, the Börzsöny range continuously appears, inviting the wanderer to adventure with its long stretched line. As I step from one beech to another, the murmur rising from the narrow valley of the Danube Bend accompanies me. It's a distant roar caused by the railway running alongside the Danube, but it does not take away the idyllic nature experience, it only signals the distance of civilization. Beech trees give way to oaks, and following the red triangle, we reach Prédikálószék, which offers one of the most beautiful views of the mountain range.

From the lookout at Prédikálószék, an unparalleled and one of the most beautiful views of Hungary unfolds before us towards the Danube Bend. The opposite Hegyes Hill, the horseshoe-shaped Danube Bend, the Visegrád Castle and the High Börzsöny mountain range all fit into one photo. With binoculars you could scan the surroundings for hours, which unfortunately I did not have, so I did not linger too long and continued to another favorite spot, the Vadálló-kövek, just a stone’s throw away.

It is no coincidence that the multi-million-year-old andesite rocks of the mountain range are known as one of the most popular tourist destinations. There are few hiking trails in Hungary where you can walk over such jagged volcanic cones created by volcanic activity, all with beautiful views. Of course, carefully, because at places we step above tens of meters deep on slippery rocks. The Vadálló-kövek are easy to identify by their characteristic shapes. Descending from top to bottom, you can see Árpád's throne, the Exclamation Mark, the Hanging Stone, the Club, the Broad Tower, and Nagytuskó. To the west, Dobogó-kő and the surrounding hills rising 400-500 meters can be seen well, including Rám Hill, whose gorge is the best known and which the Pilisi Wanderung will also touch. But before that, a slippery descent into the Mill Valley awaits us, whose bottom we reach near the Szentfa Chapel. Here, next to the built resting place and spring, we also find our hiking stamp.

Continuing on the green trail, we only need to walk less than a kilometer to reach one of the country's most famous and busiest hiking trails. There is no person who hasn't at least heard of the wild gorge of the Rám Gorge, which I have also hiked for the hundredth time with great pleasure and enthusiasm. As a child, I loved coming here mainly in spring and autumn when the gorge's stream swelled with rain, and the water rushing between the rocks roared loudly. At such times, my brother and I waded for long hours in the often waist-deep icy cold water, and when we were completely chilled, our mother came and dressed us in dry clothes. Back then, only one or two rusty chains helped the progress, and maybe there was a ladder at one place, but we never got hurt because we were aware of our freedom and all its possible dangers. With these thoughts in my head and memories in my heart, I stepped from one ladder rung to another until I reached a quiet valley from the roaring gorge. From there, our path still goes upward, the climb only starts to ease after reaching the yellow trail.

We exit the valley and continue the hike below the hill named Árpádvár. Archaeologists found traces of an Árpád-era earth fort here, hence the name of the hill. No marked hiking trail leads up, but we can climb a steep path to the 484-meter high point, where there is actually not much to find except the "castle code" placed here, which is a verification point of another hiking challenge. Continuing on the green trail, we first cross the asphalt road, then reach the Makó meadow, once a resting place with better days, but the Julia spring flowing here still quenches the thirst of hikers with abundant water. After the rest, a short climb brings us to the next verification point, the Szakó saddle. From here, we turn towards Dobogókő and comfortably ascend along the ridge of Jász Hill on the path also known as Téry-trail. This is one of the oldest hiking trails in Hungary, where memorials have been erected for Gyula Tost, Lajos Hegedüs, and Rezső Tirts. The latter even has a viewpoint named after him, from which we can see well the Vadálló-kövek we passed a few hours ago. From here, Dobogókő is only about half a kilometer away, whose proximity is signaled by the roar of motorcyclists speeding around the area, using the road leading up here as a racetrack.

Dobogókő is undoubtedly the cradle and center of hiking in Hungary. This is partly due to its excellent natural conditions, but also the proximity to the capital and easy access contribute to the fact that one can meet many hikers here not only on weekends. The Baron Loránd Eötvös Tourist House is busy all year round, and the 118-year-old shelter next to it operates as a museum where not only the history of domestic hiking can be learned but you can also enrich your hiking stamp collection with several imprints.

History lovers can find several other hiking memorials outside the museum as well, such as the Téry Ödön memorial embedded in a rock at the lookout, which honors one of the founders of Hungarian hiking. Few people know that in post-Trianon Hungary, the first ski slope was established in 1923 at Dobogókő, and that the memorial for tourists fallen in World War II here was allegedly personally removed by Mátyás Rákosi in 1950, along with a double cross. More people have heard that here is the Earth's "heart chakra," which the name also confirms and supposedly refers to the beating of the heart.

The truth is that such a geographical name can be found elsewhere too. Steep hills and mounds without peaks are called "dobogó," but this is obviously no argument for the "chakra believers." Of course, I do not want to offend anyone’s faith, but I couldn’t hold back loud laughter when Dobogókő was connected with Egyptian pyramids and UFOs. I already expressed my opinion on such theories in the second section of the wander, so I won’t do it now.

It is worth taking a small detour to the Thirring Rocks standing on Dobogókő’s steep side, which can be explored on a short circular route, or to the Zsivány Rocks farther away, which, if you haven’t seen them yet, are definitely worth visiting. I admired these geological formations during my previous trips, so I continued on the route towards the Két-bükkfa saddle. The name-giving two beeches were cut down in 1935 during the construction of the road leading to Dobogókő; they were supposed to mark the county border. The border of Pest and Komárom-Esztergom counties still runs here, and here you will also find the verification stamp on the signpost next to the busy road.

Slowly we are approaching the end of today’s hike, which we finish in Pilisszentlélek after covering 22 kilometers. If we have the strength and mood, it is worth taking a little detour from here to the Black Stone cliff, from where there is a perfect view of our destination, and not least here we find one of the stamps of the Pilis Hill Views, another hiking challenge by the Piliscsaba Hiking Association.

If we decide to visit the Black Stone later, we must follow the green trail beside the tree nurseries, next to the forester's house, which is called Mexico on the map. But how did Mexico get here? The former forester’s lodge was called the Fugitive (Megszökő), from which the pun originated. According to the story, in the early 1800s, a cholera epidemic raged in Pilismarót, and the forester moved here with his family, "fleeing" the disease. But around here, we can find other interesting names on maps, such as the village of Saolin, where, contrary to its name, you don’t meet kung-fu fighters but restaurants and hospitality providers.

I do not finish here but in Pilisszentlélek, just about one kilometer away, to begin the last, sixth section of the Wander well rested the next day. Although I knew today’s route well, I still hiked on terrain where a person likes to return repeatedly. Because if not new discoveries, then the experiences of favorite old places fill the hiker with the joy of walking. Join me on the last, sixth section as well, and let’s finish the Pilisi Wanderung together!