Romhány – Becske (Day 41 of the OKT Hike)

If you’re arriving in Romhány by bus, get off at the bus turnaround, which was built on the loading platform of the now-closed railway branch line’s terminal station. Nearby, you’ll find one of the Blue Trail’s stamp stations at the flower shop, but there’s a second one on the wall of the guesthouse at the nearby intersection.

Since our hike doesn’t offer much of interest, it’s worth walking a few hundred meters to the former terminus of the Diósjenő–Romhány railway line, where we can search through the overgrown weeds to find the old station building—a marvel of beauty, though now in a very dilapidated state. Unfortunately, the line runs perpendicular to the main travel routes, but passenger transport was not the priority when it was built—rather, it was intended to serve local industry. The successor to the former tile factory, which was a major plant in the region, is still in operation today in Romhány.

After this short detour, we follow the “K” trail markers north on Zrínyi Miklós Street, then turn right at the intersection toward Kétbodony. Unfortunately, Blue Trail hikers must share the public road—which can be quite busy at times—for the next one and a half kilometers or so; avoiding the dump trucks rumbling along the winding road requires caution.

In Kétbodony, we turn left toward the village center onto Madách Imre Street, where we’ll find the Blue Trail stamp at the Hangulat café after taking a short but steep detour. Although the OKT turns right toward the Cser-hát ridge, if we continue on, we can also see the ruined Brack Castle from outside the fence. Built as a noble manor house with a tower, the building served as the office of the local agricultural cooperative during the socialist era; since the 1990s, however, it has been left to decay, abandoned.

Kétbodony – Becske

The gravel-covered dirt road leading out of the village passes the farmsteads and reaches a crossroads, where you need to pay close attention, as the K trail markers lead down a narrow path into the forest. We have to climb 180 meters over the next 3.5 kilometers to “conquer” the Cser Ridge. After a climb that isn’t particularly strenuous, we reach the crest of the 349-meter-high hill. Our trail leads through an airy, dry forest, under the gradually fading shade of heat-loving oaks, acacias, and ash trees.

Near the 284-meter-high Öreg-hegy, a clearly visible but unmarked trail branches off to the right; after walking 10 meters along it, we’re treated to a partial panoramic view of the hills across the way. It’s not a spectacular view, but on this hike, even this is worth appreciating! The 349-meter-high Cser-hát offers no particular experience, especially when compared to the 500-meter peaks of the Cserhát, such as Tepke or the nearby Vár-hegy in Szanda. There’s no summit marker here, no lookout tower has been built on it, and the trees block the view—even though the entire Cserhát range got its name from this very spot. If we weren’t walking on a flat hilltop, the slope of the trail might indicate that we’ve passed the summit. But here the slope is so gentle that we can only realize this later.

The Blue Trail, winding along forest roads, continues at an elevation of 250–300 meters, then, after a right-angle left turn, we unexpectedly descend into a wild and picturesque, shady section to the straight, arrow-like remnants of the old Kisecset road. At the head of the Galga Creek valley, the road reaches the Aszód–Balassagyarmat railroad line, which passes northward through a tunnel on the slopes of the 300-meter-high hills. After crossing the railroad tracks, we continue walking south along the Galga. Thanks to the damp environment, a lush forest surrounds the trail, which heads toward hay meadows. Climbing out of the stream valley, after a short ascent, the houses of Becske come into view, with Szandavár dominating the landscape behind them. On this hike, we’ll have to make do with the farmlands just before Becske: as we descend toward the village, these fields also create a very beautiful landscape—this is the most scenic part of the hike, right toward the end.

Upon reaching the village, we turn left onto Becske’s main street, where we find one of the Blue Trail’s stamp stations on the fence of the ice cream shop; there’s also a second one in a similarly convenient spot, in the entrance area of the small store, among the baskets. On the mountainside rising above Becske stands the uniquely shaped Buddha Park, which many may recognize by its stupa.