Running shoes on at the boundary of the capital, on the promenades of Hármashatár-hegy

Itinerary:

• From Fenyőgyöngye, we start southward on the K trail.
• Just a few hundred meters after the first turn, we continue straight on the unmarked bulldozer road, which joins the Z trail behind the Szépvölgyi forester's lodge.
• On the Z trail, we hike around Kecske-hegy to Hármashatár.
• From Hármashát, we follow the Gyöngyök útja pilgrimage trail, moving on a level path below Újlaki Hill, where on the other side we continue together with the S trail to Virágos-nyereg.
• On the Z trail, we bypass Csúcs-hegy, and on its far side, from the Budapest border, the P cyclist trail leads along the ridge.
• At Szarvas-hegy, we continue on the S▲ trail, which leads up to the Calvary, then descends to the northern side of Szarvas-hegy where we reconnect with the S trail to Virágos-nyereg.
• From Virágos-nyereg, we follow the level Z trail, which continues as Z+ past Nagy-Farkas-torok straight to the asphalt road of Hármashatár-hegy.
• Beside the road, on a winding path, we descend on the K trail back to Fenyőgyöngye.

Detailed about the hike

Along Szépvölgyi promenades; crossing Kecske-hegy

From Fenyőgyöngye, a favorite starting point for runners, we set off on the K trail southwest towards Kecske-hegy. At the first turn, we continue straight on an unmarked path to Szépvölgyi forester’s lodge where we join the Z trail. After a short ascent, we reach the hilltop at the forest exercise area, from where we gently follow the gentle shapes of the Kecske-hegy ridge.

We pass through mixed forests. Forestry-wise, the worthless karst shrub forests were often planted with pine trees, which is relatively widespread as a non-native species in the Buda Hills. In agreement with the national park, these pine forests have been increasingly harvested recently. The poor water retention of the dolomite rocky surface cannot provide enough water for the substantial trees during drought periods; thus, they weaken, fall ill, and become victims of pests.

On the northern side of Kecske-hegy, we cross a charming meadow. The playground towers of Hármashatár-hegy greet us - they will be the lighthouses of our circuit, to which we can relate our position at every viewpoint. We gently descend into Határ-nyereg, a junction of a complex network of paths, where careful attention is needed to decide the further direction.

At the border of Pesthidegkút, at the Calvary viewpoint

To the right, the S trail and Gyöngyök útja start with a gentle ascent, soon splitting into two. The S trail begins a steep climb to the Újlaki Hill viewpoint; therefore, it is preferable to follow the pilgrimage path shaped like a pearl necklace, which gently bypasses the hill and also offers a stunning panorama of the Hidegkút basin, although from a much lower perspective. The level path passes above the glider hangar, from where we have an excellent view of the next sections of the hike, as the semicircular ridge formed by Csúcs-, Tök- and Calvary hills surrounds Pesthidegkút.

On the far side of the foothill meadows, on the northern side of Mária-hegy, the S trail joins, and together we continue the sideways walk along the forest and meadow border. Circumventing Vihar-hegy, we reach Virágos-nyereg - the first opportunity to turn back comfortably to Fenyőgyöngye, completing the last section of the hike along the Guckler Károly road (this way we save a third of the distance, although we miss the two most beautiful viewpoints).

It is therefore recommended to continue sideways from Virágos-nyereg below Csúcs-hegy on the Z trail, which continues through a charming oak forest past Gercse holiday homes and orchards. At the Csúcs-hegyi pass, we reach the city boundary, marked by old carved boundary stones. From here, we follow the wide forest road along the ridge defining the border area. Unfortunately, the marking is barely visible; originally, we follow a P cyclist marking along the ridge line on the tops of Tök-hegy and Szarvas-hegy. The administrative boundary is also a rock boundary: the previous dolomite hills are replaced here in a band by linden sandstone from Hárshegy, which is visible in the gentler relief and in the gravelly, sandy nature of the rocks and debris.

At a hollow on Szarvas-hegy, the S▲ trail connects from the right, which we will follow back, but we continue for just under a kilometer along the ridge to the peak of the Calvary hill. In the gnarled oak groves atop Szarvas-hegy, views open up on both sides, though limited by tree groups. However, on the shrubby, dolomite rocky block of Calvary hill, the landscape progressively opens up, offering a panoramic view from the triple-peaked summit.

We overlook much of the route traveled so far, as the narrow arc of the hills encircling Pesthidegkút embraces the city. The dominant hill with its antenna towers, Hármashatár-hegy, governs the panorama with its massive, forested block. Across the basin, the rolling hills of the Buda Hills extend to the western horizon, while with marked elevation, the Pilis massif, a whale-back shaped limestone mass, leads the way to the white rocky mountain range to the north beyond the broad valley of the Arany-hegyi stream.

Sideways walking on the northern part of Hármashatár-hegy

We walk back along the S▲ trail to Szarvas-hegy, where we continue following the marking descending into the northern slope. Here, we connect with the S trail crossing sideways on a steep slope, returning with level walking to Virágos-nyereg. Just after the junction, a rock ledge crosses the path, where we must carefully walk along a narrow ledge on a steep, rocky surface. The rocky area provides a beautiful view of the northern wooded slopes of Szarvas-hegy, the plowed fields of the valley, and the Pilis massif. Between Kevélyek and Pilis massif, Dobogó-kő can be spotted. Below Tök-hegy, we cross a charming mossy beech forest floor, then after a small wave, bypass Csúcs-hegy with a wide curve connecting to the Guckler Károly road, along which we hike together until the end of our route.

Meanwhile, at Virágos-nyereg, the marking changes on the wide level path; although we continue along the Guckler Károly road, from here we are accompanied by the Z trail. Approaching the city, the promenade becomes busier with runners, groups of children and retirees, and dog walkers using this very popular forest walkway. The shaded forest path was named after a forester who lived and worked in Óbuda at the turn of the 20th century. The road's establishment is thanks to him, and he greatly contributed to the surrounding forest stands. Although after World War II the hillside was mostly barren due to the survival instinct of the population, he spread the nature-centered outlook here as well as the seeds of the forests in the area.

The promenade winds around the otherwise uniform terrain irregularities of the hillside. The largest detour is at the incision of Nagy-Farkas-torok, where we switch to the Z+ marking, still on the same level path. After the smaller incision, Kis-Farkas-torok, the hillside and path become increasingly rocky. From the thickening shrub forest, the view of the city becomes clearer, and as the hillside continually approaches and turns, the world beneath the forests becomes louder and more crowded.

At the sharp ridge of the hill, foresters created a lookout stepping towards the bushes, from which, with the help of a navigation board and binoculars, we can identify characteristic buildings of Óbuda. Among endless blocks of flats, the silver ribbon of the Danube also appears, which bends into the city center where it disappears behind Gellért Hill under a chain of bridges.

After the ridge, turning in, we cross the asphalt stripe of the Hármashatár-hegyi road, and on the last section, now following the K trail, we descend back to Fenyőgyöngye. The rocky forest road discreetly follows the asphalt road at a distance, so if conditions make walking on the path uncomfortable, we can also complete this last section on the asphalt.