The temptation of Keserűs Hill

Itinerary

• We follow the P+ sign to the Akasztó Hill junction.
• We continue straight on the P▲ sign to the Prédikálószék.
• From the Prédikálószék we head back along the P▲ sign, which we follow to the Kolacskovszky spring (Király-kút).
• From the spring, we go left along the P sign to the Kőrises meadow.
• Where it joins the K sign, we turn left and do not leave it until Pilisszentlászló.

Detailed description of the route

On the caldera rim

The Kis Rigó restaurant stands on the border of Pilisszentlászló and the forest and is an important base for those exploring the area. Although descending into the village is not necessary on this route, it is worth mentioning that its history is closely intertwined with the noble hunting grounds of the dense forests: in medieval times, the royal road connecting Buda and Visegrád was lined with the blue hunting trails of Kékes, where today the village church stands. From the 13th century onwards, nobles galloping this way could enjoy the hospitality of the Pauline monastery at the same place. Due to its location and noble recognition, the village also had political significance, but was destroyed during the Turkish era and later resettled by the Pauline monks with Slovak settlers, renaming it Szentlászló. (The Pilis and Visegrád Mountains still have a significant Slovak population, with Pilisszentkereszt beyond the mountains being their center. The unique Szentlászló "Jánošíkova Krčma" [tavern] also reflects this sizable local Slovak community.)

With our backs to the parking lot and facing the ascent, we begin our walk northwestward on the P+ sign. We follow a wide forest road; the forests cut down decades ago in large sections are of the same age, mostly relatively young patches that do not yet offer particularly remarkable experiences. The local naming practices overlap on the hillside, which is called Gyertyános closer to the village and Hrabiná further away - they mean the same. The landscape first reveals itself vividly when, on the Tüskés Hill trail, the steep cliffs open to the right among the foliage, behind which lies the inner part of the mountain range. Deep valleys and lively terrain characterize this central part of the Visegrád Mountains, as we look from the caldera rim of the Keserűs Hill volcano ruins that once reached 1500 meters. Our path leads right on this high rim of the volcanic structure’s erosion-carved center, forming a tectonically deformed semicircle on the southern side of the Danube Bend. With little ups and downs, we pass through increasingly vigorous forests across the Nyesett-bérc and the saddle between Háromhatár (the border of Visegrád, Pilisszentlászló, and Dömös), avoiding the two summits. At a cleared forest section, new growth protected by a fence appears; alongside from the left joins the P▲ sign. Later we will descend on this, but now we follow the signs straight ahead, staying on the ridge.

Lookout instead of reservoir

As we approach the summit of Keserűs Hill, Prédikálószék, views sometimes open toward the Danube, and a sense of space can be felt. We slowly surpass 600 meters in elevation, and the forest signals this: old beeches appear around the path. The forest shines in a more beautiful form than ever before on our route, which is no surprise as the area is a forest reserve, meaning no human intervention can affect natural processes. On a large rock block, a memorial plaque of the Danube Bend is displayed - recalling the protests before the regime change, which played an important role in halting the construction of the Nagymaros dam. Part of the plan was a pumped storage power plant to be built on Prédikálószék, whose turbine would have provided cheap electricity driven by water pumped up and then released. Fortunately, this severely environmentally damaging project was never realized, and the summit now only hosts a lookout shaped like a pulpit, a resting spot, and a wooden cross. (Its striking name is a literal translation from the former German Predigerstuhl, presumably given due to the shape of the peak.)

From the top floor of the covered building (thus also excellent for bivouacking), the country's perhaps most famous iconic panorama unfolds: the Danube's horseshoe bend around the rocky, rugged massif of Szent Mihály Hill. This is a grand encounter: elsewhere the river and the Carpathians only touch at the two end points of the mountain ring. Further back rises Börzsöny, and on clear days, the many mountains of Upper Hungary are visible on the horizon (including the High Tatras). On the Hungarian side, Naszály, the twin peak of Szanda, and often the distant Mátra can be identified. From the right edge of the lookout, one can admire the valleys and lively terrain of the Visegrád Mountains. Although Prédikálószék is mainly known for the view of the Danube Bend, the dense mountain forest stretching eastward could itself be a jewel of the range.

Down into the valley

From the border of the andesite breccia block which offers insight into the hill's structure, we can glimpse opposite the lookout (though vegetation partially blocks the panorama) before we bid farewell to the breathtaking view. We return along the path taken and, at the P▲ junction, turn right, descending from the ridge. We descend on a dense, vigorous oak forest path down to Király Creek to join up with Sikáros. A steep path leads into a deep ditch, and we climb out on the other side via steps. As we move away from the creek, to our right the Kolacskovszky Spring (also called Király-kút) provides water (named after a tourism writer). Nearby is the well-kept Király-kút hunting lodge, named after kings who allegedly came from a palace identified in the Árpádvár Hill, which actually never existed. From the spring, we continue gently downhill on the P sign toward Sikáros on a pleasant forest path.

Sikárospuszta

At Vadföldek, we join the National Blue Trail K sign after a right turn and shortly thereafter, with the new sign, turn left. We cross a narrow forest strip, and on its far side we reach Sikáros, one of the most beautiful corners of the Visegrád Mountains. In a basin dotted with groves and framed by mountains, a wide hay meadow stretches, its grass speckled with groves. Several streams from the surrounding mountains flow through the flower-rich Sikárosi meadow basin, whose alluvium fills the hollow and keeps the soil moist - moreover, the Szilágyi Bernát Spring flows in one corner. This environment hosts numerous horsetail species. Due to its silica content, the plant keeps pests (such as grazing animals) at bay and is suitable for "sikárlás", i.e. rubbing on vessels - hence some species are colloquially known as sikár. The name Sikáros may thus derive from this. We cross an isolated, peaceful meadow, and as we proceed, the edges with pine groves also come closer together.

Initially, Sikáros housed only forest rangers, but its good location and water supply gradually attracted people wishing to farm. Although no village developed, the former Bükk-puszta farmstead can only be deduced from a few mounds - located where the K sign makes a right-angled left turn at the edge of the meadow. This small settlement became the site of a terrible and somewhat mysterious murder: in 1947, five teenage boys were watching animals when someone slaughtered them. The perpetrator killed two other people near Lajos Spring the same day; their identity was never discovered (despite contemporary propaganda attempts and rumors). Previously, the Dreher family, owning significant land in the area around Budapest, tried to keep hikers away from their property. At some point, probably in the 1950s, residents were evicted for a military exercise and could not return, as the buildings suffered serious damage. Exactly what and when happened remains uncertain.

The hiking trail returns to the forest and after a few larger bends reaches the Szilágyi Bernát Spring. (Named after a founder and former president of the Nature-Loving Hiking Association.) Water springs at this atmospheric spot (but only after heavy rainfall or snowmelt; do not count on it in summer). Birches and pines cover the small resting place, and behind the trunks and foliage curtain the breeze ruffles the grass of the Sikárosi meadow. From the shelter of the trees, stepping into sunlight (or the mist lining the basin) offers a few more glimpses of this unique and peaceful landscape, before bypassing the forest house and entering the most charming, natural section of the Bükkös Creek valley.

The tear of the Carpathians

We cross a ford and pass the Lenkó memorial obelisk - Ede Lenkó, a member of TTE, died here during a winter hike in 1917. Although deeply wedged between resisting mountain blocks, the creek carved out a wide bed. The alluvium lining the valley floor creates curves shaped by the waters of the highest parts of the Visegrád Mountains, accompanied by gloomy rock rubble deposited by raging floods. In peaceful times, the water flows beneath fallen trunks and often disappears in one bend (where we also cross). We curve along the arc of the humid, lush forested valley. After another ford, the path leads to the muddy but water-rich Kárpát Spring. The original allotment was made by the Hungarian Carpathian Association in 1933 – the naming aimed to "ignite an unquenchable desire to regain the Hungarian Carpathians," as every drop is "the tear of the captive Carpathians."

We cross the increasingly thick, blood-red middle mountain attire Bukkös Creek on a wooden bridge, which we follow for a long time. At the time of the Kárpát Spring allotment, the watercourse was still known as Bucsin, meaning roar or murmur in various Slavic languages, also related to beech forests. The mountains provide ample replenishment of grey andesite blocks, whose stepped or blocked beds are truly noisy—not just trickling but roaring. (It was previously called Apor Creek, then Malom Creek.)

The circle closes

After a narrow creek-side path, we encounter a resting place topped with moss and equipped with a large rain shelter (the former youth camp). Shortly after, we turn left in front of the renovated camp site, continuing to follow the K sign. We cross the asphalt-covered exploration road and start a gentle ascent under beeches and cross the Öreg-nyílás valley at creek fords. We move away from the bottom of the ditch and accompany the deeply carved, winding creek from above. The hiking trail briefly joins the asphalt, which does not hurt our feet for long, as we soon turn left off it. Crossing a wooden bridge, we enter an attractive mixed forest of hornbeams and oaks coloring the water divide, whose far side is already the Pilisszentlászló basin. The circle closes at the Kis Rigó restaurant parking, thus ending our hike.