Tömörd - Ölbő-Alsószeleste v. (OKT day 3)

Tömörd - Ablánci mill
Although the rest area in Tömörd, decorated with geraniums and selfie sticks, is particularly attractive, it is located on the KéktúAfter collecting the stamp and filling up our canteens, let's start the hike, because we have a good 22 kilometres ahead of us. We leave the village of just under 300 inhabitants on Main Street heading north, whose name is said to derive from the Old Turkic temir or temür (iron). Tömörd is also worth knowing that it used to stand further west, in the stream valley, but the TurkishTurkish conquest, and the former inhabitants were replaced by Croats. According to Tomorrow, the settlement still preserves the traditions of its Croatian ancestors, so much so that some of the older generation still speak the Croatian language of Gradisty.

The most famous, but sadly currently abandoned, part of the settlement is reached under the watchful eye of the dogs of Massirdi.The Chernel Castle, the most famous building in the town, built in 1809 in the neoclassical style, is now closed. Surrounded by a huge wooded park, it followed the fate of the noble estates in Hungary: the Second Empire, the Second Empire and the Second Empire of the Empire. After the Second World War, it was converted into apartments, and from the 1960s onwards into a house of culture.It was used as a ceramics studio until 2019, when a new owner took over and started to renovate it - a process that is still ongoing.

The main street of Tömörd continues beyond the edge of the village as a narrow road with traces of tarmac. It used to be the highway between Szombathely and Csepreg, but now the new road bypasses the village. Avoiding fields and acacia groves, we continue northwards, towardsto a fork, where we turn right and cross the road. Be careful on the hillside, as visibility is limited and you may be surprised by a car approaching at high speed.

After crossing the road, you will pass the still working and inhabited buildings of the Kincsédpuszta major, which have seen better days, and then head south-west towards the village of Kincsédpuszta.The road turns south-southwest into a seemingly endless dirt track through fields, bordered by bushes and shrubs of all sizes. After the farmland, it's almost refreshing to step into the trees, especially in the summer heat - fortunately, from here onwards you're in patches of woodland almost all the way.

Crossing a small wooden bridge over the Ablánc stream, you can already guess that you are approaching the Ablánci millbut first you pass the crumbling fence and buildings of a former travellers' camp. Although the name promises a lot, there's no food to be had, as the place closed in 2008 and has been waiting for a change for the better ever since. The blue-turkey stamp is on a wooden post next to the former gate.

Ablánci mill - Ölbő-Alsószeleste vá.

As we are almost halfway through our journey, it is worth taking a breather in the bushes of the ash trees planted in 1900 in memory of Queen Sissi(they stand in front of the inn) and prepare yourself mentally for a short stretch of walking on the motorway connecting Acsád with Csepreg. It's a joy to see that the asphalt is of quite good quality, and it feels as if we've crossed into Austria. After a couple of hundred metres, it's worth paying attention, because you have to follow the K sign to the right, along a narrow path hidden by bushes, which is easy to miss. Soon the trail widens into a dirt road and we cross meadows and patches of woodland to the Szombathely-Bük railway line. From here on, a pretty pine forest provides variety, then at the end of a forest section you reach the gently undulating farmland surrounding Szeleste.

The end of our journey can be seen from a distance in the tower of the church of St Joseph in Upper Seleste - although this is somewhat deceptive, as from there it is about a mile further.two kilometres to the central part of Seleste, where the postmark is located - at the entrance to the arboretum. It's worth visiting the garden, which is free of charge and is surrounded by a beautiful rose garden, a silverpine groves, serpentine paths and carefully landscaped terraces. The ancient wooded garden surrounds the former Festetics-Baich Castle, now a hotel.In the 2000s, thermal waters with therapeutic properties were found in the area and a spa was built.

Our tour ends at another stamping post of Szeleste: follow the street, then turn left at the end and take the overpass on the other side of the overpass, follow the K signs to the Ölbő-Alsószeleste railway station. The stamp is on a sign with a blue tourist sign at the entrance to the station building.