Tour in the Cuha Gorge, the artery of Bakony

Itinerary:

• From the Zirc Abbey through the Cuha Gorge to the Kőpince Spring, we follow the P trail.
• From the Kőpince Spring through the Lower Cuha Gorge to the Devil's Meadow, we follow the P+ trail.
• We make a short detour to the Hermit Cave via the PΩ trail.
• From the Devil's Meadow to the Bakonyszentlászló municipal office, we follow the P trail again.

Detailed tour description:

In the attraction of Zirc

We start from the center of Zirc, from in front of the abbey church, heading north along Alkotmány Street on the P trail. We join the first section of the nearly 300-kilometer Central Transdanubian Red Trail, which covers much of the Transdanubian Central Range, covering about two-thirds of our route, only we continue at the end to follow the Cuha River to the most scenic Lower Cuha Gorge. In the main square in front of the church, there is a hiking boot carved from red marble, the zero kilometer stone of Bakony hikes, symbolically erected in the central part of the mountain range, in the main city of Bakony.

Zirc's history is closely connected to the abbey located in the center. Our King Béla IV founded the Zirc monastery, bringing Cistercian monks from France - with this, the monastery became the order's Hungarian center. As in almost all the countryside, during the Turkish era, both the village and the monastery were depopulated; in the 18th century, the area was repopulated with German-speaking settlers. In the 20th century, the coal reserves found in the neighboring Dudaron boosted the city life significantly, which has since stagnated with the closure of the mines.

Along the semi-detached houses of Alkotmány Street, after the sports field and the school, we leave the town. The mostly identically built houses show well the expansion driven by mining in the second half of the 20th century. The settlement received town status in 1985. The majority of the tour is accompanied by the railway line running between Győr and Veszprém. The railway section between Zirc and Győr was built at the end of the 19th century for the efficient transport of Bakony products (wood, coal, pork) to the markets of Győr. Hungary's largest seaport, Fiume, could also be reached in the shortest time from Győr via this route.

On the upper section of the Cuha valley, we still travel on flat terrain with meadows and fields. In spring and summer, blooming meadows wave here in the Bakony wind. The Zirc plateau is one of the coolest and windiest areas in Transdanubia. The Cuha valley allows the winds coming from the Atlantic to enter, which is a natural connection between the two sides of the Bakony Mountains. Leaving the houses of Kardosrét beyond the railway, the forest closes in; from here, we proceed towards the interior of the gorge with the rhythmic alternation of groves and small fields.

Along the Cuha stream

As the valley closes, lush marshy riverside vegetation recedes more and more, and tall ashes and hornbeams become predominant for sunlight. The stream thus becomes increasingly visible with its modest but seasonally highly variable flow. Unfortunately, in the 20th century, the Cuha and its aquatic wildlife, as well as that of the entire region, experienced many hardships. In addition to unclean domestic and industrial sewage, the water flow was also significantly reduced in Bakony streams and springs.

Drainage of deep mining operations running throughout the mountains made the water regime of Bakony extremely extreme. Streams swollen by drained mines grew to alpine sizes due to clean karst water replenishment, while most springs dried up or their flow drastically decreased. The general karst water level in the mountain range decreased by more than 100 meters in many places in the second half of the 20th century. The mine closures toward the end of the century and more rational water extraction healed these wounds, with the karst water level rising everywhere by the 21st century, and nowadays we observe water flows similar to the original ones.

The name of the Cuha stream is thought to originate from the Slavic word "szuha" (dry), indicating that as a limestone mountain range, the stream's water level fluctuates strongly: it can dry up in parts during rainless summer and autumn periods. Not only the karst water springs that quickly respond to water replenishment are responsible, but leaks may also exist in the streambed rock bed. We will experience this phenomenon firsthand in the gorge.

After a rocky protrusion, the Csárda Valley stream joins from the left, and shortly after, we cross the railway line, continuing on both the railway and stream sides. Cross the tracks carefully and cautiously! From here, the most scenic section of the valley begins. The forest character changes in the deepening and narrowing valley; we walk down shaded paths of ash-hornbeam and beech forests directly beside the stream. Soon, the Porva-Csesznek railway station building appears on a small meadow across the stream.

In the hustle and bustle of the Cuha Gorge

It is worth taking a short detour to the station building, where there is a permanent exhibition about the construction, history, and future of the Cuha railway. This is a great opportunity to rest near the half-distance point of the tour, at the start of the denser section. Even if we don’t enter the station just under a hundred meters away, along the stream bank, there are rest areas about every kilometer in the gorge.

If you hike here in summer or on weekends, prepare for tourist crowds, as this easily walkable, scenic route is popular in the local schools. The short section after the station is a bit flatter with meadows and rest spots, after which the main ridge of Bakony, the nearly 500-meter Zörög Hill and the limestone block between it and Iszka, divides the stream. Following the watercourse circumventing the elevation, we enter the gorge section bounded by increasingly steep, rocky slopes.

As usual in gorges, the stream livens beside us: here it cuts through most of the terrain steps between the Zirc basin and the northern foot of Bakony. Essentially, this incision opened the limestone block cracked by tectonic forces; it has deepened and still deepens the watercourse.

The railway line here adventures over the winding valley with tunnels, valley bridges, and steep slopes reinforced with retaining walls. Passing the protruding leg of Iszka, we cross below the first bridge; further down, a robust retaining wall built with considerable engineering skill holds the entire riverbank for hundreds of meters. A beautiful work with huge stones fitted together, on top of which runs the railway track, which then playfully hides from us at the turn's end against the white limestone cliff.

Climbing routes and via ferratas have been created on the white limestone wall. Although the rock itself is not big nor of the best quality, the gorge’s atmosphere is definitely captivating. Circling the sharp rocky projection through the tree canopy unfolds the Gubányi Károly Viaduct. This is clearly the most spectacular element of the railway line. Built during the Dualism era, the massive valley bridge gracefully arches nearly 30 meters over the rocky hillsides. This is the narrowest section of the gorge. On the left side of the viaduct, a staircase leads up to the railway track, so we can also see the bridge from above.

Passing beneath the tracks, along the curve of the stream in the rocky hillside, a resting place welcoming forest schools has been created, able to accommodate large groups. If the crowd isn’t too big, we can also rest here, since this is the most scenic section of the gorge. From here, the valley opens up again, and the previously wild, rocky shapes soften. Above the stream, no railway or bridge crosses here; only a paved base helps our progress - stepping over stones we cross the stream at several places. At the cliff on our right, two smaller caves can be found: the Outlaw's Bench and the Rock Niche, but the most spectacular is the last cave at the end of the gorge, deep in the rock on the left side of the stream: the Kőpince Cave. Located within arm’s reach from the Vinye homestead, this impressive rock formation served as a hideout for outlaws, according to folk tales, where fugitives from the law took refuge.

Opposite the rock, slightly lower on the right side of the valley, is the spring of the same name, inviting one to take a breath with its cool water and the scenic rest area on the opposite clearing. Here, the P trail branches off from the Cuha Valley towards the Vinye railway station - if plans work out, this is the easiest place to exit the tour.

In the Lower Cuha Gorge

It is worth continuing because from here on, the railway and crowds of children no longer accompany the stream; the lower section is the most beautiful and natural part of the Cuha River. From the Kőpince Spring, we follow the P+ trail further, which leaves the stream and crosses the flowery meadows of the Zsidó-rét. The feeling of freedom is boundless as you exit the narrow and crowded, shaded gorge into the open meadow. We cross the meadow straight ahead and return to the stream in the foothill forest on the other side.

After several rest places, the Lower Cuha Gorge begins - first with the reopening of the foothills, but the winding valley foreshadows an exciting continuation. Due to the damming effect of the gorge's rock dam, the valley floor here is quite flat, filled with sediments carried by the meandering stream. At the valley floor’s end, the watercourse cuts back into the sediments with a bend, revealing a very attractive narrow gorge with a mossy rock outcrop.

Here the valley is much more untouched and wilder than before. The stream cuts through rock dams with small waterfalls and wave-like pools on the opposite bank, flowing down deeper into the valley. The strength of the stream at flood time is shown by the many tree trunks and debris accumulated at the narrows and pools. These terrain steps and obstacles also make progress difficult but precisely that makes the gorge tour exciting.

The wildest section arrives at the bottom of the stretch among rocks intertwined with lianas and mosses, where huge fallen blocks and pools can also be found. To the upper right among the rock bastions lies a dark cavity. If you are not afraid of heights and can keep your footing on the steep, rocky slope, you can see very impressive formations and perspectives in the Zsivány Cave at about 15 meters above the valley.

From here, the hiking trail runs above the stream, increasingly moving away from its level. At the end of the rock formation forming the gorge, a path branches off to the left, which via the PΩ mark leads up to the Hermit Cave situated on the top of the rock band. This detour is also worthwhile. The narrow, ruptured cave at the top is approachable from both ends. Its winding, narrow room-like interior is a scenic element of the gorge's rock formations.

Back from the Cuha to the village

At the end of the gorge, an old tree-surrounded clearing welcomes us: the Devil's Meadow (with a rain shelter and full rest for variety), where the P trail joins our path. From here, heading left, westwards, we reach Bakonyszentlászló through hilly terrain - but it’s also possible to follow the Cuha River to the right, eastwards, and arrive at Bakonyszentkirály, Csesznek along an asphalt road edge with the P marking. Both distances are similar, but it’s better to go left over the hills to Bakonyszentkirály, as this path is much more sheltered and natural. This also provides an opportunity to return by train to the starting point and comfortably view the Cuha Gorge from above during the trip back.

The P trail sharply turns back towards Bakonyszentlászló above the gorge, crossing a gravel road and ascending a small hill covered with acacia and oak, reaching the village through fields and the harsh area of the former bauxite loading site. Serious mining once took place in the hills around the village, but today the overgrown railway loading area is desolate and depressing. Moreover, we need to make a detour of more than a kilometer because of it to reach the railway station only a few hundred meters away.

Entering the southeastern edge of the village, we find the bus stop and hospitality units next to the church and municipal office, where our tour ends.