Vállus – Tapolca (OKT 12th day tour)

At the northern border of Vállus, located in the opening valley floor of the Keszthely Hills, next to the cemetery, we find the stamp station. We begin to ascend as we cross the low ridges of the Keszthely Hills towards the north. To the left, the basalt cone and castle ruins of Tátika, which geographically belong to the mountain range but differ in building material, are clearly visible. We pass by a medlar plantation, then cut through a part of the forest, arriving at the vineyard slopes of Lesencefalu.

On the left side of the road running along the border of Zala and Veszprém counties, arable fields spread out, and on the right, vineyards, gardens, and holiday homes line up. At the saddle point, we cross the Várovölgy–Lesencetomaj paved road – effectively standing at the "entrance" of the Tapolca Basin. Instead of descending into it, we head up to the Alsó-vineyard.

The Bakony mountain ranges protect from cold northern winds, and the warming southern slopes tempered by Lake Balaton's water surface create an excellent, Mediterranean-like mesoclimate for viticulture, already utilized by the Romans. Our Hungarian ancestors’ Asian traditions mixed with Roman practices and those of Benedictine monks arriving from Western European wine regions, forming the wine culture characteristic of the Balaton Uplands. This area is typically a land of white grapes; among the varieties, Italian Riesling stands out significantly.

At the left bend of the road, we can make a detour to the "ridge" of Alsó-vineyard, from which one of the most beautiful panoramas over the Tapolca Basin unfolds before us. Looking slightly to the left, we can see as far as the southern ranges of the Bakony; opposite us lie the series of witness hills: the mined top of Haláp, Hegyesd, Csobánc – behind which peeks Hegyes-needle –, turning towards Lake Balaton, the Szent György Hill and Badacsony. The castle of Szigliget is also visible, with the eastern plateau of the Keszthely Hills closing the panorama on our right.

We pass through the Pine Grove and, after a few abandoned wine cellars, the trail marked K▲ branches off to the left towards the Kő orra lookout point. The panorama itself is similar to the previous one; climbing the clear-cut area is not very pleasant, so we recommend the detour only for those who continue further on the unmarked path to the summit of Kő orra: the vegetation hides dark, intriguingly cracked basalt columns.

After a short forest section, we turn to the eastern side of the hill and begin descending between the wine cellars of Lesenceistvánd. We pass the spring with the Mate-kút pumping station – the view here is beautiful again – and at a Y-junction, we find an intriguing statue of Christ. The crucified body is distorted, with missing arms, underneath a plaque reads: "My arms are your arms" – a rare symbol encouraging active faith in God.

We leave behind exotic trees used in beekeeping, then a buffet open on weekends – where we can also obtain a unique stamp equivalent to the official Blue Trail stamp – and descend along the stations of the Calvary leading to the Chapel of the Virgin Mary’s Name to the main street of Lesenceistvánd. Here we find one of the stamp stations; on the wall of the house opposite, the badge awarded for completing the trail is displayed in a beautiful mosaic.

On this traditionally agricultural settlement – vineyards, wine, orchards, and arable fields – industry only took off in the 1980s and 1990s. Even then, surrounding mines (Uzsa, Zalahaláp, Lesencetomaj, and Tapolca) mainly provided job opportunities. The lack of industry is still visible in the village image; we proceed left along the quiet main street.

Lesenceistvánd – Tapolca

We leave the grocery store and the multifunctional community space with a beautifully carved Székely gate in its garden. At the bus stop in front of the elementary school, we find another stamp opportunity in Lesenceistvánd, then we leave the village at the Holy Trinity statue. It’s worth taking a look at the sculpture, which, unlike those in historical European cities erected in gratitude for the end of mid-evil plague outbreaks, was put up by a couple from Lesenceistvánd in 1919 in memory of their sons and sons-in-law who died in the World War.

Traffic is light on the Lesenceistvánd connecting road – mostly taking place on the bypass road number 84. Before it was built in the 1970s, the national road ran along the current Blue Trail route: at a right-hand bend, we leave the asphalt and approach the Tapolca–Ukk railway line on old concrete slabs.

The remaining section of the tour is defined by pastures, with the huge structures of the Uzsa basalt quarry visible opposite. We avoid an atmospherically charming, yet sadly closed surface mining pond and also the gravel quarry next to the Lesencetomaj railway station that now only handles freight traffic. After winding among dilapidated buildings, we reach the pasture of "tehénKÉK" – although we can pass through the former military area, we have to hook and unhook chains at the entrance and exit gates to prevent animals from escaping. From here, on asphalt, passing the Dobó István residential area – once the barracks of a rocket regiment – we arrive at the Tapolca railway station. The stamp station is found in front of the Lokomotív buffet.