Vértes panorama and gorge hike

Itinerary

• From the parking lot next to Birka csárda, follow the K+ signs to Csákányospuszta.
• At Csákányospuszta turn right to follow the K marks of the National Blue Trail.
• Take a short detour on the K+ signs to the Csákányospuszta church ruins.
• Follow the K+ sign branching off the National Blue Trail to the next fork.
• On the K▲ marked hiking trail, ascend to the Körtvélyesi lookout tower.
• Return to the fork, then head right following the K+ sign that leads back to the National Blue Trail.
• Turn left at the K sign, traverse the Mária gorge, then return to Csákányospuszta.
• From Csákányospuszta, follow the already traveled K+ sign back to the parking lot.

Detailed tour description

Basically a round trip with a small loop, our tour starts a few kilometers from Tatabánya at Csákányospuszta, located along Highway 1, where today there are a few houses and a developing farmstead. The car is left at the parking lot of the now long-closed Birka csárda next to the highway, from where we only need to cover a few hundred meters on the K+ signs to reach the pasture area surrounded by mountains.

The ruins of a sanctuary

The K+ signs arriving at Csákányospuszta reach the National Blue Trail K sign near the Vértes Kapuja Event Center. Turning right here, we ascend a small hill that preserves the memory of a forgotten settlement. Just a few steps on the K+ signs lead to the ruins of the village's chapel. From the picturesque little hill, you can view the whole of Csákányospuszta and the charming valley embraced by mountains through which the Csákányos stream flows.

Once stood here the 13th-century Csákányosegyháza, which is not identical to the isolated small settlement part of Tatabánya named Csákányospuszta today. Only the chapel ruins made of a few stones remain of this village destroyed during the Turkish era, and archaeological excavations have uncovered the village cemetery. Csákányosegyháza was uninhabited for a long time, then became inhabited again under the name Csákányospuszta. Until 1947, it belonged to Felsőgalla, now part of Tatabánya.

According to tradition, knights from the Ouzs helped King Béla IV find safe haven after the Battle of Mohi. After the Tatars' withdrawal, the king gave them the northern part of Vértes, the future Csákányegyházá, as gratitude. The first part of the name recalls the Ouzs and Kumans and the feared Hungarian weapon, the pickaxe; the second part refers to the stone church, still visible in ruins today.

Returning to the K signs, head toward one of the most beautiful valleys in the mountain range. After the Csákányospuszta tourist house, walk between narrowing valley walls, but the wilderness-like atmosphere of the gorge is yet to come. First climb on the K+ signs onto the side of the Kis-Kopasz hill, then turn right on the K▲ signs and reach the 419-meter high summit where a lookout tower stands.

Körtvélyesi lookout tower

Opened in spring 2015, the name Körtvélyesi lookout can be a bit misleading, as the 480-meter-high Körtvélyes is a few kilometers away; the tower stands on Kis-Kopasz hill. The explanation comes from the neighboring Körtvélyespuszta, whose forest cemetery comprising several graves can be seen along the National Blue Trail.

The unique triangular metal structure built on the top of Kis-Kopasz hill is clad in red cedar, reaching 16 meters in height. From the top viewing platform, mainly the Tata Basin, the town of Tatabánya below, and the Gerecse hills opposite can be admired. To the south, the highest point of Vértes, the 487-meter-high Nagy-Csákány, is visible, and in clear weather to the north and east, Pilis peak and Nagy-Kopasz in the Buda Hills can be spotted. Above Tatabánya, the extended wings of the Turul bird can be outlined, and to its right, the 30-meter metal structure of the Ranzinger lookout catches the eye.

On the K▲ signs, return to the fork, where continue on the right branch of the K+ signs. Shortly, you will reach the upper part of the Mária gorge, where the National Blue Trail K signs will be followed downhill into the valley.

In the Mária gorge

The gorge itself is about 500 meters long, descending from the Mária tree decorated with a cross and a picture of Mary at the junction of hiking trails down to the Csákányospuszta tourist house. Sunlight barely reaches the narrow gorge, creating a unique microclimate. Fallen trees and moss-covered rock formations decorate the sloping path. Larger limestone shapes can be observed along the ditch's side and immediately next to the trail. A huge rockslide blocks the path between the stone walls—there would be an exciting waterfall if the stream still ran here today. Unfortunately, even after persistent rains or snowmelt in Vértes, no intermittent water flows roar here.

After the Csákányospuszta tourist house, return to the starting point on gentler terrain. Exit the forest canopy and walk along sunlit meadows on the National Blue Trail crossing Csákányospuszta. Pass again by the chapel ruins marked with a wooden cross and the Vértes Kapuja Event Center, then turn right on the K+ signs, now on asphalt, leaving behind the settlement consisting of a few houses. After a few steps, you arrive back at the parking lot next to the former Birka csárda.