Views of the Budakeszi forest

Itinerary:

• We climb up from Erzsébet buffet to Nagy-Kopasz (passing by Tarnai resting place) following the Z▲ markings.
• We start back from the Csergezán Pál lookout along the Z▲ markings.
• Above the Tarnai resting place we switch to the Z+ markings.
• We make a detour to the rocks of Szarvas-ditch on an unmarked path.
• We descend back along the Z+ markings to the main road.
• We turn right onto an unmarked path just before the main road, then turn left at the first opportunity.
• Turning right parallel to the main road, we follow the Zᵯ marking which connects to the Helmet flower nature trail.
• With one last left bend, we switch to the Z▲ marking leading back to the Erzsébet buffet.

Detailed description of the route:

Land of oak trees

From the road leading to the Erzsébet buffet, there is no sign that we are traveling under the highest peak of the Buda Hills. The forest cover is sufficient to conceal the terrain characterized mostly by gentle slopes and flat dead trunks. Accordingly, the elevation we need to overcome is spread along the northern side of the road, so we can prepare for easy climbing and gradual ascent. Along the road (on weekends) there is a buffet offering food and drinks, and a parking lot has been created on the other side. The Budakeszi Forestry Arboretum, founded in the mid-20th century for research purposes, can also be visited here. The Z▲ marking twists all the way to the summit with the ZT markings, which belong to the Helmet flower nature trail – thus from time to time signs inform about the site’s features.

We start in a closed oak forest, soon opened by the clearing of Nyúlánk. The forests seen now were formed during long, winding forestry activities. The tree hunger of previous centuries, followed by grazing and mowing on deforested mountains, created considerable bare areas, which were first planted with pine forests in the 20th century to "fatten" the eroded soil. Only afterward, replacing the pines, native associations favoring southern slopes, dominated by oak, were replanted. The dragging ascent is not broken by the visibly steeper slope because the forestry road cuts across it. Looking down at our feet, we notice a slow change: the white dolomite gravel begins to appear. At the end of a right turn the forest disappears, revealing a vast grassy clearing framed by black pine. We have arrived at the Tarnai resting place; a path invites us onto the projecting ridge. Let's give in to the urge and walk out onto the spur, as we will be rewarded with magnificent views. Opposite us (marked by the small Kopasz checkpoint), the gentle waves of forest ridges already connect towards the Zsámbék Basin, to the left the block of Széchenyi Hill rises, to the right views open to Gerecse. The site is named after hiking guide László Tarnai, who lost his life in an Austrian bus accident in 1991 while traveling with a group.

Mediterranean arrivals

The striking, somewhat Mediterranean mood of the site is bordered by a decaying black pine forest; raw dolomite surfaces peek out from the grass. This well-fragmented rock carpet makes soil formation difficult, so trees only rarely settle on the slope. For this reason, the open dolomite rock grassland is dominated by herbaceous plants – hence it is important not to leave the path, as stepping off the loose, dry soil crust can easily displace it, destroying the vegetation’s habitat. In this harsh place, we may even find rarities like the king Stephen's carnation, an Ice Age survivor. The atmosphere of this almost Winnetou-movie-like landscape is clearly given by the graceful black pines, gardeners of the former dolomite ridges. The species specializes in limestone and dolomite ridges, likes sunlight, tolerates drought, and thrives even in harsh crevices. Therefore, it was chosen when a plan arose to somehow reinforce the washed away, vanishing soil. The plan for stripped mountains was that fast-growing conifers would help form humus, preparing the soil for native species, enabling their later planting. As a result, many slopes became groves mixed with deciduous species, resembling the original habitat conditions of the black pine. Today, the transitional state has mostly been completely replaced, and as the procedure's climax, the original oak associations reclaimed the area – elsewhere, however, economic benefits took precedence, and the "loosening" or replacement of rapidly growing pine forests could not happen.

As we continue along the wide curve upward, now on a steeper path, we can clearly see that many of the conifers covering the slopes of the Black Hills (responsible for the name) have fallen, and only sparse pine patches remain. From a wildlife perspective, thinning is desirable, as if the black pine grows too densely, the forest floor darkens, and the understory vegetation providing shelter for animals becomes sparse or disappears. Occasionally we can still glimpse westward between the trees, but it is worth watching our feet, as large gullies have been deepened by runoff on the dolomite gravel path. This also spares no ridge edge, resulting in a lively micro-relief here, where the dead trunk's edge slopes downward. After a while, the pines disappear, and our path plunges into the dense growth of scruffy downy oak. We cross a clearing further ahead and eventually turn left at a junction marked by a sign. Under intertwining branches forming a tunnel, we arrive at the 559-meter Nagy-Kopasz, the highest point of the Buda Hills (which, contrary to its name, was treeless only in former times during the peak of grazing and mowing).

On top of the Buda Hills

The sizable Csergezán Pál lookout, covered with slats like a sail, rises here. (Its namesake was a painter, graphic artist, and hunter who loved depicting forest game, and whose illustrations can also be found in books by István Fekete and Kálmán Kittenberger.) Let's climb to its top floor to look around at the landscapes surrounding the capital! The panorama is twofold: on one hand, the flat ridge surrounding the top offers a monotonous relief with little to explore; on the other, the entire Buda Hills become visible. The cluster of separated mountains aligns in a semicircle: to the east, the Budapest highlands, including Széchenyi-, Hárs-, and János Hills, and the Hármashatár Hill group rise. Looking at them, it's hard to believe that we are viewing the territory of a city with a million inhabitants. To the north, we see the layered waves of Nagy-Szénás and Kutya Hill (which has the same height as Nagy-Kopasz); to the west, the Zajnát Hills line up. To the south lies the Zsámbék Basin, behind which significant vistas open: on clear days we can see the Velence Hills, catch a glimpse of Bakony, and observe the Vértes, and the Gerecse can be quite closely observed. Further spying behind Nagy-Szénás are the ridges of Pilis and Visegrád Hills.

After saying goodbye to the view, follow the Z▲ marking back down to the chain of clearings surrounding the Tarnai resting place. This time, however, we do not immerse ourselves in the mood of the black pine forests, instead switching markings to the left and continuing on the Z+ markings. We cross dense oak forests; along the way, signs indicate forest sections harvested at different times as we meander roughly at constant elevation. Unnoticeably, we bypass the head of Szarvas-ditch valley, and on its other side, we already walk through patches of young forests. Leaving behind a closed, dark forest section, a small ascent follows as we make a large left bend. At the end, an unmarked path invites us to the right under trees. We switch to it as it leads within meters to a spacious, grassy clearing basking on the flat hilltop. Let's follow the track, as we see in front of us increasingly clearly that we head to a plateau edge promising a view. To enjoy the best of the panorama, we need to find a ruined concrete block, beside which a forest path branches off to the right. This leads down to the rocks of Szarvas-ditch.

Above the Szarvas-ditch

A short winding, steep descent in the forest brings us to the ridge of a stepwise articulated cliff. This area's only worthwhile valley, Szarvas-ditch, is edged here with raw rock surfaces, protruding, jagged ledges offering exposed viewing platforms. Below, the ditch deepens into a forest-lined, straight valley, carved out by an ancient vanished stream finding its way in a structural depression. To the left and ahead, adjacent forested hills hide most of the nearby basin lands, but we can still spot a few settlements in the landscape. The valley is interesting because on the opposite wall, in the 1950s during uranium surveys, radioactive anomalies were found. Drilling established that the cause was rare earth metals originating from a small, deeply buried Eocene magmatic intrusion (vein). Of course, we cannot see this, but on the rocky, difficult terrain for most large game, we may spot mouflons if we move quietly.

And below the Szarvas-ditch

Climbing back to the meadows, we can easily find the abandoned tourist route past the trees, but we can also decide to cut across the steppe-like chain of clearings on an unmarked track to the right. Eventually, the Z+ marking leads out to open, stone-speckled meadows, where we can observe some pines or even find military graves hidden under the trees, remnants of World War II battles that swept through this area. Soon the canopy comes together above us again, and we take farewell of the plateau on a distinctly sloping forestry road. With a long trudge, we arrive down to the Budakeszi-Telki main road at the mouth of Szarvas-ditch. A few meters before the road, an unmarked forest path leads right, avoiding this busy asphalt road! At the first opportunity, turning left leads us to the Zᵯ marking; along its forest path, we close the loop. On gently undulating, uneventful terrain, we reconnect with the Helmet flower nature trail and find our destination, the Erzsébet buffet, to the left on the Z▲ and ZT markings.