Wheelchair “highway” along the Ipoly

Itinerary:

• From the ferry, proceed along Rév street, then turn left through Köztársaság street to reach the independent bike path.
• Go on this path all the way to the border of Ipolydamásd, then turn right onto the Main street, where we turn left. In the village center, there is a bus stop, in case we only want to go this far.
• Return on the same road to Szob as we came.

Detailed route description:

We start our tour at the Szob ferry port, where – if needed – we can find a disabled toilet. Leaving the ferry’s catering places and park, we join, on an ascending path, the main road turning in the village center. Here is a grocery store where we can replenish our supplies. A short cobblestone promenade of a few hundred meters leads us toward the bike path.

Architecturally, the bike path’s yellow marked stripe starts amidst the cube houses of a bygone era. On the so far varying but mostly well-passable surface, we follow the uniformly high-quality asphalt stripe heading northwest toward the Ipoly. On the initially gently sloping, winding road, soon the path aligns parallel to the river, passing the traces of the city on the left, and crossing under the impressive iron crossbeams of the railway bridge. A non-rushed hiker can experience an unusual and unforgettable sound and visual impression if waiting for a passing train...

After leaving the railway bridge behind us and a slight ascent, on the left there is a wire fence bordering our path, on the right the peaceful atmosphere of the city edge, shady, with riverside trees. Their coolness is worth appreciating as there are few shaded sections along the path. The fence disappears on the left, where, near fishing spots, we can admire for the first time the gentle, human-scale bends of the Ipoly.

The capricious border river, with varying water levels, strives to flow into the Danube, the estuary is less than a kilometer from us. However, we do not go that way but northwards, into the Ipoly valley. The space widens; to the right, the horizon is framed by the Börzsöny mountain range, to the left, the river’s lush waterfront trees line up. Huge willows, poplars, alder trees stand directly on the shore, and bushy, wooded plant communities decorate the silky, lush, wildflower meadows. This lively softness characterizes the river section of the route. The diversity and wonder of the Ipoly valley are best shown by the fact that the national park established for nature protection partly bears the river’s name (Danube-Ipoly National Park).

We continue on the riverside road; practically no climbs are encountered, the rich green of pastures home to Hungarian Grey cattle and horses meets the blue of the sky’s dome. The previously winding path is replaced by longer straight sections.

We reach the small bridge over Damásdi Creek, a good spot to rest and cool down. After a few hundred meters, a clayey, uneven field road leads to the river’s only truly waterfront bay. The riverside is stunningly beautiful, the small noises of insects, birds, and aquatic animals signal that they also enjoy this coexistence. Moving on, the white block of the postmodern winery on the hillside toward Márianosztra shines in the background, while we slightly move away from the river: we glide along the "wheelchair highway" flanked by meadow flowers and pastures along a several hundred-meter-wide floodplain forest.

There is hardly any shade; on the side of the newly built road facing the river, a wild pear tree can be seen here and there, while on the other side, a planted poplar forest forms a soldier-like square. In front of us, on the left, we can already spot the construction area of the bridge connecting Ipolydamásd to Helemba, so we can only talk about an extended tour once the pedestrian-cycle bridge crossing into Slovakia – expected in 2023 – is connected to the local cycle path.

The straightened field bike path ends here, but it looks like it will continue – now turning right, we turn onto a concrete panel road heading toward Ipolydamásd. On the village’s main road, we slowly go about 1 km to reach the center, where we can refresh ourselves and decide whether to finish our journey here or return the same way to Szob.