Hűvösvölgy - Rozália Brick Factory (OKT-14)

Itinerary

Throughout the route, you must follow the K marker

• from the Children's Railway stop, crossing Hűvösvölgyi road, along Glück Frigyes promenade to the Határnyereg,
• at Határnyereg turn right towards the Árpád Lookout,
• from Árpád Lookout, crossing Szépvölgyi road to the Fenyőgyöngye,
• from Fenyőgyöngye to the Guckler Lookout at the summit of Hármashatár-hegy. On the summit, there is the second stamping point, actually three, but using one is enough.
• From Guckler Lookout further along the northern slope of Hármashatár-hegy to the Virágos-nyereg, where there is another stamping point. This section of the route is the most technical.
• From Virágos-nyereg, the K and S markers run together for a while, then at Csúcs-hegyi saddle, the Z marker joins. Following the K marker, we continue to Rozália Brick Factory, where the section ends and the fourth and last stamping point is located.

About the route in detail

Hűvösvölgy - Árpád Lookout

At the Széchenyi Hill Children's Railway terminus in Hűvösvölgy, after stamping, we join the National Blue Trail route. We cross Hűvösvölgyi road, then cut through the parking lot of Balázs restaurant, which burned down in 2009, reaching the footbridge over Ördög-ditch. We descend into the valley and continue along Glück Frigyes road. We reach a small hill; before us appears the forest edge, then soon we step onto the Hármashatárhegy airfield.

The forest trail leading to the ridge climbs gently enough so it does not tire us, allowing us to ascend with some momentum. The immaculate smooth grassy runway of the glider airfield accompanies our path. As we proceed along the stony path shaded by large oaks, we reach the Vadaskerti memorial which commemorates King Matthias' game reserve.

At Határ-nyereg, caution is needed as tourist paths branch out in all directions from this crossroads. Fortunately, the signs are well-marked, allowing us to easily continue on the blue marker along Glück Frigyes road leading to Látó Hill. On the side of Alsó-Kecske Hill, we pass the so-called demolished-head but still lion-like Lion Rock. Up on the hillside, from the Árpád Lookout built in 1929 on Glück Frigyes' initiative, we can glimpse a slice of our capital city extending along the Danube, beyond Gellért Hill, as our gaze stretches over the city model from the Buda Castle to the Pesterzsébet housing estate.

Árpád Lookout - Hármashatár-hegy

Descending on the east-northeast side of the hill, through Szépvölgy, which becomes increasingly built-up with asphalt roads and residential buildings, beyond the bus stop we find the Fenyőgyöngye Restaurant founded in 1935, rebuilt in 1988 after being destroyed during the war—available to us if we wish to break the hike for a bowl of Újhazy chicken soup, a Fenyő cup, or other treats. Otherwise, on the K marker, immediately leaving the asphalt road, we enter the forest and start a gentle climb on footpaths of the Hármashatár-hegy group, first covered by nummulitic limestone, then dolomite rocks.

We cross the asphalt road to the summit several times. Over the last 200 meters, after overcoming a steep climb along the glass terrace side of Udvarház Restaurant, we reach the summit—or rather the splendid viewpoint just below it, where for some reason an old ping-pong table from earlier times stands. A few hundred steps away, standing at the summit marked also as a geodetic base point, on the strikingly emerging dolomite rock layers, we can see the Pesthidegkút basin and the Buda Hills beyond. Not far away is the Guckler Károly Lookout built and handed over in 2016, almost beckoning us with its unique crystal-shaped structure.

Spending time at the lookout, if we had not yet, we can admire how beautifully the capital was established here, the natural environment in which many of us live. Even if urban smog sometimes blankets us, within half an hour to an hour we can be here and feel as if we have entered another world, enjoying the mountain air.

Hármashatár-hegy - Rozália Brick Factory

On the northern side of the summit, we descend on a rocky, stony path, where the somewhat steep path flows into the area once hosting glider planes, now operating as a hospitality spot called Zöldbázis, to the gravel road running before it. In summer, the scorching sun reflects off the white gravel and the shade of the trees is still awaited. We also pass by the tourist house handed over in 2016, a building that inherited the former pilot accommodation from the old aviation past. With modern renovation, it has such an inviting appearance that one would gladly stay in it, and of course, it is possible.

Leaving the gravel road, we enter the forest. A narrow path winds through a small clearing, then again in the forest toward Virágos-nyereg, going up and down, until we reach a sloping large meadow before the saddle (stamp on the electric pole). From the saddle, we could detour to the old Csúcs-hegy shelter, but unfortunately now only a memorial plaque indicates its former location. We circle Csúcs Hill (444 m) from the north through the forest along the pleasant Guckler Károly promenade, until we reach Rozália row through a barrier, first stony then asphalted, where the still operating Rozália Brick Factory building—the OKK stamping point—is located and marks the end of our path. However, to get home, we must still walk to the main road 10 and take a bus there. This extra section covers nearly 400 meters on the K+ marker.