Mórágy – Szekszárd (DDK-11)

Itinerary

During the route, we need to follow the K marker all the way.

• From Mórágy, we cross the ridge into the valley of the Lajvér stream.
• Across the hills, touching the Szálkai Reservoir, we visit the village of Szálka.
• From Szálka, we set out for Grabóc.
• With a long hill walk, we arrive at Szekszárd railway station.

Detailed description of the route

Mórágy - Szálka

The center of Mórágy lies at the meeting of valleys – from here it is clear that according to the landscape, the Blue Trail almost leads to a mountain village, only the elevations are more modest. The village was inhabited by Serbs (Rács), then Germans, who were expelled after World War II; at that time, Székely and Upper Hungarian families arrived in their place. We are in a geologically interesting area: more than 300 million-year-old granite surfaces appear on the valley floor, which is quite rare in the country. Thicker loess layers cover the higher areas.

The Blue Trail leads northwest out of the village and forces a steep climb following the first right side street. Soon we have a second view of the streets squeezed between the valleys, with the church tower rising on the opposite hillside. The cart road drills between loess walls – the fine-grained, easily erodible loess is rapidly worn away by water erosion; these road sections, frequently encountered during the route, were formed by widening the resulting gullies. We reach the flat ridge of Pitics Hill and walk beside arable land and an electric fence until the signs turn right downhill. We bypass the regular rows of planted forest belts, disturbing the shrubbery of a small valley below. Gradually, we join a larger valley with houses opposite and a quarry biting into the hillside on the right. The now grassed-over granite quarries operated until the ’70s (for centuries); interestingly, their slightly metamorphosed rock is less resistant than other granites (thus not as ideal for building material).

We arrive at the bottom of the Lajvér stream valley, where railway tracks snake alongside the road. The Dombóvár – Bátaszék – Baja line is the only one in the country providing connection between Western and Eastern Hungary outside Budapest. Vegetation has swallowed the former small Mórágy station building, and railway traffic is quite light – the same goes for the highway we follow to the left for the next few minutes. We head uphill beside a dilapidated farm on a loess wheel track; looking back from the gentle slope, we see the largest watercourse in the southern Szekszárd Hills, the valley of the Lajvér stream. According to tradition, when Serbs attacked Bátaszék, Hungarians cried in alarm "Oh blood!" – the misunderstanding of this gave rise to the name Lajvér, which is also the name of one of the most famous local wines.

Although climbing a sun-exposed southern slope, vineyards only occupy the ridge – the reason is explained by a deepening valley on the right. This is a rapidly changing landscape, as heavy loess covering the hills is easily washed away by rainwater; additionally, where there is a clay layer underneath, it behaves as a moist sliding surface, and the slope moves downward due to gravity. This can happen slowly, at a speed imperceptible to the human eye, as soil creep, or as larger landslides. In the characteristically shallow, bowl-shaped valley on the right, the slope seems to have broken off at one point: a landslide has left this natural gap behind; despite grass covering it, you can clearly see the fan-shaped spread of the displaced material below. This complex process is called slope corrosion or, after the Latin "rágás" meaning "to eat away," derázió or erosion. This phenomenon is widespread on the loess hills around Szekszárd and shapes the landscape. The smaller furrows were carved into the soft layer by rapidly flowing rainwater.

Soon we come among fences, surrounded right and left by the vineyards of the Szekszárd hills, which also benefit from the nourishing, nutrient-rich loess soil. Behind us roll the forested ridges of the Geresd Hills, and on the horizon appears the silhouette of the Eastern Mecsek, where the highest point is recognizable as Zengő. On one side, the vines give way to pine-mixed forests. We walk longer like this until reaching the hilltop called Radnai-magaslat (the old K marker junction), from where we descend a bulldozer road passing through an oak forest. At the Z+ marker junction, we turn left and continue descending on a forestry road squeezed between electric fences on both sides. At a new junction, the K marker turns left, and we continue along a narrower forest road downhill through the valley until reaching the junction for the return trail by the K+ lakeshore, where the K marker continues straight. Shortly after, beneath the leafy shade, the surface of a water mirror glimmers, and we arrive at the elongated Szálkai fishing lake nestled among low hills; meadow follows on the far shore behind which runs the highway. The reservoir system was dammed in 1979 on the Lajvér stream; mainly for fishing purposes, but there is also a beach. Interestingly, a peninsula stretches into the water on the lake’s southern part: the big bend of the former Dombóvár railway line ran here, but a tunnel before Mőcsény made it possible to relocate the rails further south (partly shortening the line by several kilometers).

It is worth walking out onto the spit at the dam separating the two lakes; the view of the hills with rolling water reflections and swaying reeds is charming. The last section is along an old tree alley beside the "lestopped" stream, ending with arrival in Szálka. The originally Hungarian village was depopulated during the Turkish times, when Serbs fleeing from the south arrived; later Germans settled next to them. The former returned by the early 20th century, turning Szálka into a fully Swabian village. After World War II, Germans were expelled or taken for forced labor, and Hungarians (mainly from Heves county) arrived in their place. Approaching the village center where the valleys branch in a "V" shape, we notice two restaurants and a statue of a deer: the animal that served as its model was shot in the surrounding forest at the end of the 19th century (by whom exactly is not clarified); its antlers were world record holders for more than 60 years. The white-walled inn (as well as restaurant and shop) behind it hosts the stamp in its window.

Szálka - Grabóc

Most of the short distance before us consists of walking out of the valley from the long-penetrating Szálka. At the end of the village, we encounter a typical technical solution for the region: the bottom of the loess road has been fully concreted. When heavier rain falls, water flows down the loess roads and easily carves ditches into the fine-grained rock loosened by vehicles. This destroys the road and creates narrow corridors, called "szurdik" here. Because this would periodically make travel impossible, they prevent the process with concrete. The marker turns left under cellars and leads to the edge of arable lands. To the left, forested ridges densely roll above Szálka. We descend on a long, straight section, then with a sharp right turn again step between loess walls. After the far gate of the gorge, we arrive at Grabóc.

At the first junction, be sure to take a detour right to the Serbian Orthodox church and monastery! Don't be surprised if you hear Slavic words in the village; Grabóc’s history and present are influenced by the Serbian presence. The monks arrived here at the end of the 16th century fleeing the advancing Turks from the Dragovity monastery in Dalmatia. Of course, their fate was not easy here either: their home was destroyed in wars, and the Viennese court allowed renovation, which was insufficient. Therefore, they built a new building above the old ruins, eventually demolishing the previous remains. By the 18th century, this became the Serbian Orthodox theological training center, and during the socialist decades, the Patriarch of Sofia was exiled here. When the last monk died in the ’70s, a social home was established. In the ’90s, the Serbian Orthodox Church regained it, and since then nuns have lived in the monastery (entry is forbidden), but the church is open to visitors. The graceful and tidy building complex stands in a beautiful, tended, park-like environment shaded by pines, radiating peace throughout. We can also taste the spring water trickling in the well house.

In the 18th century, Swabians were also settled in the village, and at the end of World War II, they were expelled, replaced by Székely settlers. Walking through the streets of this secluded valley settlement, the variety of architectural styles is still noticeable. The stamp can be found briefly by deviating from the Blue Trail at the shop’s veranda.

Grabóc – Szekszárd

Before leaving the village, be sure to climb the Maria lookout built in 2015 via the K▲ marker! From the top level of the timbered platform, the most beautiful panorama of the whole section opens. Grabóc’s houses are framed by wide ridges of low hills, pastures below, and forests on many slopes. Pastures and arable fields rise up to the ridge lines, so the oak forests only color the view in narrow strips and modest patches. In the background, the silhouette of the Eastern Mecsek proudly rises as a medium-mountain range above the rolling landscape, with Zengő standing out as the highest peak in Southern Hungary.

Turning right from the village main street, we enter a particularly charming valley: meadows open up the terrain left and right, a cart road winds below, and the hills gradually close around us after a farmstead. Finally, we enter the forest, mostly along a fence, ascending a gentle slope to a watershed. On the far side through clearings, then young forest, we descend and arrive with sharp bends at the valley floor. Down below, pine shadows fall on the ruins of the abandoned Grabóc forester’s lodge – a pity for the houses, as they stand in an idyllic, mountain-like setting. The Blue Trail leads right into a nice hardwood forest, where after a short climb we encounter a carefully maintained hunter’s lodge.

The tourist path bypasses the clearings and turns right on the ridge; the climb ends, and from the fence corner, we look into a wooded valley backed by the Mecsek. The landscape changes compared to the first half of our hike: the short but closed valleys of the Szekszárd Hills are uninhabited, and the slopes are covered mainly by oak forests instead of pastures. Traces of former logging and plantation can mainly be found among the completely alien pines. At a junction, we turn right. On the narrow little ridge, it is striking that the small side valleys cut back from both sides are steeper here, with medium-mountain-like slopes, the heads of the valleys almost touching a few meters apart, dissecting the surface.

We turn left and descend among young forest toward the Dark Valley. The terrain’s relief is characterized by the fact that sunlight does not reach the slope bottom; therefore, beech forest appears in the cool, shaded area. Moreover, old, robust specimens indicate we have arrived in the oldest forest of the Szekszárd Hills. The Haramia spring flows below, with a resting place built around it. This is one of the oldest and also highest-yielding springs in the region. The Blue Trail does not lead along the valley bottom but beside it under the trees – thus following an educational trail, but the K▲ marker running along the bottom of Fazekas Valley is also a good choice. The charming chain of long and wide meadows is probably the most atmospheric hiking area of the hills; cool clearings are embraced by forests from all directions. A forest road runs along the valley bottom of the long Dark Valley; the hiking trail is a little higher, gently undulating due to terrain hollows. The last, huge meadow is Erzsébet Clearing, notable for the surrounding nearly 200-year-old sessile oak forest, the oldest woodland in Tolna county. At the end of this popular hiking spot, there are sports fields, a playground, rain shelters, and a children’s camp with wooden houses in the corner.

The Blue Trail makes a large loop to tackle the final section leading to Szekszárd. In exchange for a steep, long ascent, the Óriás Hill gives way, whose 285-meter prominence is the highest point of the Szekszárd Hills. The landscape is relatively featureless; only the beech-oak forest on the summit offers something special. We touch a beautiful rolling meadow, then continue the monotonous walk through a new forest section. From a point, we look out over the northern plain, and where the K+ marker joins, from a corner of a vineyard, we can glance down into the closed, winding depths of Dark Valley. We enter the Deer Gorge on the right: the path reveals the narrow loess gorge for its entire length, where tree roots hang in the air on the slopes. After the exit, we step onto the concrete road along the rows of vineyards; by now, we are essentially in the outskirts of Szekszárd.

We pass by the Bati Cross, whose name is worth mentioning. The village of Bat lay near Kakasd and disappeared permanently during the Turkish occupation. The word "báta" is of Serbian origin, meaning puddle, and refers to one of the defining elements of the natural environment: on the flat or gently rolling terrain under the hills, through waters often accumulated in marshes. The Turkish "bata" also means swamp or marsh; it can also be found in Bátaszék's name. Since 2015, a lookout stands on the hilltop to the left, definitely not to be missed! From its upper terrace, there is a great panoramic view; we can see Szekszárd’s vineyards, the part of the city climbing onto the hill, the Gemenc forest, and in the opposite direction the endless hills of southern Transdanubia. In the background rises the fully forested Mecsek ridge, with the lower, more hill-like western part and the more impressive eastern section.

We walk long among vineyards, which is no surprise since we are crossing wine regions. On the sun-exposed hills, grapes were probably already cultivated by the Romans, and the typical Kadarka grape here has Turkish roots. After the Turkish occupation, Swabians arrived along with Serbs, who boosted viticulture along with handicrafts in the area. We arrive at Kápolna Square on a concreted road under loess walls, which got its name from the pilgrimage site built after the plague epidemic in the 18th century, the Remete Chapel. During the generous city walk, we pass the Mihály Babits Memorial House, which is the birthplace and museum of the poet.

We walk through Béla King Square, where we can see the county hall and church, then via a charming but short pedestrian street descend to the plains. Although concrete, paving stones, and buildings cover the view, we cross an important landscape boundary: instead of the Transdanubian Hills, we are now in the Great Plain. The last stamping point, the railway station (stamp on the external wall of the exit towards the platforms), is about 15 minutes walk away. From here begins a completely different kind of hike, the Alföld Blue Trail.