Őriszentpéter – Zalalövő (DDK-03)

Itinerary :

Throughout the route, we must follow the K marking.

• From Őriszentpéter, walking through the forest, we approach the Slovenian border several times
• We touch Kercaszomor, the "Bravest Village", where with a short detour we can also see a skirted bell tower
• At Magyarszombatfa we can visit the Pottery House and then look around from a lookout tower after the village
• We pass by the famous bell tower of Gödörháza
• At Velemér, the Blue Trail passes along a long but charming street; take time for the special Árpád-era church of Velemér as well
• At Szentgyörgyvölgy, we cross into Zala County
• After deserted villages and a long forest section, we arrive at Zalalövő.

Detailed description :

Őriszentpéter – Magyarszombatfa

We leave Őriszentpéter from the roundabout heading southeast initially along the paved road, then winding through the forest following the old railway line closed in 1968. The new railway opened in 2002 runs along a different route with far fewer curves. We climb about 50 meters elevation to the top of a ridge, which also serves as a significant watershed — literally — separating the drainage basin of the Zala and Balaton from that of the Kerka and Dráva rivers. We then descend, more suitably we walk down to Bajánsenye, which formed from the merger of at least three villages and two hamlets. From Bajánsenye, we continue parallel to the Slovenian border but never cross it. In a straight line, we get as close as about 600-700 meters to the border. After climbing another hill of at least fifty meters, we arrive at Kercaszomor. Kercaszomor is known as the "Bravest Village," a title earned because in 1920 Szomoróc resisted with arms the Serbian-Croatian-Slovenian army that occupied the village without any legal basis. Although the resistance failed due to overwhelming forces, a committee decided in 1922 that the territory should be returned to Hungary. In Szomoróc, before turning left from the main road, it is worth continuing a bit further, if not to the nearby Slovenian border, at least to the Reformed church bell tower. The 1877-built typical Őrség skirted bell tower had its original bell taken for war purposes during World War I. The new bell was ordered by the villagers still under Yugoslav occupation, and the inscription on the bell cast in Sopron commemorates their liberation.

Leaving Kercaszomor, we pass by the ruins of the Saint Wenceslaus church on another hill, then arrive at the next village, Magyarszombatfa, proud of its notable pottery craft thanks to the clay soil. With a small detour, we can visit the Pottery House, the former home of a potter family. The thatched-roof farmhouse has operated as a museum since 1975, where you can try your hand at throwing pottery or closely observe a genuine traditional Őrség haystack oven.

The Blue Trail soon turns from the village into the forest toward the Slovenian border, where it climbs to the Ritási Hill lookout at 296 meters—a converted geodetic tower. From the lookout, there is a panoramic view of both the Hungarian and Slovenian landscapes. What we see is the Inner Őrség area, which by name suggests it is the heart of the region, though the more northern Szalafő and Őriszentpéter better represent the typical hilltop clustered settlement pattern, unlike here where villages have grown into long, almost strip-shaped settlements along the creek or river valleys. Descending from the hill, we pass the Gödörháza district of Magyarszombatfa, where we pass the 1790-built Reformed wooden bell tower.

Magyarszombatfa – Zalalövő

Shortly after Magyarszombatfa, we reach Velemér, known for its Árpád-era church. We walk through the charming, elongated village street but before starting the climb, stop for a few minutes. At the end of the main road, turning right shortly leads to a junction. The Blue Trail continues straight, but now we take a roughly 150-meter detour to the small hill with the special Holy Trinity church.

The 13th-century church, built from a mix of stone and brick, still shows the massive forms of Romanesque style, but the pointed windows and polygonal sanctuary closure appear as signs of early Gothic. The exact construction circumstances are unknown, but it is impressive that despite (or because of) restorations, the view now presented roughly matches what the people here hundreds of years ago might have seen. A unique value of this monument-protected building is the 14th-century frescoes made by János Aquila, some of the most beautiful medieval wall paintings preserved in Hungary. Unfortunately, they did not survive intact due to religious wars, weather, and neglect. In the 19th century, Flóris Rómer, the father of Hungarian heritage protection, called attention to the church's values, so restorers partly relied on his descriptions. If more were needed to emphasize the church’s uniqueness, it is also revealed that the window openings were designed so that during important events such as the summer and winter solstices or the equinox, light would precisely highlight the picture section corresponding to the time. This deliberate design also explains why the east-facing church is rotated towards the north.

Leaving Velemér, we climb a small hill, but before reaching Slovenia, we make a sharp left turn back to Szentgyörgyvölgy. Although in the forest we cross the county border unnoticed, the settlement perhaps better shows the characteristics of Őrség than any village since Bajánsenye.

We walk kilometers through the settlement, then mostly through meadows to reach Felsőszenterzsét. From here, we continue on the paved road passing Alsószenterzsét to Kerkakutas. Seeing the forest, we can breathe a sigh of relief, because from here follows a long about 9 km section without any settlements: pine mixed oak forests and meadows alternate. The area has suffered heavy depopulation since the 1960s; now we can see completely abandoned villages.

We continue over gently curved hills mostly through oak forests to Csöde and its Felsőcsöde district, which received an independent checkpoint in 2018. We travel on a country road through vineyards (Pacsa) belonging to Zalalövő, then just a 2 km downhill to Zalalövő Pörgöli district. The Blue Trail does not enter Zalalövő town center; before exiting to the main road, it continues right as section 3 of the DDK. The checkpoint is found 50 meters from here at the Sündörgő restaurant, but if we finish the section here and travel further by train, we can also stamp at the station 1 km from here.