Rozália Brick Factory - Dobogókő (OKT-15)

Itinerary

During the route, you must follow the K mark all along.

• From the Rozália Brick Factory, ascending via Pilisborosjenő to the Kevély Saddle.
• From the saddle, descending to the edge of Csobánka.
• From the edge of Csobánka, after visiting Hosszú Hill and the Dera Gorge, arriving at Pilisszentkereszt.
• From Pilisszentkereszt, ascending along the Zsivány Rocks to Dobogókő.

Detailed description of the route

Rozália Brick Factory - Kevély Saddle

From the Rozália Brick Factory, we proceed parallel to the Budapest – Esztergom railway line, and after about one kilometer, we reach an asphalt road crossing the railway. We cross the main road and enter a path leading to Köves-bérc from a street. The path winds through rocky terrain dotted with low trees evoking a Mediterranean atmosphere; during summer, the sound of cicadas complements this. Nature gradually reclaims the quarries of Köves-bérc. We descend to the edge of Pilisborosjenő, then continue our hike on warm microclimate, shrubby hillsides. Soon we arrive near the Teve Rock: a hard dolomite rising above the environment, whose less resistant rocks have eroded. Looking sideways, we see the wall of a former quarry, stained with precipitated metal compounds and different rock types.

A bit further, where the K mark turns right, to the left among the trees, you can visit the durable ruins of a decoration built as a model of Eger Castle. The National Blue Trail sets off on Redlinger Adolf Street towards the saddle of the Kevély range towering like a cliff. A tourist house stood at the saddle from 1928, which likely fell victim to arson in the early '90s. In one hour, you can explore the most exciting panoramic section of the wonderful ridge trail of the Kevély mountains, if you make detours to Little and Great Kevély. Before the resting place, at the meeting point of hiking trails, there is a stamp station.

Kevély Saddle - Pilisszentkereszt

We descend on the cooler, densely forested side of the Kevély hills. On a parallel hiking trail marked S, we find the karst cave of the Bear Cave. At an abandoned gravel pit, we turn northwest and reach the edges of the fields of Csobánka. From Lipár Hill there is a view in two directions: the Buda Hills on one side, and the Visegrád Hills on the other. The most impressive sight, however, is the cliff wall of Oszoly towering above nearby Csobánka. We set off towards Hosszú Hill, but before we can proceed on its ridge, we turn right. Deep in the forest, near the chapel, a spring with a pump at the Saint Well may quench our thirst.

We walk a long way through the hillside forest, following the flow of the Dera, also known as the Kovácsi Creek. The creek marks an important geographical boundary: to the north is the North Hungarian Mountains, part of the Carpathians; to the south begins the Dunántúl (Transdanubia) Mountains with different geological development. The Dera, however, soon offers a much more exciting phenomenon: before Pilisszentkereszt, the watercourse has deeply cut into the limestone. The creek's name comes from the local Slavic-speaking population: 'Dera' means fissure. Indeed, it seems as if the earth opened up in the Pilis: huge moss-covered rock piles lie in the bed, bordered at places by vertical limestone walls. The atmospheric path at the upper end of the gorge no longer contains bridges, and the valley also gently calms. Unfortunately, water is found here only after snowmelt or rainy periods—otherwise it flows just as an underground stream inside the limestone.

Leaving the resting place, we reach Pilisszentkereszt by dirt road. Stamp stations can be found in two places in the center: on the window bars of the grocery store and in the Upper pub.

Pilisszentkereszt - Dobogókő

Leaving the village, we cross the Dobogókő road and penetrate deeper into the forests of the Visegrád Hills. Our path is bordered by plenty of fallen wood at the forest floor, and after a deep stretch, a large rock rises on the right. Since we are already in the land of giant volcanoes, instead of the usual white limestone forms, we must get used for a long time to more rounded, darker, sometimes brown blocks born in fire, which crouch like giant giants in the shady forests.

Among the impressively sized columns of the Zsivány Rocks, we can walk through a small corridor. Legend has it that King Béla IV hid his treasures here while fleeing the Tatars, which were later sought by bandits who used the site as a refuge in the meantime. The rock material is andesitic debris, which was blasted into the air during eruptions of a volcano active here in the Miocene (about 16.5 million years ago). Later, the debris accumulated on the slopes slid down and gathered in the valley floors. The breccia, melted together by intense heat, showed greater resistance and did not wear down as fast as the surrounding environment, thus becoming sculpted and rising above its surroundings.

We continue our route through the torn pine forest of the Kanyargós Creek valley and shortly before the valley mouth, turn right to enter a weekend house area. Soon we arrive at the Dobogókő resort. The Blue Trail leads us to the lookout terrace: the namesake rock, Dobogó-kő, was formed by the same processes as the Zsivány Rocks—even though the rock itself barely emerges from the terrace. Beyond the ribbon of the Danube Bend rise Saint Michael Hill and behind it the main mass of Börzsöny—but reaching it will require a long hike further in the Visegrád Hills.

At the entrance of the Eötvös Loránd Shelter, we can validate our visit with the stamp hanging on the wall.