Zalakomár – Kaposmérő (DDK-07)

Itinerary

Throughout the route, you must follow the K sign.

• Our path leads from the edge of Zalakomár to Somogysimonyi.
• We cross through a wooded area to Nemesvid.
• Passing through Kisvid, we visit Nagyszakácsi.
• We arrive at Mesztegnyő after a long walk.
• A long path guides us to Újvárfalva.
• We also take a detour to the neighboring Somogysárd.
• Our last stop is the end of the section, the edge of Kaposmérő.

Detailed description of the route

Zalakomár - Mesztegnyő

We finished the previous section at the Zalakomár railway station; now we continue our journey from here. A terribly long asphalt section continues from Zalakaros, and we travel for another nine kilometers along the motorway. Shortly after the railway crossing, we leave the settlement and cross the M7 motorway under us by a bridge. A bit later, we see a turn to the left, leading to the Ormándi or Sommsich Castle. The beautiful eclectic castle, built in 1910, is privately owned and not open to visitors.

We continue walking along the side of the road, passing Ormándpuszta, the former village of Ormánd, where now only abandoned (and a few still inhabited) houses indicate the once independent settlement. Just after, we cross an almost imperceptible stream on a bridge, then quietly enter Somogy county from Zalába by a depression called a border ridge.

We reach the first Somogy settlement on our route, Somogysimonyi, with barely one hundred residents. Once owned by the Festetics and then Zichy families, the village once had a school. We quickly pass through the settlement, followed by a long, straight section. Oaks, pines, and acacia trees alternate on both sides of the road. The path bends left at some farm buildings, and Nemesvid’s houses appear in the distance. We reach the settlement on Rákóczi Street, where houses become denser on both sides. The stamp is located in the middle of the settlement, at the entrance of a shop opposite the 19th-century listed Mayor's Office building.

The medieval village of Vid was founded by royal cooks who got estates here and in the nearby Nagyszakácsi area. In 1725, Charles III granted the "noble" prefix to this settlement inhabited by minor noble descendants. Around the turn of the century, Nemesvid, with about 1,500 inhabitants, was lively: the first bank in the county opened here; there was also a casino, reading association, industrial association, reading circle, fire brigade, farmers' circle, and shooting club. Nowadays, only half as many people live here, and the village became newsworthy mainly because the municipality went bankrupt in 2010 due to a failed loan; several buildings, parks, and sports fields had to be sold.

At the center of the village, we turn right, then left at a stone cross onto Church Street. We pass the classicist church, in front of which is the list of settlements that received the "Nemes" prefix in the 17th century. The church’s uniqueness is that its frescoes depict biblical saints in 19th-century attire, such as hussar uniforms.

After passing a small cemetery on the village edge, we turn right and continue along an alder forest. About 500 meters away on the right, be prepared for a difficult section: the blue trail is overgrown, weedy, hard to walk, and barely traceable. Until we reach the dirt road, we cross a high-voltage power line corridor, then go through a pine forest to reach the main road of Kisvid. The blue trail continues right, but if you didn’t stamp in Nemesvid, there is a corresponding stamp 250 meters to the left on a fence of a private house.

(If you feel unable to push through this jungle-like, almost impassable section, it is recommended to continue straight at the cemetery and take the country road between Nemesvid and Kisvid.)

From where the blue trail emerges onto the road, we walk another 500 meters on the asphalt, then shortly after the end-of-Nemesvid sign we turn right into the forest. The path runs through acacia trees; we follow the left fork at a Y junction. We cross the power line again; the rustling is clearly audible in the silent forest. Emerging from the trees, we walk on a grassy path running along the edge of a field. Be alert to turn left beside a closed-top hunting stand, although the view after the pleasant grassy track isn’t inviting. With a brief interruption, another half-kilometer of overgrown, thorny undergrowth and nettles follows. Relief comes when we reach the dirt road of Nagyszakácsi, reaching the northern edge of the settlement and quickly passing through it along the main street.

In medieval times, royal court cooks and their families received estates here — traces of this are still evident, not only in the meaningful family names but also in the village’s Cook Museum and the annual "In the Footsteps of Royal Cooks" event held since 1993. The event’s essence is that competitors cook only with ingredients used in medieval times and solely over open fire. Over the years, the cooking competition has become a real Renaissance festival, so if you plan to be here on the first weekend of August during the blue trail, do not miss the festivity.

We leave the settlement on Freedom Street, where our blue trail section’s only ascent awaits: the north-south Marcali ridge starting from Balatonberény. The loess ridge, rising from the Inner Somogy plain, stretches about 33-35 kilometers southward and is widest near Marcali, about 6 km wide. It gradually softens towards the south with a maximum height of only 257 meters (Castle Hill). Don’t expect a Mátra-type incline, but rather a pleasant variety on the flat terrain. We climb a sandy deep road sunk into loess soil covering the Marcali ridge’s surface. On Felső-hegy, charming meadows, walnut trees, and wine cellars welcome us, then soon we switch to a less maintained path. Tall grass, wildflowers, and grassy dirt roads alternate, followed by cultivated fields, acacia groves, and sunflower fields, arriving at the Gadány junction, which is also a resting place. From the difficult road that can be hard to traverse when wet, an open, gently undulating, colorful landscape opens up around us: this is Somogy County.

If you want to break the route here, Gadány is an ideal place to stop. With a short detour, you can reach this dead-end village, where there is a beautiful baroque church and accommodation options.

Mesztegnyő – Újvárfalva

From the Gadány rest area, we go straight ahead, and after a small hill, the landscape opens up, the road continues straight through cultivated fields toward Mesztegnyő. We are walking on the sandy area of the eastern foot of the Marcali ridge. The village church tower indicates the direction, behind which the forests of the Boronka Protected Landscape Area already green.

We enter the center of Mesztegnyő after crossing the Sári canal, where two stamp stations await us. After crossing the main road, we pass a small park, then on the left appears the 18th-century village church whose tower we saw from afar. The church and monastery were built by the Hunyady family, but the real uniqueness is that István Dorfmeister, the most famous altar painting artist of his era, created its interior decoration and frescoes.

Opposite the church, the blue trail turns into the corner Faluház (“Village House”) – which houses a local history collection and accommodation – where the stamp station is on the porch’s brick column. If the stamping fails here for any reason, you can find the counterpart 100 meters away on the main road at the Tó bistro.

Mesztegnyő attracts tourists not only due to Balaton’s relative proximity or its famous Strudel Festival but also because of the forest narrow-gauge railway operating since 1925. Like many other forest railways, this one was established to transport timber harvested from the forests. Later, spurs were built for the nearby constructed fishponds, so the railway also played a decisive role in their maintenance. By the 1960s, the line was extended east to Kakpuszta, close to the forest’s small villages. Over the following decades, these small settlements gradually depopulated, so today, only hikers travel on the trains. From the railway’s windows, the vast expanse of forests literally comes within arm's reach. The railway operates on summer weekends according to the timetable, but occasional themed trips run regularly from autumn to spring. The nearly 9 km route almost entirely follows the South Transdanubian Blue Trail.

We leave the village on foot along Ladi János Street. Upon reaching the forest railway tracks, we are already in the Boronka Protected Landscape Area. The area, part of the Inner Somogy sand region, was declared protected in 1991 and is known for its special environmental conditions, with forests, aquatic habitats, marshes, and meadows.

Thousands of years ago, the ancient Danube meandered here and deposited a large amount of sand. After the river left the region, the wind piled up north-south oriented low hills from the sediments. These features still define the landscape today. Unique life communities have developed on the coarse-grained soil specific to this area. Among the gentle hills of this landscape, you can encounter the dry and barren world of sand steppes, low-lying willow and alder marshes, oak groves, the exclusive beauty of sand beech forests, and in spring, the flower carpets of riparian forests and meadows. Between the trees, the waters of lakes and marshes shimmer, and shallow valleys are crossed by streams.

Leaving the village, we continue left on a narrow concrete forest road until reaching the neglected track bed of the former Balatonszentgyörgy–Balatonkeresztúr–Somogyszob railway line. The railway connecting Lake Balaton to Inner Somogy was closed in 2009.

Here, we turn left onto a wagon road running through acacia forest. At the first stop of the Mesztegnyő narrow-gauge railway, Gyóta-Búsvárna, we join the narrow-gauge track, and from here for about 7 kilometers, the blue trail runs parallel to the railway. In summer, it’s worth timing your trip to catch one of the two daily trains and travel this section by train to Felsőkak.

On foot or by narrow-gauge train, we throw ourselves into the largest contiguous plain forest of Somogy. We pass by the Búsvári Lake, from the reed-lined dam we can see the entire lake: a spectacular sight. The fishpond could also be a paradise for bird watchers: waterfowl camp along its shore, and the very rare black stork and white-tailed eagle also nest nearby. From the Búsvári Lake stop, a 600-meter detour leads to a lakeside birdwatching hide. Our path continues into a magical hornbeam-oak forest. At the Szúnyogvár stop, a spacious rest area awaits hikers; from here, we turn south and reach the next undisturbed water body, the Mélyéger Lake.

The path and railway track continue straight along the sedge and duckweed lake, but fortunately, here also runs a dusty yet passable footpath parallel to the tracks. It is now hard to imagine that during World War II, months of heavy fighting took place here in 1944-45 along the German-built Margit defense line, a strategic line whose main function was to protect the oil fields of Zala and delay the Soviet forces, also ensuring safe retreat and connection with southern troops. Many locals lost their lives in the fighting, and the post-war mine clearance claimed further lives for years.

Among old oak trees and pine forests, we reach the forest terminus of the narrow-gauge railway, Felsőkak. A wide meadow, fire pit, covered resting spot, and a carved statue of Gáspár Noszlopy welcome us. Several nature trails start from the meadow, guiding us through the cultural and natural values of the area. Until the regime change, small villages and farms lived around here; now only a few abandoned buildings remain.

We continue along the meadow’s edge, then at an intersection, sharply turn right, separating from the nature trails. We walk on a wide, straight, sandy road, sometimes among pine forests, sometimes among young acacia groves regenerating after logging. Along the 9 km from Felsőkak to Újvárfalva, we take five right-angle turns through forest clearings.

We are in the central part of Inner Somogy, as indicated by a sign at another 90-degree intersection. The landform of the alluvial cone plain is shaped by running sandy surfaces and the system of flat valleys that separate them. The East Inner Somogy microregion features hornbeam and sessile oak forests, alder swamp forests and marshes, as well as characteristic natural lakes among them.

We pass one of these natural lakes, the Lencseni Lake, where you can take a pleasant walk on its atmospheric shore. After another right angle and direction change, the road crossing over the Aranyos stream at a bridge interrupts the route.

At the next bend, the sandy path changes to a grassy forest road, while groups of birches, alders, oaks, and pines rise on both sides of the path. Emerging from the forest, we arrive among cultivated fields in the heart of Somogy, to Újvárfalva, the birthplace of freedom fighter Gáspár Noszlopy.

Újvárfalva – Kaposmérő

Újvárfalva, formed in 1908 by the merging of three former settlements, is accessed through the center via the main road. After a long forest walk, we can replenish our supplies at the local convenience store. We almost leave the village when we spot the Noszlopy manor on the left atop a small hill, where the blue trail stamp is located on its fence.

Gáspár Noszlopy, born in this house to a Reformed noble family, is one of the best-known figures of the 1848-49 Freedom War. In 1848, he organized volunteer troops against Jelasic; in 1849, he led Transdanubian insurgents as a government commissioner. After the defeat of the war, he organized guerrilla warfare and once escaped from imperial captivity. He was finally captured in 1852 and executed in Pest. His birth house hosts an interesting exhibition about the Somogy battles, illustrated with contemporary documents and weapons. The beautifully renovated manor is open year-round but requires prior appointment.

We head toward Somogysárd on the country road, passing between two fishponds and leaving the settlement on the main road. In the mid-18th century, the village came under the ownership of Antal Somssich, who developed it into one of the region’s most significant estates. The family name is connected to many natural, architectural, and cultural values that still shape village life. Upon returning to the center, the first thing that catches the eye is the Somssich family-built Betyár Inn, which in the 19th century was a popular gathering place for Somogy outlaws. Its impressive building was finally renovated in 2019 and now houses a local history exhibition. It is also worth taking a short detour in the village to see the baroque-style church and the Somssich Castle, which combines Rococo and Baroque styles. The seven-hectare park around the building, whose first trees were planted in 1876, is protected and home to rare species such as fern trees and silver linden.

Returning to the center, we head out past the statue of Gáspár Noszlopy, then Petőfi Sándor Street leads us out of the houses. We walk for a long time in a belt between dense acacia forest and cultivated fields until we reach the trees of the Nagy-Gyóta forest, which is intersected by perpendicular country roads, so the blue trail twists again at right angles for about 3 kilometers here. Hornbeam-mixed oak forest forms most of the surrounding woodland, occasionally colored by black pine and tall Scots pine.

We reach the southern border of the forest and emerge beside endless cultivated fields. The landscape opens before us, and across the fields, the buildings of Kaposfő can already be seen in the distance. We head left, walking on open terrain for the next kilometer among agricultural lands.

When we return to the forest, the blue trail leads on a wide, gently rising grassy pasture: the last place where you'd expect when seeing the surroundings is that we are walking over an oil pipeline. The Hungarian section of the Adria oil pipeline was built in 1978, connecting the Croatian island of Krk with Százhalombatta. Oil from Arab countries thus reached Hungary and the former Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.

Along this 1 km section, we walk over the oil pipeline, but it will not disturb our enjoyment of the beautiful landscape, especially as we reach a plateau-like, elongated wildflower meadow. It is especially eye-catching in spring and summer when the many colorful flowers dot the grassy field.

At the OKT (Blue Trail) information board, we turn right, i.e., southwards, entering again oak and pine-dominated forest. In the Pati Forest, as we got used to in the Somogy forests, we change direction sharply with turns until descending into the Cingető stream valley. We cross an overgrown, barely visible bridge, then continue past vast cornfields, cultivated lands, and sunflowers. From here, the church tower of Kaposfő is also clearly visible on the undulating land’s horizon.

Be careful here: although the road turns left, a sign indicating private property shows that we must go right. Although the condition of the vegetation does not seem to indicate this, the blue trail indeed leads here, so we have to struggle again with the undergrowth on this short section. After an overgrown barrier, we carefully cross the railway tracks between Dombóvár and Gyékényes, then arrive at Kaposmérő. When we reach the main road, we turn left, and after the roundabout, about 350 meters away at the information board at the corner of Dadai Street, we collect the last stamp of Inner Somogy and this section.