Easy loop from Velence with a touch of off-road

Itinerary:

• Let's set off from the railway station along the lakeside cycle path all the way to the end of Drótszamár Camping!
• Through the Main Street we reach the bridge crossing over the M7 motorway, then continue east on the Panorama Road.
• Joining the blue cycling sign follow it, then in Nadap turn onto Kossuth Lajos Street!
• From here we return to the Corso via Auckar field - Csikar field - Kabar field - 8117 - Dózsa street - Gárdonyi street - Széchenyi street routes.

Details about the route:

From the railway station we head northeast towards the former Ifi Camping. After a few pedal strokes, we find ourselves at the impressive Velence Corso. Turning left towards the lake, we cycle along a sandy beach reminiscent of a seaside resort. The renovated area has been welcoming visitors since 2014 with a shopping center, huge parking lot, tree-lined lakeshore, and cycle paths.

Flowering Velence

The settlement thrived even in ancient times, as a long military and trade route between Aquincum of Buda and the Adriatic ran alongside it; however, it only earned the above title in 2000 as Hungary's "most flowering" settlement. The former center of fishing and winemaking gradually transformed into a holiday area from the 1930s onwards.

It is worth visiting the Wenckheim Castle, a neo-Renaissance building from around 1890, which today functions as a library and community space. Another splendid architectural monument is the historicist neo-Baroque Hauszmann-Gschwint Castle from the 1920s - currently used as holiday accommodation. Unfortunately, the Meszleny Castle is in a very dilapidated state, although the Meszleny family shaped the life of the settlement for centuries. Velence's Reformed Church, built around 1690, is also worth a detour.

Leaving the Corso, we continue cycling on a cracked road, soon arriving at Drótszamár Camping. Be alert at the far end: this is where we say goodbye to the lakeside bike lane. Continuing along the Main Street we reach the Ország Road, then at the VelenceBike bike shop, with a left-right turn combination, we find ourselves at the motorway rest area. Crossing over the pedestrian footbridge and leaving the newer parking lot, we turn right onto Panorama Road.

Detour for the view

Although the tour's route does not include it, turning left at the Panorama Road junction we can cycle up to the Bence Hill lookout. The sun-kissed hills of the area have long been used as vineyard areas, primarily planted with white grape varieties. Among the buildings lining the hillside we can also find Mihály Vörösmarty's press house before reaching the modern 20-meter tower opened in March 2018.

Climb near the leveling benchmark

Back on the original route, upon reaching Nadap Road, we face a flat yet deceptively steep climb towards Nadap. On the right we can already see the vineyards to which we are heading. The slope intensifies upon entering the settlement, but luckily we turn off before the steeper part. Turning right twice, we follow the blue cycling sign. The road connecting Nadap and Pázmánd was renovated in the 2010s, allowing us to cycle on really quality pavement with fortunately sparse traffic. Among vineyards and fields it is sometimes worth glancing back at Bence Hill and Lake Velence, which offer truly beautiful views.

If we want to cycle up to the leveling benchmark, upon entering the village, turn left at the first street at the bus stop onto Rákóczi Street (signs help). Meanwhile, let's unravel what this strange name means: the altitude was determined relative to this baseline in our country until the end of World War II. The exact site is on one of the least geologically active granite rocks in our country. The obelisk set up in 1888 has a flatly polished marble plaque embedded in its base. Interestingly, although called a fixed point, it has risen more than 3 centimeters relative to the Adriatic zero point in the last few decades.

The area reveals two more curiosities. Mihály Vörösmarty was baptized in Nadap Catholic Church in December 1800. On the 352 m high Meleg Hill west of the settlement we can encounter a rarely settled tree species, the Hungarian oak.

The terrain and the mill

Following the blue marked cycling path, after reaching the end of the good quality asphalt, we turn left onto a worn, damaged road for a few hundred meters, then turn right onto rough terrain. We cycle on a two-track dirt road among trees and soon arrive at a dilapidated, abandoned resting place at Téglaházi spring. Turning right we climb on porous soil to the edge of Pázmánd. Upon reaching the main road crossing the village, we turn right again and essentially cycle through the settlement. Near the far end, just before the Hegyalja Restaurant, we turn right onto Kossuth Lajos Street, then leave Pázmánd on cracked asphalt.

With a few hundred meters detour, we find a newly revived mill if we turn left from the village's main street after the next bus stop onto Mill Street, which continues in a dirt road to the building. The local mill ground grain on the banks of the Bágyom Creek until the 1950s. After nationalization, the now ownerless building disappeared from the map due to decay. The new mill was established thanks to János Hegyi and his family, who nostalgically remembered childhood memories and carefully researched the original site, plans, and technical description. During landscaping, the creek bed was excavated, a sluice was built, and finally, the machinery house was completed: thus, the former water mill was revived in its old glory.

New vineyards, new castles

A few hundred meters later, we turn left along weekend houses, press houses, and cellars; vineyards surround us on all sides. The road now contains only traces of asphalt, alternating with potholes and compacted gravel. With a right-left turn combination, we switch to another parallel vineyard road, which takes us to the M7 Kápolnásnyék exit. From here, we cycle onto road 8117 towards Kápolnásnyék.

This settlement also holds numerous sights. One of the most beautiful is the Halász Castle, built in the 19th century in a classicist style, which gained its current form with neobaroque modifications at the turn of the next century. The building, state-owned at the end of WWII, was given to the Producer Cooperative as office space and stood empty and neglected for a long time. In 2014, it was saved from ruin and its beautiful park was restored. Today it is a protected monument hosting exhibitions.

Kápolnásnyék is closely connected to the name of Mihály Vörösmarty, whose memorial museum is located on the edge of the settlement in the former admin building of the Nádasdy Counts. The poet's birthplace no longer stands, but a memorial pole marks its location. On the 200th anniversary of the poet's birth, a statue was erected in his honor in Vörösmarty Park.

Back in Velence

At the Kápolnásnyék roundabout we continue straight ahead, then turn right at the first opportunity. From here, there is a bike lane and a bike path assisting our travel. The street leads into the southern end of the Corso - a familiar place by now. Turning right, we can taste the locally famous lángos and enjoy an ice cream by the shore before turning left back to the railway station.