Panorama cycle path in the Balaton-felvidék

Itinerary

• From the Balatonakali-Dörgicse railway station, reach Route 71 along Petőfi Sándor Street, then cross to the other side to join the Balaton bike path towards Zánka (left).
• At the first opportunity, turn right and take the dirt road on the right side heading north.
• On the cart path running through the bushes, first head northwest, then north until you reach a fork at the edge of a large field; turn left here, heading northwest.
• The cart road turns into a rarely used path by a pasture, but you can continue along it (or choose the other road running along the tree line).
• At an X junction, you need to turn sharply back, then follow the wide cart road up to the border of Dörgicse, where at village level, continue right at the intersection of dirt roads (on the Mária út hiking trail).
• Upon entering the village, the ride continues on Aszó Street, then turn left at the last houses; the dirt road at the village edge leads to the Upper Dörgicse church ruins.
• On the Fő Street, descend before the church, then at the junction towards Nagyvázsony turn right onto Csicsói Street. Leaving the last houses of the village, turn left onto a dirt road, then at a junction at the edge of a field turn right. From here, follow the K hiking sign to the foot of Halom Hill, where at a field road, turn sharply right again. The field road circles Halom Hill from the south, with the K∆ sign leading up to its top.
• From here, you can roll onto Mencshely on the cart road marked with the P trail sign.
• Crossing Mencshely, continue following the P sign (Balatoni Street-Fő Street), then before a bend on the paved road towards Akali, leave it for a dirt road; continue following this sign for about one kilometer, then turn left. This road leads among vineyards to Szentjakabfa; ride through the village, then before the last houses at a pine row, turn right and follow the dirt road straight to Balatoncsicsó.
• In Csicsó, ride along Liliom Street, then Fő Street to its end, and at the T junction turn right – leave this road by turning left by the cemetery (Z trail), from here a straight cart road crosses the field to Szentantalfa.
• Arriving at Szentantalfa, turn right at the first opportunity, then again right before the cemetery onto a dirt road, which upon entering the forest strip turns left. Climbing upwards you reach a field where you also have to keep left (and up) at the fork – this road leads over a ridge to Monoszló.
• The ride leads into Monoszló via Hegyi Street; upon reaching Fő Street, turn left. Leaving the village, roll about 2 kilometers to the road leading to Hegyestű – here turn left and prepare for a short but hearty climb. At a sharp right-hand bend on the asphalt road, continue straight following the S trail sign, leading down through field roads on the side of Hegyestű. (If you want to go up Hegyestű, follow the asphalt road all the way, then return to the mentioned bend.)
• In the vineyards, the S+ sign leads all the way, then before reaching the asphalt road, turn left. At the border of Tagyon, the dirt road meets the K sign; from here to Szentantalfa, follow the signs along the field road, then through the village (Kút Street-Fő Street), continuing to follow the K sign, which leads out of the settlement and then turns right onto a paved road leading to Szent Balázs Hill. Follow the asphalt road (which separates from the K sign with a right angle turn), then turn left at the Y junction at the crossroad – this road leads to the ruins of Saint Balázs Church.
• From the church ruins, return along the same road you arrived on, then turn left at the first opportunity, and left again at the next fork. Follow this field road through the vineyards at the foot of the hill until, at a fork, the P+ sign joins from the right. You passed here at the start of the ride; from here to Balatonakali, complete the route back along the way you came.

Detailed description of the ride

The Panorama cycling loop (which is actually four to five routes in the Nivegy Valley and the Dörgicse Basin area) cleverly tries to hide from the untrained eye, but a few telling signs (for example, a faded information board in Balatonakali, a couple of direction signs) testify to its existence. Besides short textual descriptions and barely visible elevation profiles, the map illustration holds up well on the information board, so by linking longer and shorter routes into a larger circle, the area can be thoroughly explored, mostly away from paved roads.

In Balatonkali, it’s worth starting the circle from the railway station or perhaps from the supermarket parking lot next to Route 71 – in the former case, the two churches standing side by side in the village and the small lavender field nearby can be admired immediately. Reaching Route 71, the cross made from Permian red sandstone characteristic of Balaton-felvidék draws attention to the site of the village’s old cemetery, accompanied by a group of old tombstones. From here, turn onto the bike path towards Zánka, but soon leave the asphalt behind by taking the first wider dirt road to the right. Prepare for the fact that although the whole route might have originally been marked, today signs appear only sporadically, so a paper map or a suitable app is highly recommended for the ride, especially for the next few kilometers.

One village, three ruins

North of Akali, the wide dirt road leads sometimes through bushes, sometimes across larger meadows, and at one point along a little-used path through a young grove until reaching the southern foot of Balázs Hill. From there, a nearly straight road leads to Dörgicse, with a splendid view of the village and the Dörgicse Basin. The settlement that gave its name to the geographical unit boasts three church ruins (since today’s Dörgicse was once three separate villages, Alsódörgicse was formerly called Füreddörgicse or Boldogasszonydörgicse), of which two can be relatively easily included in the tour route. The Alsódörgicse ruins are the largest and perhaps the most spectacular, and maybe also located in the most beautiful place, offering a magnificent view of the Balaton and even allowing roasting bacon on one of the fire pits. The Boldogasszony Church was likely built in the 13th century, its 20-22 meter high tower was probably covered with a tent roof once, and the faithful likely used it until the 18th century. The large size of the walls is still impressive today; moreover, two original and one reconstructed Romanesque twin windows also decorate the remaining parts of the tower. From the ruins of the church walls, it is evident at first glance that a larger complex once stood on the side of Gernye Hill. Throughout the 14th century, the repeatedly rebuilt church was surrounded by a fence wall, a sacristy was built beside it, and later an L-shaped building was erected on the church’s southern side.

After the largest ruin, next is the oldest ruin in Dörgicse, which actually hides not one but two buildings. The church of the former village called Szentpéterdörgicse was probably built at the end of the 11th century by the Bogát-Radvány clan. The northeast part is the oldest part of the ruin, incorporating stones from Roman times in its construction. Later, the church was extended westward with an annex, and from the south, another church was practically attached. Thanks to this, a twin church was created with two naves and two sanctuaries. In summer, a pleasant floral scent drifts from the nearby Lavender Estate towards the ruins, creating a more unique experience in favorable wind conditions.

We leave Dörgicse on the road towards Mencshely but soon branch off at the first opportunity onto a field road at the village boundary, so as not to spend unnecessarily long stretches on asphalt. After a slight twist, we reach the side of Halom Hill, which we circle from the south past atmospheric press houses, and then from the top of the hill, we can view the landscape below from the Kossuth viewpoint. On the educational trail running along the hillside, we learn about the geological history of the elevation, confronting the fact that we are on the site of an extinct volcano. Besides the usual information boards, clever installations showcase the operation of volcanoes as models.

There is a straight dirt road to Mencshely from the northern foot of the hill – in good weather, it’s worth having a refreshment on the terrace of the local café, which has a unique atmosphere and also allows you to watch the village’s passing traffic.

From Mencshely, head towards the northern part of the Nivegy Valley. Except for Óbudavár, the valley’s Panorama loop touches all the settlements in the valley in order: Szentjakabfa, Balatoncsicsó, Tagyon, and Szentantalfa. According to legend, the villages’ names can be traced back to the time of the conquest: a warrior named Buda settled here, who took his sons to the top of Halom Hill, from where they had to shoot an arrow: wherever it landed, that was where they could establish their estates. Thus, István founded Csicsa (Balatoncsicsó), Jakab founded Szentjakabfa, and Antal founded Szentantalfa. The Nivegy Valley’s main attraction is that despite the proximity of the Balaton, peaceful small settlements nestle next to each other, thanks to favorable conditions excellent wines can be tasted (viticulture culture may have developed in Roman times), and almost every village has at least one painter, potter, ceramicist, or woodcarver whose workshop is worth visiting.

Almost crossing Szentjakabfa, you find yourself soon at the nearby border of Balatoncsicsó. In Csicsó, you basically travel on a downhill road to the village center, passing by the church, which has an interesting story: local tradition holds that the Reformed church of Szentantalfa did not have a tower for a long time so as not to be taller than the Catholic church in Csicsó. A well-paved road leads from the village through to Monoszló; however, on this ride, as much as possible, avoid paved surfaces, turning towards Szentantalfa at the border of Balatoncsicsó. (It’s worth making a short 300-meter detour from the junction towards Monoszló to visit the ruins of Ároktő Church, which may have belonged to the former village of Szentbereck until it was destroyed by the Turks in the mid-16th century.)

Riding towards Szentantalfa, a panorama of the Balaton and views of the villages of the Nivegy Valley unfold before us. No matter how tempting the water surface seems – especially in summer – upon reaching the first houses of the village, turn right to climb a sweaty hilltop with a panorama opening to the Káli Basin. A pleasant descent leads into Monoszló, passing a lavender estate. In June and July, you can cycle alongside purple fields, and by entering the estate, you can get acquainted with products made from lavender: both French and English lavender can be harvested, the former being more suitable for perfumes or soap production due to its fragrance, while the latter is used for medicinal purposes and stress relief.

At the edge of the village rises Hegyestű, which is worth cycling up – though a tough climb. At the geological exhibition site created in an abandoned basalt mine nearby, marvel at the basalt columns formed during cooling inside the ancient volcano crater active about 8 million years ago, and climbing to the 337-meter-high peak, enjoy breathtaking panoramic views. Among others, you can see the other basalt peaks surrounding the Káli Basin, Tóti Hill, and Gulács in the distance, alongside the well-known landmark hills (Badacsony, Szent György Hill, Csobánc). From Hegyestű, descend along a field road to gentler areas, continuing amid hillside vineyards, press houses, and wine cellars. At about two dozen locations along the Zánka-Nivegy Valley wine route (cellars, restaurants, inns), you can taste local wines. The valley is the largest contiguous wine area of the Balatonfüred-Csopak wine region, characterized mainly by grape varieties such as Olaszrizling, Rhine Riesling, Chardonnay, Szürkebarát, Sauvignon Blanc, Zweigelt, Merlot, and Pinot Noir.

The case of Saint Balázs and the Austrian philosopher

We barely touch Tagyon while cycling gently uphill towards Szentantalfa. The village’s main road almost always has an open shop, so you can stock up for the final section if your backpack lacks enough provisions. The last elevation gain has to be overcome at the border of Szentantalfa to reach the Saint Balázs church ruins. The Árpád-era church ruins almost invisibly hide above Szentantalfa among the vineyards on the eastern slopes of the Nivegy Valley. Stepping out of the west-facing gate of the church on summer days offers a unique view of the valley, the western basin of Balaton, Hegyestű, and even the Badacsony appearing in the distance. The church was built in the 12th-13th century, replacing an earlier wooden church standing here. The Romanesque style building was expanded a century later in a Gothic style, with a richly decorated, lance-shaped, pointed portal remaining from this time. Besides the portal, the church tower is almost entirely preserved, and the varying height of the walls clearly shows the original layout. Saint Balázs’s day is still celebrated as the hill’s festival, with an open-air mass held here every February. An interesting story is attached to the ruins: an Austrian occultist philosopher named Jörg Lanz von Liebenfels bought the place and lived as a knight in the church tower. According to local folklore, as World War II approached, he was suspected of being a British spy and chased away (though, as he sympathized with Nazi ideas, it is unlikely he worked for the British intelligence) – in any case, the place’s atmosphere made it understandable that he established his summer residence here.

Leaving the Saint Balázs church ruins behind, there is almost nothing left but to roll down to the Balaton shore, cycling the familiar paths for the last kilometers. Summer can bring a well-deserved splash at the Balatonakali beach after the ride.

The Panorama cycling loop is a good choice any day of the year: indeed, splendid views open at several points towards Balaton, the Nivegy Valley, or the Káli Basin, showing a new face of the surroundings after nearly every turn. And the icing on the cake is that all this is offered by an easy mountain bike ride, with almost no asphalt encountered along the way.