Eger castle and Bear Cave: running around the Kevély Hills

Itinerary

• Starting from the parking, the first 1.5 kilometers of the run follow an unmarked path, so carefully follow the app map and detailed description instructions until reaching the K+ mark.
• We run another 1.5 kilometers on the K+ marked path.
• At the end of the K+ marked section, turn right onto the Z and Maria Road ᵯ marked paths; follow these until the point where they diverge.
• At the fork of the Z and ᵯ marks, turn left and continue on the ᵯ path.
• At the next crossroads, turn right onto the K path.
• Run on the K path until it is crossed by the S marking. Here turn right onto the S marked trail, which approaches the Kevély saddle from above by touching the Bear Cave. Those who want can stay on the K path as well, because it also leads to the Kevély saddle.
• From the saddle, descend on the K, S, Z marked path until only the K mark remains, then turn right down an unmarked single-track path to the climb of Eger castle.
• Passing through the castle gate, run on an unmarked single-track path turning left under the castle to the Camel rock. Immediately after, turn right and return on the K marked path back to the road leading to the parking lot.

Detailed description of the route

Start from the parking lot on the road in front of the Fairy Valley kindergarten. After approx. 150 meters, at the corner of the Kevély Hill Lavender field, the path to Calvary Hill begins to the left, on which we ascend straight to the crosses. This is Vendel Hill, whose summit is beyond the crosses, in a small pine grove, but we bypass the summit from left to right, descending now on a single-track path crossing a small oak forest, reaching a forest road. Turn right here, and after 50 meters arrive at a wide dirt road, on which we continue running left.

On the dirt road, the K+ mark soon joins from the left; from here we follow this sign: comfortable terrain, gently descending, passing through an oak forest. At the bottom turn right to the Z and M (Maria Road) markings.

This atmospheric section of the Z and Maria Road ᵯ marks zigzags as a single-track path in black pine forest on the side of the Solymári valley separating the Buda hills and Pilis. We run past the dolomite block of Jenő Tower, then beside the suspension bridge arching over the valley. After leaving the valley follows a strongly ascending, still single-track, sometimes very steep and rocky section, at the end of which we reach the dirt road below the Kevély Hills.

Here the Z and ᵯ marks separate, and we turn left, running on the ᵯ mark further. At the end of a longer straight section, we arrive at a crossing guarded by a majestic old tree on a hill, where we continue right on the K mark until it is crossed by the S marking. We turn right here and start ascending more steeply on a single-track, rocky and rooty trail to the Little Kevély, popularly known as Bear Cave. Upon reaching the cave, a narrow but beautiful outlook opens between the trees towards Csobánka and Pomáz, with Oszoly between them.

From the cave, following the S mark, we continue on a steep mountainside path until the K mark joins, then soon reach the Kevély saddle, the junction of nearby hiking trails.

From the saddle, we start descending on the K, S, Z marks on a rocky forest road. We run past the Nagy-kevély stone alcove, then first the Z mark turns right; then we leave the straight S mark turning right while staying on the K mark. This is a 500-meter straight section where we turn left at the bottom, then after 50 meters turn right onto an unmarked single-track path and run down to the climb of Eger castle.

We arrive at the castle – which was built as the set for the famous and most popular Hungarian movie, the 1968 "Stars of Eger" – at its upper part. We run through the main gate, then on the unmarked single-track path turning left below, continuing flat to the former quarry where the Camel rock is located, named after its bifurcated dolomite ridge.

At the quarry exit, we turn right onto the K mark. After 500 meters, it crosses the road leading to Calvary Hill, on which we turn left and run down to the lavender field, arriving back at the parking lot.