Monday 29th August Nagyvazsony to Bakonybel

Today was a long one, started walking about 7.40 and didn't finish until 6.40 in the evening, hardly stopped so at least 10 and half hours walking. Supposed to be 45 kilometres but felt longer and with a final 4 kilometre bash along the tarmac my feet were humming by the time I finished.

The weather is now perfect for walking, warm rather than hot, and the air has lost it's humidity and the views are better.

Left Nagyvazsony via the castle and after a walk for about a kilometre along the road turned into green lane walk up to Kabhegy,a little summit festooned with communication towers and which, at 500 metres provided views back to Lake Balaton. Nice trail, a mix of open countryside and woodland.

Leaving Nagyvazsony 

One the way to Urkut, and after having to walk through a prolonged stretch of nettles, I just missed the trail and was soon put right by a couple of Hungarian walkers. We dropped in at the cafe in Urkut and got a drink. They were catching a train in Varoslokislod, 8 kilometres away, and had to get there in 90 minutes, so they didn't hang about.



Another nice stretch of walking to Varoslokislod, the same mix of woodland and meadow, and I guess I was there at about 2. Too be honest there was not much to the town/village, which stretched along either side of the railway line, but it seemed to take ages to get through it. Once you had got past it, gone underneath the motorway, you then had to walk along the side the road for a couple of kilometres until the road had crossed the railway line and the route took you cross country again.

After a initial walk through a meadow the route dived into the beech forest and stayed there almost until the end of the day. No big views but nice walking particularly as the light changed as the afternoon drew on. At one point the trail was wide and flat and your clearly walking along a old railway embankment.



The last village before the final push to Bakonybel was the little village of Netmetbanya village, which I read somewhere used to be a German settlement and still has something called the German house.

After a couple of kilometres through the trees it was onto the tarmac road heading downhill. Staying at another hotel recommended by a Hungarian commentator to the blog, the Vadszolo, and it has turned out really well, great food.

The only problem I have at the moment is my walking shoes. I'm on my fourth pair and based on the track record of the other three they should last me with a week to spare. They are however falling apart. The tops are a mess of holes, the fabric weakened I think by the constant soaking it got in the Alps, and the sole has worn through on the right foot. Seven more days to go and I really don't want to change foot ware at such a late stage. Fingers crossed.

Sunday 28th Szentbekkalla to Nagyvazsony

It happens so often that it has now become a general principle. The weather improves the day after you really need good weather. So today the weather was perfect, not too hot and a strong overnight wind had blown all the humidity away. Really needed today's clear weather yesterday when I was climbing up vantage points and had the big views. Today's walk to Nagyvazsony was nice but much shorter than yesterday and not as dramatic.

Leaving Szentbekkalla at about 9.30 the wind was still blowing and it was actually cool. Immediately to the north of the village the signs said go left and my GPS trail said go right. Going right involved passing a man in a tower shooting at things so I turned off the GPS and went left.

Climbing up the hill went past a remote house with a naked couple in the garden and washing themselves with a water pipe. Crept quietly past as anything else felt like an intrusion.

On top of the hill was a wooden watchtower, three or four flights of stairs high and with views above the trees. Great views of Lake Balaton in between the hills to the south and in the picture below the central hill (can't work out what it's called from the map) is the hill I climbed just after midday yesterday.

Views back to Balaton

By now the sun had come out again but it's not hot nearly as it has been. Stopped in a bar in Balatonhenye for a drink of lemonade and walked on through a mix of open countryside and forest towards Nagyvazsony. The agriculture seems less intensive in this part of Hungary than it was last week, not so many huge fields designed for huge machines. The forest walks were very similar - really pleasant.

Dense canopy

So got to Nagyvazsony at about 2.30 after 21 very easy kilometres. Given the perfect weather conditions was tempted to carry on but I'm running out of map and couldn't find a petrol station to buy the next one. The most likely reason I put a short day in the schedule is that I couldn't find anywhere to stay at in a reasonable distance further along the trail. As it is I have a 44 kilometre walk tomorrow.

Nagyvazsony is actually a very pleasant village. It has a 15th century castle and a museum charting the development of the post office. Good opportunity to rest up before the start of last full week of walking.

Kinizci Castle

There is particularly distinct sign for the E4 which has started to crop up, have only seen it in Hungary. It's a sort of cross between the television series "Madmen" and the film "Sound of Music" - is that at "A line" dress?.

Saturday 27th August Tapolca to Szentbekkalla

Today was definitely the best walk I have had so far in Hungary. The landscape has opened up, walked through a series of interesting places and it was just a bit cooler than it has been for the last few days. Best of all I had some company.

Met a group of four Hungarian guys, who had also been staying in Topolca, a couple of kilometres south of the town. Really nice guys who were doing the Blue Route a few days at a time. A bit younger but very similar (a lot fitter actually) to a group of men I go walking with every year back in the UK. Great to exchange notes and talk about walking, Hungary and other things. They kindly took me wine tasting and up the castle at Szigliget and we walked together until early afternoon.



(one missing in the picture as he was taking it)

Actually today was a tougher walk than I had expected. 37 kilometres, leaving Topolca at 7.30, meant that I should have arrived at Szentbekkal at about 4.30 - it was nearer 6. There was a lot more climbing than I have had in Hungary so far. Essentially the route takes you south towards Lake Balaton up and down two volcanic "plugs" and then, north again, up and down another three (although to be honest you didn't go to the top of the last two). The first one heading north was particularly tough, climbing at a hot time of the day, and up steps.

The volcanic plugs give the landscape its distinctive shape. Taken as a whole it looks Italian, like Tuscany or Umbria and, as I understand it, this comparison is often made. It's not just the shape of the mountains, but the colour and light, and way the villages stand out against a green background.

The volcanic plugs also have there own individual characters. The first one, near Kisapati, has spectacular basalt columns like giant organ tubes; the second one the castle sitting at the top; the third and tough one to climb, brilliant views down to Lake Balaton; the fourth one the best shape, the perfect conical volcano; and the fifth one, another hill top castle. Was told that the two castles, along with the third at Sumeg, all form part of a middle age defensive line along the then border.

Given the quality of the scenery, the slight disappointment was the humidity in the air which meant that visibility was poor. (The landscape pictures I took I'm afraid were terrible and I haven't included them). It was changing a little towards early evening and for the last few kilometres the day had gone from stifling summer to mellow autumn. It's now changed again and there is a wind storm - feels wonderful after the last few days.

Of course I always wish that Christine (my wife) was here but this is definitely her kind of walking. A couple of weeks time I guess would be perfect but already your confronted with an array of amazing local produce, at the moment apples and pears, a real garden of Eden. And then of course, on top of that, is the local wine. Christine would be grabbing everything as she went along. Even had some local spring water to refill my bottle with.







To ice the cake I'm staying in a wonderful gasthof in Szentbetkalla. I had found one on the Internet and had asked Zoltan, a helpful Hungarian who responded to my plea for assistance, to book it for me. It was full. He found another one but I think found their telephone manner a bit strange and was not sure how good it would be. Well it turned out to be excellent - the little restaurant was packed, always a good sign, and I had the best meal I've had in ages. It's called the Ester Panzio. Really getting a taste for all the different lake fish you get in central Europe, fish we don't see in the UK.

So a top, top day.

Friday 26th of August Keszthely to Tapolca

Got a phone call from a charming Hungarian woman this morning with words of encouragement and advice. Lovely surprise and she also spoke excellent English (better than me although as others have pointed out I've lacked practice recently). Amongst other things she told me that the weather at the moment is exceptional and breaking records.

Hang on! So I spend two months walking through the Alps enduring one of the wettest summers anyone can remember and now I'm in Hungary enduring one of the hottest summers anyone can remember. What I'd like to remember please is some average, some normal!

Anyway today's walk definitely had three parts to it (all hot). A short but roadside escape from Keszthely; a long middle section mainly through forest but some open countryside at its end; then a really long roadside walk into Tapolca.

I suspect that the amount of roadside walking you do tends to be a product of how densely populated the countryside is and this, to an extent, is a product of how high you are. I remember when I was walking through Andalucia complaining about the road side walking (one infamous day involved 36 kilometres) and being warned that this common "in Europe" and to expect lots. As it turned out I hardly got any as most the E4 is through mountains. I'm getting a bit more now because it's lower and I think this is a busy part of Hungary. It's more of a pain than it would normally be because of the heat but the bus service looks excellent so I could always chop bits off if I was suffering.

The first 3 kilometres involved a walk out to the out to town shops - huge Tesco. Got my lunch there - slice of pizza and fruit, no chocolate, too hot - and bought a map, as advised by a Hungarian commentator, at the petrol station. Felt odd going into a petrol station as a walker. Then had to walk down a few hundred metres of seriously busy road where the gust of a lorry whipped my hat off - managed to retrieve it but not very dignified.

Busy road on the way out of Keszthely

At least I had nearly escaped Keszthely and after a walk through a suburb I was in forest. Final non forest bit actually was a trip alongside a rifle range where live firing was taking place. The side of the route was marked with red flags and if I had had a white flag I would have been waving it.

This stretch of walk is through what is described on the map as the Keszthelyi Mountains and which are about 300 metres high, just high enough to create a welcome breeze at the top. No real long views at this stage - all forest, initially oak, some old pine and then beech.

Huge pine trees

Breaking out from the trees was confronted with an enormous field of sunflowers all with heads bowed in the sun.

Sun flowers bowing their heads in the sun

The first village was Vallus. There seems to be pump near every village church, not sure if you can drink the water but it's a great way to cool off. In Vallus I was tempted to take my shoes of and soak my feet but in the middle of a village I thought it might be seen as a bit rude. Was disappointed in the dogs who were very half hearted in their barking, wanted to add to my "barking dogs of Europe" series of pictures, but as soon as I lifted my camera they turned shy.

Just past Vallus I got my first view of yesterday's Buddist Pagoda at Zalaszanto, must have walked 25 kilometres since then but such is the meandering nature of the route that it was now only about six kilometres to the north-west. The village of Rezi, past yesterday afternoon was probably 3 kilometres to the west. Got three kilometres closer to Budapest in 24 hours!

The route did start to head east after that and above Varvolgy I was able to get some of the longest views I've had so far in Hungary. In particular I saw Lake Balaton for the first time to the south and little mountains to the east which I think are ancient extinct volcanoes (the castle at Sumeg, yesterday's start point sits on one of these). With all the humidity in the air however the views were very misty.

Lake Balaton hazy in the distance

After ice-cream and cold drink at Lesenceistvand the final test was a walk along a hot and fairly busy road to Topolca. Not pleasant, the only good thing about it was that the ground was covered quickly.

Trusty Friend

Staying at a central hotel, the Hotel Gabriella, which has air conditioning. Brilliant. Got there at about 4.

It is great to be getting interest from readers in Hungary. The hits on the site have not been as high since I first started. Can I thank everyone who responded to my plea for advice on accommodation. Incredibly comprehensive. Have also had some direct help on arranging bookings. The most important thing is that I now know where I need to worry and where I don't.

Thursday 25th August Sumeg to Keszthely

Getting so close to the end of the walk is making things harder. When it was months or weeks away it didn't seem worth thinking about the end but now it's so close it's all I can think about. Everyday feels like an obstacle to be overcome and set backs are like slipping back down a mountain.

Given my navigational track record loosing the trail just south of Sumeg this morning should have been a minor issue but I got pretty close to chucking my rucksack on the floor and just giving up. Had left Sumeg really early (plenty of food but no coffee), and followed the signs out of town. After about 2 kilometres the track left the road and went into some scrubby countryside. The trail on my GPS split from the markings on the ground and then the markings on the ground disappeared. Followed various trails, but no signs, just heaps of dumped televisions and other rubbish, and yes a fox. Stared at each other for a few seconds but he wasn't going to tell me the way.

Went back to the main road and its thundering lorries and followed the road hoping that I would come across the trail later. The gap between the route on my GPS and my current position just got wider and after a couple of kilometres I gave up on the road and went cross country through the forest. It wasn't too bad, the huge beech trees have such a dense canopy that there is nothing growing underneath and it's easy to cut a straight line. Pine forests are impenetrable by comparison.



After about a kilometre, and right in the forest, I had to cross a railway line. If it hadn't been so sunny it would have been the perfect location for Strelnikov's train from Dr Zhivago.

After another kilometre I was back on the trail but still resentful that I had got up so early and then lost time. I was in trees, in the shade, but it still felt very hot. For company little flies were buzzing around my head and if you ignored them they attempted to find a spot for themselves in your eye.

Very similar trail to the last few days but instead of level it was now undulating, even hilly.



Got directed to a Buddist's temple, an option I declined, and eventually left the trees and came out of the forest at about 12 at the village of Zalaszanto. It was stunningly hot and I worked out that I had been walking for nearly six hours and was still barely half way.

Went to the village shop and bought two magnums (they are smaller here than in the UK - mini magnums!) and a bottle of Sprite. Sat in the shade near a bus stop and fought with the "why don't you get on the bus" devil and won (only just) and was rewarded by a three kilometre walk along the side of the road with more thundering lorries.

After that it actually got easier and by 3.45 I was going through the resort town of Neviz and only 4 kilometres from Keszthely. Had done a lot of walking on roads already and although the final run into Keszthely was on a cycle track, it was a hard surface and by the time I finished at about 4.45 my feet felt like they had melted.



Tomorrow at least is shorter again, 27 kilometres rather than today's 43. It is however the start of some really serious meanders as I head inland away from Lake Balaton (haven't seen it yet) before coming back to the Lake the next day. I may go nuts before I get to Budapest.

Wednesday August 24th Hosszuperreszteg to Sumeg

Another absolutely scorching day. I think it's hot even by Hungarian standards, there is some talk that it might get cooler but not until next week! It's right up there in the high 90s - never walked such long days in such heat.

Despite the sun today's walk went OK. The hotel I was staying in was about 2 kilometres of the trail so I think the whole walk was about 37 kilometres. Started walking about 7.45 and finished at about 4.30 which seems about right for the distance and better than yesterday. Heat rash has gone so nothing trip threatening at the moment.

Getting some great comments from Hungarian readers of the blog. One of them had worked out where I was last night and was able to tell me follow the blue box signs back to the trail. Hadn't noticed these before but they worked a treat. Also pointed me to the Hungarian Tourist Website where, if I had known, I could have downloaded a map base with the route for free. Trouble was, when I was doing my research last year, I got such excellent information on the route, compared to what you get in other countries, that didn't think to look a bit harder. You Hungarians don't know how lucky you are getting access to such maps - in the UK the equivalent costs a small fortune.

Once I was back on the trail the first milestone were the Lake of Szejk, 5 kilometres from Hosszuperreszteg. Not sure how the lakes have come about but there a long narrow feature right in the middle of the forest. There a big campsite at one end with a Gasthof so I guess I could have stayed there.

Lake at Szajk

There was a sign at the campsite, near the footpath, which said Sumeg 30 kilometres, and from that point I was in the forest for about 4 and a half hours. I have already mentioned how weird it is just following a trail, no map, like being in a maze with signs but with no real idea when the maze is going to end. For all those hours the only non forest features was an occasional bit of road walking and the crossing, via a road bridge, of a railway line. Given the sun, walking in the shade was actually good news and at least the trees are oak, ash and beech rather than endless pine or "German trees" as the French call them.



One tree had on it a stamping point for those walkers wanting to authenticate their Blue Walk trip.

Blue Route Stamping Point

At about 2.30 the forest spat me out onto a road and in the distance I got my first encouraging sight of the castle which sits above Sumeg. I was now in the sun and within minutes was missing the trees. The route seemed to meander its way towards Sumeg but on the final approach it went with the road straight into town. Hungarian drivers don't take prisoners, they drive fast, and that bit of walk was not pleasant.

Approaching Sumeg

The only accommodation I had been able to find on the Internet was a big and fairly expensive spa hotel. Decided to take pot luck and see what else I could find and this time it worked. A nice family hotel right in the middle of town. They speak English and have agreed to make me a packed breakfast - going to make a six o'clock start in the morning to try and beat as much of the heat as possible.

The only downside of the hotel is that it doesn't seem to have wifi so I can't publish my blog. One the Hungarian commentators suggested that I list the places I intend to stay at and tap into some local knowledge. Starting on Friday my schedule is as follows:

Friday 26th. Tapolca
Saturday 27th. Szentbakkalla
Sunday 28th Nagvvazsony
Monday 29th Bakonbel
Tuesday 30th Zirc
Wednesday 31st Fehervarcsurgo
Thursday 1st Kohanyaspuzta
Friday 2nd. Koldusszalles
Saturday 3rd Mogyorosbanya
Sunday 4th Piliscev
Monday 5th. Budapest
Tuesday 6th. London

Would be really grateful for help on all of the above, although you don't need to worry about Budapest and London!

I particularly struggled with Koldusszalles and expect to have to stay in Tatabanya, and Mogyorosbanya. Must admit not knowing Hungary I was a bit surprised that accommodation seemed to get harder as you get nearer Budapest.

Would be incredibly grateful for any help. If you have a suggestion, than please either leave a comment or send me an email - the email address is amithefirst@gmail.com. For comments I'm dependent on wifi access, which I suspect will get more difficult next week, so email might be better. Alternatively you can send me a text on 0771 757 2645, that's a UK number.

Tuesday 23rd August Sarvar to Hosszupereszteg

Have now sampled all six of the western E4 countries footpath marking systems and can now declare the preliminary results. These might change if I get lost between here and Budapest but the positions, after today's town centre test, are now well defined.

Hungary is running a strong second.

Austria is third - let down by poor marking in the less popular eastern part of the country.

France is running fourth - the world famous white and red signs on the ground change too much to beat the Hungarian white and blue markings although the judges recommend that the Hungarians consider the same cross symbol to indicate a "don't go that way" instruction.

Spain is running fifth with some excellent practice let down by regional variation.

Germany is the surprise back marker with Maxmillianweg marking described as "at best poor and at worse misleading" .

The benchmark for waymarking has been set by the Swiss who have implemented an awesome system which combines the on the ground marking of the Hungarian system with information on timing and destination. It tells you where you are going and how long it might take.

Only the Swiss and the Hungarian systems past the ultimate test of taking you from a town centre, where there are lots of choices, out into the country where there are less.

Applied the test on the journey out of Sarvar today. The signs took me round the castle, through some back streets and across a park full of lovely lakes. Almost got thrown where the route had been changed for a watersports park but soon found the signs again and then it out of town, past Tescos, across a bridge over the River Rada, and onto a patch of sustained road marking. Entirely led by the signs, no maps no GPS.

Lakes in Sarvar

Another amazingly hot day and too be honest the 35 kilometres seemed to go on forever. Today fortunately was less open with more of the trail again in the trees. Definitely struggling a bit in the sun - getting some quite unpleasant heat rashes in some very delicate places.

Welcome shelter from the heat

Some more unusual road filling systems in the forest. After yesterday's dodgy building refuse, today there was a lorry load of barley spread neatly along the trail and, of course sprouting. Not sure what was going on here, but if it was an experiment in alternative uses for barley it failed.

Sprouting barley on the footpath

Actually the most exposed part of the day came shortly after the barley incident and just after Sitke on the way to Gerce. Here the path was so overgrown that it was impassable, instead you had to walk across a ploughed field and through a field of maize. All I needed was a crop duster and it would have been "North by Northwest".

Overgrown path

Meet a couple of Hungarian walkers just after Gerce and looked enviously at there guide for the Blue Route, contained wonderful large scale maps.

And then a long walk through trees all the way to Kald, including a very walk through trees. Got to Kald about 3.30 and later discovered from a comment on the blog that I could have met up with someone in a bar there. Very sensible Hungarian who was in the shade and out of the sun.

Pressed on to Hosszupereszteg. Really nice walk through arable land with huge fields and crops higher than maize but not maize - beyond me and I was bought up on a farm.

Unknown crop

The gasthof I was looking for in Hosszupereszteg didn't exist. After being told that there was somewhere to stay near the church, a Hungarian woman seemed to suggest that the nearest place was five kilometres further along the road. Given my heat rash I didn't fancy another five kilometres.

Found a bus stop which seemed to suggest a bus at 6.18, but had no real idea where it was going and whether it would result in a hotel. Managed to attract the attention of the man who lived near the bus stop.

Now I have to say that non-verbal communications are a bit different here. Hungarians famously don't look you in the eye and don't smile - sounds very English but the English are extroverts compared to Hungarians. I'm starting to get used to this and as long as you don't take the initial "get lost" signals personally things start to happen.

Anyway after the initial "get lost" signal the man became very helpful, which was fortunate because the bus was turning up. Using hand signals I explained I want a bed in a hotel. He has a long conversation with the bus driver and I think persuaded the bus driver to take me to next village, which was off the bus route, and drop me of not far from a hotel. Really helpful. Shook the man's hand, got on the bus with no idea where I was going. Obviously I'm now in a hotel which is actually at the other side of Hosszupereszteg safe and sound. The bus driver refused to take a fare (no one else on the bus) so this goes on my growing list of "international rescues".

A Good Day!