9-15. Hike
My hikes 9–15 were as follows:
Date | OKT section | Hike | From | To | km |
2025.05.30 | 17 | 9 | Törökmező | Nagymaros | 12,9 |
2025.06.11 | 17 | 10 | Törökmező | Nagy-Hideg-hegy | 17,3 |
2025.06.12 | 17 | 11 | Nagy-Hideg-hegy | Nógrád | 15,7 |
2025.06.16 | 18 | 12 | Nógrád | Szendehely/Katalinpuszta | 15,7 |
2025.06.18 | 18 | 13 | Szendehely/Katalinpuszta | Ősagárd | 14,8 |
2025.07.01 | 19 | 14 | Becske | Cserhátsurány | 16,6 |
2025.07.03 | 18 | 15 | Romhány | Becske | 13,3 |
9. Hike: Törökmező–Nagymaros
I completed this hike on 30 May 2025 in the Börzsöny Mountains, between Törökmező and Nagymaros. I completed the 12.9 km distance in 2 hours and 54 minutes.
Colourful: During the hike, we pass through the so-called “Csapásrétek”, which were created several hundred years ago in the forests of the Börzsöny Mountains so that cattle herds could make their way between Nagymaros and Zebegény without having to take a much longer detour. Oak and wild pear trees were left standing on these elongated meadows, which, on the one hand, provided protection for people and animals from the elements, and on the other hand, allowed them to feed along the way.
As we approached Nagymaros, between kilometres 9 and 10, at the end of a steep climb, we reached the Julianus Lookout Tower. Unfortunately, I did not climb up to the lookout tower because I wanted to catch the train I had planned to take from Nagymaros.
Photos from the hike:
Csapásrétek sign
Kaszanyűg-bükköny
Réti boglárka
Lila ökörfarkkóró
Piros gólyaorr
View of the Visegrád Mountains and the Danube
10. Hike: Törökmező–Nagy-Hideg-hegy
I completed this hike on 11 June 2025 in the Börzsöny Mountains, between Törökmező and Nagy-Hideg-hegy. I completed the 17.3 km distance in 5 hours and 15 minutes. The last five kilometres of this hike are uphill! Looking back, this was one of the most difficult hikes of the entire National Blue Trail. I made my way uphill, stopping from time to time. Whenever I looked up, all I could see was the ascent. I had to tackle a total elevation gain of 800 metres. I covered the 14th kilometre at a speed of 2 km/h. On this section, my average pace was 18 min/km. Both figures are close to the negative peak of my entire National Blue Trail journey.
Colourful: At the same time, I had a wonderful experience towards the end of the hike. A young roe deer came towards me. I stopped and carefully set my phone to video mode. I started recording. Bambi, perhaps that was his name, approached with calm steps, went around me in a small arc, and continued on his way. video
At the end of the hike, Nagy-Hideg-hegy welcomed me with beautiful surroundings and a wonderful panorama. At the tourist lodge, I had a hearty soup and some delicious homemade strudels. I also spent the night here, which was suitable for an overnight stay.
My hike in photos and video:
Kóspallag Calvary
Kisinóc Tourist Lodge
Yellow foxglove
Peach-leaved bellflowe
Red Admiral butterfly
Kakukkfű
Red cranesbill meadow and single plant
Tarka nőszirom
View from Nagy-Hideg-hegy
11. Hike: Nagy-Hideg-hegy – Nógrád
On 12 June 2025, I completed the 15.7 km section in the Börzsöny Mountains, from Nagy-Hideg-hegy to Nógrád, in 4 hours and 13 minutes. I thought this would be an easy hike because I would be heading downhill. Descending from the mountain into the valley is not necessarily easier than climbing uphill, because if the ground is rocky and/or muddy and slippery, you really have to pay attention to every step. Moreover, the beginning of the hike was downhill, but afterwards I had to climb up to Csóványos, the highest peak of the Börzsöny Mountains at 938 metres. From the lookout tower there, I could enjoy a fantastic panoramic view in all directions. The air was fresh at 14 degrees, and the weather was beautiful and sunny. From that point onwards, I was indeed heading downhill.
Colourful: From time to time, I jumped from stone to stone to avoid the rocks, while loudly encouraging myself. Suddenly, while watching the ground, I looked up and saw a hiker who was looking at his map and perhaps also watching my performance. 🙂
I continued on my way with a quick greeting. On the outskirts of Nógrád, I was greeted by a cloud of butterflies, and then I caught sight of Nógrád Castle.
Some photos and a video from the hike:
Csóványos Trail Sign and “Forest Wilderness” Sign
Panorama from the Csóványos Lookout Tower
Panoráma a csóványosi kilátóból
Nagymaros–Nógrád Sign
Cseresnyés Stream
Bársonyos kakukkszegfű
Boglárkalepke
Sakktáblalepke
Nógrád Castle
12. Hike: Nógrád-Szendehely/Katalinpuszta
On 16 June 2025, I continued my National Blue Trail hike in the Cserhát Mountains. I completed the 15.7 km section from Nógrád to Szendehely/Katalinpuszta in 3 hours and 33 minutes. The route of the hike takes me across Nagy Kő-hegy, where the Lokó Rest Area is located, offering a magnificent panorama of the Visegrád Mountains, the High Börzsöny, and the Danube Bend, which I had already traversed. Continuing onwards, I reached the Irma Spring in Magyarkút, and finally arrived in Szendehely.
Photos from the hike:
Bársonyos kakukkszegfű
Margitvirág
Lokó Rest Area
Panoramic views from the Lokó Rest Area, and finally the Irma Spring:
Mogyorós lednek
Keskenybüki Stream
Magyarkút, Irma Spring
13. Hike: Szendehely/Katalinpuszta-Ősagárd
On 18 June 2025, in the Cserhát Mountains, I completed the 14.8 km section from Szendehely/Katalinpuszta to Ősagárd in 3 hours and 50 minutes. During the hike, I climbed the 652-metre-high Naszály, which rewarded me with a wonderful view. From there, I continued wandering among the gentler slopes of the characteristic Cserhát hills towards my destination, Ősagárd. On this hike, I completed a total elevation gain of +571 metres.
Photos from the hike:
Deadwood – a sign asking whether it is the forest’s waste?
On a suspension bridge
Bik-kút sigh
Beech tree with two trunks
Piros madársisak
Naszály Summit
View from Naszály
Csilláros ökörfarkkórók
View from Naszály
Wonderful surroundings:
Ökörfarkkóró
With a Scots pine
Mezei szarkaláb
Mogyorós lednek
14. Hike: Becske-Cserhátsurány
On 1 July 2025, in the Cserhát Mountains, I completed the 16.6 km section from Becske to Szandaváralja to Cserhátsurány in 4 hours and 2 minutes. On the first of July, the weather was already distinctly summery, so the additional piece of fabric attached to the back and sides of my cap served me well, protecting me from the scorching sun in the open, sunny areas. The landscape is characteristically Cserhát: hilly.
Colourful: At the stamping point in Szandaváralja, I met a group of cyclists who warned me that I had accidentally left my towel in the grass. I was grateful for the warning, as the special cap and the towel were essential items on my summer hikes.
Szandaváralja
Mezei szarkaláb
Kamilla
Terény Church
The landscape from Terény to Cserhátsurány
The landscape from Terény to Cserhátsurány
Selyemkóró
15. Hike: Romhány-Becske
Two days after my previous hike, on 3 July 2025, again in summery heat, I completed the shorter 13.3 km Romhány–Becske route in the Cserhát Mountains in three hours. The hiking trail was lined with harvested grain fields and golden wheat fields.
Colourful: Probably at the end of this section, while travelling by bus, I had a memorable conversation with the driver. It started when, instead of showing my ID card, I showed him a photo of it on my phone. He accepted it. I told him that, unfortunately, my wallet had been stolen on the metro in Rome the previous week. He asked me, “Black people?” I said no. He added that, of course, it did not matter anyway; that was not what counted. We agreed on that. He told me that he was half Roma, honest and hardworking, but condemned those who chose the wrong path, regardless of their skin colour. He told me that he had previously been a truck driver and had travelled through many countries in Europe. One story followed another, and I was just speaking when we had already been standing at a stop for a minute or two. As if he were about to continue with another story, he quietly said: “By the way, you need to change buses here.” By then, we were already on first-name terms. I apologised for holding up the bus. As I got off, he asked: “You haven’t left anything behind, have you?” He added: “There’s the stop; you need to go over there.” 🙂
Experiences from Hikes 9–15:
- I used the experience I gained from my previous hikes on Hikes 9–15. This included finding my own rhythm and average pace, which was 15 min/km, or 4 km/h. This includes stops for stamping, taking photos, and other technical breaks, such as refilling and emptying my water supply. My moving pace was 13–14 min/km.
- Accordingly, it was a little easier to plan the logistics/transportation (arriving at the starting point, departing from the endpoint). Of course, I still had a Plan A, B, and sometimes even C.
- I postponed the Ősagárd–Romhány section until later because we were in the Mátra Mountains in the summer, and I was unable to arrange transportation for myself from there, either by bus or by car.
- The sufficiently steep and long-lasting ascent to Nagy-Hideg-hegy in the Börzsöny Mountains was a good test, coming at just the right time on my 10th hike. This experience stayed with me, and on my subsequent hikes, remembering this section, I was able to put things into perspective and draw strength from it on the more difficult climbs.
- During this same hike, I also encountered the young roe deer 😊 It will remain an unforgettable experience 😊