The path of "silence" – stopovers for the soul from Keszthely to Hévíz

1. Route details

This 52 km long tour leads through the lines of Keszthely Hills. Due to the terrain (level differences) and the length of the tour it is a performance tour. The tour contains a strong uphill before Büdöskút (see point 2).

The tour can be completed in two directions. The recommended route to complete the tour follows Keszthely, Vállus, Várvölgy, Zalaszántó, Vindornyalak, Vindornyaszőlős, Karmacs, Hévíz and Keszthely. To complete it follow bike sign green D, A and B. The starting point of the tour is the shore of Lake Balaton in Keszthely. From here we ride on the northern Balaton Bike Route to Gyenesdiás junction where the green D sign starts. From the bike rest area ‘Hármaselágazó’ follow the green A sign and from Vindornyaszőlős the green B. Road numbers on the tour: 10 (Balaton Bike Route), 132 (Pilikán – Hármaselágazó), 133 (Hármaselgazó – Várvölgy), 23 (Várvölgy – Vindornyaszőlős), 13 (Vindornyaszőlős – Keszthely).

The tour partially leads through built-up area and mainly on asphalt roads (low-traffic and signed bike roads) while some parts are gravel roads. Along the route there are several bike shelters and rest places (Pilikán, Hármaselgazó, Lázi-hegy, Jágerházak, Zsidi, Karmacs, Angolnás, Vadaskert, Pipáskert) and other places to stop and rest (Vindornyalaki Hertelendy-kúria, Vindonya-láp).

In the inhabited areas of the tour there are dining, food and other shopping facilities but water points and rest rooms are limited.

2. Difficulty factors in the tour

The route runs through the rolling hills of Keszthely Hills thus it contains smaller and larger slopes. The dashed lines on the maps indicate dirt and gravel roads that are difficult to cross after rain (Büdöskút road, hillside of Vindornyalak and between Karmacs and Hévíz). The asphalt-gravel forest section (Büdöskúti road) there may be smaller and larger potholes. After the Pilikáni rest place there is a 1.5 km long dirt road section. At the end of this we enter the forest where gravel roads are typical. A slow but steady uphill road begins here. As it is interrupted by smaller downhill and straight sections and because there are resting places after the harder parts, it may not be an impossible mission to reach the top of the hill. There is a 2.5 km long challenging section before the ‘Nagy Messzelátó-hegy’.

3. Highlights of the tour

Sometimes you get an experience for life if you can find your inner peace for a while. This way the senses become more susceptible and you can hear, see and feel everything that cannot be experienced in the hectic everyday life. As you get on your bike and ride this round tour full of climbs, descents, forests and cities, you can feel the silence in several places during the round. Let the silence be your companion, which simultaneously awakens memories and inspiration while bringing peace and harmony. During the ride there are many places of interest that let us experience this silence: the peacefulness of the Victorian garden of the Keszthely Castle Park, the Stupa of Peace in Zalaszántó, and between them the tranquillity of the forest, the untouched swampland, the peace of the churches and the peaceful atmosphere of the Belle Époque in Hévíz.