Alfoldi Kektura: thoughts

Having walked quite a bit of the Alfoldi Kektura from Satoraljaujhely to Szeged it seemed worthwhile to make a few comments.

Firstly, there are not any hills to climb, it really is flat, which may appeal to some but distress others for whom the achievement of reaching the top of a mountain is a reward in itself.

Secondly, there is quite a bit of variation to maintain the interest. There are forests and rivers, fields of crops and grassland, little villages and little towns many with some church or stately home or thermal baths of interest. It passes through areas of National park including the Rehely visitor centre and there are plenty of birds to spot (if you are equipped to identify them). I saw deer, hare and wild pigs and many types of wild flowers. So there are things worth making the walk for. Nevertheless these interesting sights can be thinly spread, it may be tempting to do just the best bits of the walk.

Thirdly, as in any walk, the most memorable bits are not always those spent walking, an unexpected fete, trying some new food like langos, being checked by border police, a MiG jet in a rose garden, or a chat with a friendly, English speaking local.

Much of the Alfoldi Kektura can also be cycled, which may be a better way to appreciate the great plain. I would certainly include the towns of Debrecen and Szeged in your trip although they are not directly on the trail. They make interesting staging points and are a contrast to the small towns and villages you pass through.

The full blog of my walk along the Alfoldi Kektura starts here, and read about my walk from Budapest along the main Kektura here or some general comments on the Budapest to Satoraljaujhely section here.

My trek along the E4 continues in Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Cyprus click on the links to see what I found.

Update: Based on my travels on the E4 I have written a book "Six Pairs of Boots: Spain to Cyprus on the E4 Trail" by John Pucknell available from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, the Bookdepository.com, lehmanns.de, bookspot.nl, and other good online bookstores.

Martely to Szeged on E4: Day 45

Today's achievement was reaching Szeged where I will be spending my last night in Hungary.
I rose at first light and packed. The new sun in the clear skies made the trees look a vivid green and cast sharp and dark shadows. Initially it was cold but soon I had shed my jacket and the sun rose in the sky.
Following the meandering embankment I reached a main road crossing the Tisza. Crossing the bridge I left behind the trail marked with red lines. I had planned to continue south to Szeged on the embankment on the west side of the river, but changed my mind on seeing a cycle track sign marked Szeged 11 kilometres. I had walked quite a few embankments and there were more in Serbia so I thought a change was in order. It would also get me into Szeged a little earlier so I could do a spot of sightseeing.
The cycle route was beside a busy road and a complete contrast to the little villages I had been walking through for the last two weeks. After some countryside, there was an industrial area which included some oil or gas wells and an oil refinery. Then it was blocks of flats and finally it was the older area around the centre, rebuilt after a big flood in the 19th century. I checked into the Novotel having decided to spoil myself before heading out to view the splendid architecture and squares of the city centre. 
I had an expresso first and found that what cost me maybe 110 forints in a village bar cost 330 forints in Szeged off Szechenyi square, however as this is just one pound sterling, you cannot complain too much. For lunch I went to a road off the square recommended by the hotel receptionist, a pedestrianised road there were lots of pavement cafes and restaurants.
The votive church was completed in 1930, a result of a vow taken by survivors of the great flood. Outside the brickwork did not inspire me but inside I thought the paintings that covered the interior looked spectacular. Modern but with an echo of the fresco painters of the Renaissance.
Evening meal was at the Halszcsarda: turkey, sour cream and tarragon soup followed by catfish with paprika sauce. Very enjoyable watching the world go by....

A GPS file of this route can be obtained from wikiloc.com. If you want to follow my continuing rambles along the E4 in Serbia go to johnpone4serbia.blogspot.com

River Tisza in the morning near where I camped

Inside the Votive church Szeged

Tompahat to Martely on E4: Day 44

Today fell into two halves: first a walk beside fields to Mindszent, then a walk along the River Tisza embankment to beyond Martely.
I was kept awake last night by a group arriving in the accommodation late and talking loudly outside my door. I assumed some immature youths, however at 6:30 am they again began their discussions and on going to the bathroom I discovered they were my age (i.e. not so young). As the toilet door could not be locked I found it difficult to concentrate fearing one of them may also want to use the facility.
Again it was an agricultural area I walked through to reach Mindszent. Most of the crops had now been harvested. There were a few areas of grassland on which sheep and cows were grazing, also a goose farm with thousands of white geese, a few patches of trees and two wayside shrines. Much of the morning was on roads, including nine kilometres of straight road into Mindszent.
It was Sunday and I had not stocked up on food, so after a few false tries I found a restaurant in Mindszent serving an extensive range of food. I asked via Google Translate (that handy smart phone App) for their recommendation and received a delicious broth and chicken stuffed with ham and cheese. Google Translate does not always get it right, at the end of the meal the waitress typed something in and the translation said "Do you want the shit?". I understood what she meant (I think) and paid the check she then provided.
On leaving the restaurant it started to rain heavily calling for full waterproofs. On reaching the River Tisza on the edge of town it was time to leave the Kektura with its waymarks of blue lines and for a while follow red lines along the Tisza embankment, heading South. As I walked flashes of lightening were followed by long rumbles of thunder around five seconds later. While you are very unlikely to be hit by lightening it does happen, so I was walking under telegraph lines in the hope that the lightening would reach ground through them rather than me. Then thinking that the lines are actually held on insulators I headed down the embankment so that I was walking under the cover of the trees which lined the river.
As I reached Martely the rain was easing. I walked down to the "strand" area where I understood from the Internet there was a campsite. It was a beautiful, picturesque location by an ox bow lake with patches of green pond weed, trees, some starting to turn yellow, and a few boats, one in the distance with fishermen. However if there was a campsite I could not find it. There were some Panzios but they looked very closed down, they had notices with telephone numbers but I doubt if anyone would understand my attempts at Hungarian if I called them.
I decided to wild camp a few more kilometres down the river. After some abortive attempts I found a nice spot right next to the river, obviously used by fisherman. After erecting the tent I watched the herons languidly come and go and some other type of bird. I kept my waterproofs on with my hood up to protect against the mosquitoes. As the skies darkened I headed into the tent for the remains of my food supplies and a read of my kindle.

Sky on leaving Tompahat

Long straight road into Mindszent 

Gadoros to Tompahat on E4: Day 43

For another day it was across agricultural land on straight roads and tracks. There were two highlights: Karoly Kastely and a fete at Tompahat.
Before leaving Gadoros I stopped to pick up some food at the Coop. It was 6:30 am (shops open early) and a farmers' market was setting up with a variety of locally grown vegetables and fruits. I bought a few peaches. Like yesterday's walk the route passed many fields on roads and tracks. They were harvesting the sunflowers. The harvester cut the stems, a screw pulled the sunflowers into the harvester where the seeds were somehow separated and then the plant remains excreted out the back of the machine. A tractor with two trailers was standing by. Periodically the harvester filled a trailer with sunflower seeds from a boom, the seed looking black from a distance streaming out like water from a tap.
At Nagymaros, a village on route, I walked around the grounds of Karoly Kastely. The Karoly family was a big aristocratic family with these stately homes everywhere, I stayed in one that had been converted into a hotel on an earlier trip. This one was nicely located in a bend in the river. I had lunch watching some fishermen with a "Greek" rotunda on the opposite bank.
As I walked the last stretch to Tompahat along a dirt road, not only did several cars come past me heading the other way, there were also a number of horse and carriages (the carriages were open and had two men up front, one driving the horses, and two people behind, so maybe it was a buggy or a trap). I discovered when I arrived at Tompahat that there was a village fete, and I had missed the horse and carriage races. After settling into the Bagoly Szallashely where I am staying for the night I was able to watch some of the events, including a wind band (brass plus clarinet, flute and drums), some youngsters doing ballroom dancing, a young lady singing, possibly songs from musicals, a magician and various other acts, getting more professional as the evening wore on.
As the darkness fell lightening was visible in the West, there was a brief but heavy shower, then they set off the fireworks. As the rain subsided the acts continued but it was time for me to go to bed....

Karoly Kastely 

Young singer at Tompahat fete

Szarvas to Gadoros on E4: Day 42

Today's walk was on straight roads and farm tracks through an agricultural area: fields, some belts of trees, and a few drainage ditches.
I wished I had longer in Szarvas as I had not seen the arboretum and National park visitor centre among other things. It is a pretty town with a lot of German being spoken, possibly because it was originally a German Lutheran settlement. However I had accommodation booked at Gadoros and they had asked for my time of arrival so I had a schedule to keep.
Apart from passing a geothermal well on leaving Szarvas it was not the most interesting day's walking, mainly beside fields. There was generally a distant hum of a harvester bringing in the remaining maize or a tractor tilling the ground ready for seeding. The farmed landscape does not have the hedges, fences or dry stone walls we have in Britain, if they are grazing livestock a single wire electric fence is used that looks rather temporary, or else a shepherd or cowherd is employed. It must be very efficiently farmed with the large fields and mechanisation but it is not intensively farmed, there is still room around farm tracks and drainage ditches for wild flowers to grow.

I was again frustrated by my unfamiliarity with bird names. Could the brilliant white birds standing in a field be egrets? And were those herons flying overhead? Nevertheless, there was no doubting that it was a pheasant I disturbed.
I had been wearing some insoles my podiatrist gave me. I get hard skin and blisters particularly on the outside of my heels and she diagnosed super pronation(?), or walking on the outside edges of my feet. She gave me insoles with wedges attached to correct it. Sadly these seemed to cause the blisters even more quickly and after several days walking the wedges are parting company with insoles. So today I dispensed with them and it was much more comfortable.
I am now at Anna's Vendeghaz in Gadoros, conveniently located next to a bar where I had a beer waiting for Anna and her family to arrive. Most refreshing!

Typical track beside drainage ditch

Mezotur to Szarvas on E4: Day 41

Most of today was spent walking along the embankment of a river, first the Berettyo river then the Koros.
Fanni and her husband set off for work early but they left me the means to make breakfast for a small consideration, so I was able to make an omelette (successfully!) and added a tomato, some salami,  small, very nice apricots, and pastries, quite a feast and still enough left to make a packed lunch. (The coffee was also good).
Then it was out of town down the Berettyo river followed by a diversion via a gas plant with a smoky flare. I assume the plant took gas from nearby wells, separated the condensate and then compressed the gas for sale with three compressors in a big compression shed. For the next long section the path followed the northern embankment of the Koros river. In some places there were ox bow lakes, remnants from before the Koros river was confined to a smaller flood plain between embankments. On the left there were trees and occasional glimpses of the river, on the right there were fields and patches of trees. Birds of prey circled overhead. I would like to think they were eagles but sadly my bird identification skills are very limited. I enjoyed my lunch overlooking fields until stung by an inconsiderate wasp, which hurt a lot. I wish they would stick to pollinating flowers or at least ignore me like the dragon flies and red and black insects that crossed my path.
I was still thinking about my wasp sting and watching that bit of my finger swell up when I reached the Mezotur - Szarvas ferry, which was not working. Google translated the sign as saying that there would be a "pause for technical reasons". I rang one of the telephone numbers and the conversation appeared to confirm that the ferry would not be operating today. Annoying as Szarvas, my destination for the night, was just beyond the ferry on the other side of the river.
Looking at the map on my GPS there was no means of crossing the Koros within walking distance. Two possibilities presented themselves, there was a railway line a few kilometres back that crossed the river, I could walk along the line and across the railway bridge to get to Szarvas.  Alternatively I could walk back to Mezotur, 13 kilometres away along the road, hoping to hitch a lift. At Mezotur I could then catch a train to Szarvas. As I thought walking along the railway line was probably illegal, possibly unsafe and not wanting any trouble,  I started the walk back to Mezotur. Fortunately after a kilometre or so, the second car that passed stopped for me. The very kind father, daughter and baby granddaughter took me all the way to Mezotur railway station  (Hungarians are clearly very nice people). I then took the train replacement bus on a very roundabout route to the station at the edge of Szarvas, where I alighted from the bus with the 3 other passengers (one wonders how these rural public transport services will keep going with so few passengers).
Like Mezotur, Szarvas has some pretty decent neo-classical buildings however Szarvas appears to be bigger so there are more of them, there are also fountains on the river, cobbled, pedestrian friendly streets, floodlit buildings and a greater range of bars and restaurants. My bedroom tonight at the Lux Panzio is an embarrassingly large suite, maybe I over-ordered....

Berettyo river near where it joins the Koros 

Non functioning ferry, Szarvas is so near, but so far

A bit of Szarvas

Turkeve to Mezotur on E4: Day 40

Today's walk was entirely along the river embankment, large fields to my right, many newly ploughed, the slow moving river to my left, usually hidden by trees. White kilometre markers every 200 metres on the embankment meant my progress was easy to monitor.
As it was a shorter walk today I began with a leisurely walk around Turkeve, attractive in the morning sunshine, with collections of bikes parked outside key venues complete with a shopping basket at the front and often a child's seat at the back. To begin I had coffee in a bar, then a "langos" with cheese at a hole in the wall place. There were a variety of shops to peer at including a fishing equipment shop. Fishing is a popular hobby, today beside the river I spotted several fishermen, equipped with chairs and a couple of rods. Having exhausted the shop fronts it was time for a coffee and cake in a Hollywood themed "cukraszda". Signs in the village offered bird tours, canoe trips etc. so I was a little sad to be heading off, but I had already booked tonight's stop at Mezotur.
Tonight is the first time I have used Airbnb to book a room. Fanni, who looks after it, spotted me walking through the centre of Mezotur and gave me a lift to their house, saving me the last two kilometres. I asked how she knew I was her guest, and she pointed out (in excellent English) that there were not many people walking around Mezotur with a big rucksack and a broad rimmed sun hat among the shoppers and students leaving school. That evening she also lent me her bike so I could go to a restaurant. After walking for the last week, even my modest pace on the bike seemed exhilarating, especially returning in the dusk after a pizza (and beer) the wind in my hair.....

Milestone (OK kilometre stone) on the embankment

Fluffy clouds above river embankment

Rehely visitor centre to Turkeve on E4: Day 39

Much of today was through parts of the Koros-Maros National park where they are trying to create a "steppe" environment.
First I had to get out of bed which I did with some trepidation as last night I threw out two very large, black beetles (?) and a small, black centipede thing scurried under my bed. Nature is all very well but I did not fancy stepping on one of these things. It also meant I spent the night imaging things were crawling on me, although in part my itchy feeling was due to bites I received the previous night at my riverside campsite. Some unknown insects attacked my underarms and groin.
First part of today's walk allowed a closer look at the water buffalo kept by the Rehely visitor centre. Then it was along an old railway embankment. This was much overgrown with fallen trees making progress a struggle in places. I revived myself with a typical, strong Hungarian coffee in a little bar in Ecsegfalva, just a wooden shack with an awning beside it and a some mismatched chairs and tables. I am getting fond of these little bars generally occupied by a few men drinking beers or something stronger, even first thing in the morning. I join the occasional women drinking a coffee or Pepsi. They remind me of the little, one room bars in a town on the west coast of Ireland that my wife and I visited when we first became intimate. We revisited the place several years later and the little bars had been supplanted by seafood restaurants and the like. Come to Hungary now before it to changes!
After coffee I followed the meandering of the river embankment without much sight of the river itself on its broad flood plain. There was much steppe like grassland with a few large birds (although I could see no Bustards), skittish deer and a couple of farms. At one of these I sent the free range pigs racing in all directions, the geese into a flurry of honking and caused anxious turkeys to usher their children to safety, just by walking past. Then it was through trees before exiting the Kektura to reach the Thermal Campsite at Turkeve.
It was called Thermal as it was attached to a Spa emitting some smelly vapours from what I assume were meant to be healing waters. With no swimming trunks I gave the baths a miss but there were plenty of campers of various nationalities walking back and forth to the baths in their swimwear. The middle aged men were mainly in "speedo" trunks. With their bulging waistlines over hanging these brief items it was not a good look.
Slightly disappointed that the spa restaurant was not serving food an hour before its official closing time, I headed into town. I found two Pizzerias, both "zarva" i.e. closed, so it was off to the Coop for bread and cheese (and tomatoes, a doughnut etc.). I  ate them in the tent to the cosy sound of a shower pit-patting on the "canvas".

Very large fields of, in this case, hay bales

Korosladany to Rehely visitor centre: Day 38

A beautiful start to the day by the river was followed by long, monotonous, straight farm tracks passed large fields. The walk ended well seeing Great Bustards at the Rehely visitor centre.
I was packed up by 6:10 in time to see a large, red sun rise over the embankment, illuminating the jet trails in the sky. As I walked the last 5 kilometres along the river embankment to Korosladany the trees beside the river were a vivid green in the early morning sun and the grass sweeping down from the path was as bright as a newly mown lawn.
Reaching Korosladany I joined the "bike run" as mothers took their children to school before picking up some shopping. I had to take care as the pavement/cycle path was busy with bikes, and I was given at least one warning shout. Still, I reflected that using bikes was far preferable to the polluting cars and 4 x 4's that crowd the street around the school near my home. Then I felt guilty as people here probably use bikes as they cannot afford a car, and one should not want people to be poor. Nevertheless, come to Hungary and experience it now before it all changes.
After a fully loaded hamburger, juice and expresso, all for just over £3 (another reason for coming to Hungary now are the reasonable prices), I began the less exiting part of the day, involving some 20 kilometres of straight farm tracks through agricultural land. The agriculture provided some diversion, sunflower seeds were being harvested and tractors pulled trailers up and down the road. There was also an oil or gas well, in good condition but not producing anything. Some bird of prey were circling high in the air.
After a long straight street through Devavanya and more fields I reached the environs of the Rehely visitor centre. There were a number of interpretative signs with helpful English translations. I had been seeing a lot of lavender coloured wild flowers that grew on grassland giving it an attractive purplish hue. Thanks to the signs I now know it is called "Hungarian Statice". There was a rare look out tower that gave views across the plain, largely grassland at this point. The National park in which the visitor centre is located aims to preserve the Great Bustard, they have some tame roosters behind fencing so you can see them, also a museum, sheep and some helpful staff. The visitor centre also has some nice rooms where I am staying tonight. It was the only place that answered an e-mail when I was inquiring about accommodation for this trip, for which they deserve special thanks.

Sunrise by the river near Korosladany

Long roads through fields

A female Great Bustard

Veszto to Korosladany on E4: Day 37

Today's highlight was a visit to the Csolt archaeological site, the remainder of the day was passing fields large and small, extensive grassland and following rivers, largely hidden by trees.
Although everything is usually closed Sundays, the number of people riding bikes this morning suggested something was open in Veszto, so I headed to town centre. The fountains were already on and I was rewarded by an expresso and a sort of chocolate and coconut roll, rather heavy for this time of the morning. The waitress was writing up the latest lottery winning numbers on a poster on the wall as I ate. After seeing the highly mechanised harvesting of maize yesterday, today, near the edge of town, I saw a farmer and his wife cutting cobs by hand and throwing them into the trailer of an aged tractor. Quite a contrast.
Following a pleasant route beside a drainage canal (or maybe a canalised river) I reached the Csolt archaeological site. This included an open excavation showing skeletons and pottery from different periods, at different depths, in the locations in which they were discovered. Neolithic artefacts were at the deepest level followed by copper age and bronze age at progressively shallower levels and at the top, material from when there was a medieval church then monastery on the site. Explanations in the adjoining museum were in English as well as Hungarian which really helped. There was also a cafe, which of course I made use of, and a shaded picnic area by the river. A floating jetty allows you to view the pond weed on the river close up. The river no longer seems to be flowing, maybe a remnant from before the swamps were drained and the Sebes-Koros river confined to within its embankments.
As I continued on the Kektura the river was on one side and large fields or grassland on the other, but the river was invisible behind trees and thick vegetation. Rosehips and hawthorn provided spatters of red while the swollen purple-black sloes provided more subtle colour. The leaves of the white poplar fluttered green and white in the breeze. Occasional deer and hares shot off as I passed, the deer leaping over the higher grass, the hares making themselves invisible in some distant hollow.
I came across two bikes propped up and  a couple lying in the grass in the Sunday afternoon sun. She hastily put her top on, I said a cheery "Jo Napot" and hastily pressed on, feeling guilty for disturbing their peace.
After the Vidra restaurant  (no food, only drinks) I followed the main Sebes-Koros river to a spot marked on Google maps as a campsite. It is a wild campsite and a rare place where you can you can actually see the river where there are gaps between the trees. One family was camped there already but as it was a pleasant spot I camped out of their sight a little further along. I ate my tea while watching the sluggish flow of the river, listening to the "plops" presumably made by fish although I saw only ripples spreading outwards. As dusk approached the mosquitoes started to bite so I retreated to my tent, where I continued to hear the croaks of frogs among the sound of crickets.

Carving from the museum at the Csolt archaeological site

Wide expanse of grassland

Geszt to Veszto on E4: Day 36

My main memory of today is of very large fields of sunflowers and maize, but the scenery at the start of the day was quite different.
I survived the night, the engine noises turned out to be someone clearing out ditches late at night with his JCB, he was busy again this morning. Along with the mud, reeds and small fish he lifted out there were some large freshwater mussel shells that surprised me. While I could not see the lake (and the observation tower was roped off and marked dangerous), it was a pleasant early morning walk. "V" formations of honking geese flew overhead plus the occasional heron flying with their heads tucked in and their legs trailing behind. The Kektura leaves the lake through a swamp, although views of said swamp were obscured by bushes (which thankfully someone had cut back or they would have swallowed the path). Where the swamp was visible, with helpful signs on flora and fauna, it looked very dry. No doubt as it's the end of summer. The path winded its way through trees eventually arriving at Zsadany. A welcome cut of coffee followed.
And then I came to big fields which continued more or less until Veszto apart from a break for the village of Okany.  Okany has nice section of drainage canal with men spending their Saturday fishing on it. I stopped at a bar for a Pepsi, the bar lady was seemed disappointed I did not want her rubber stamp (used to prove you have walked the Kektura). After the village I admired the teams at work harvesting the maize, very big vehicles, harvesters and lorries, working together emptying the large fields of their crops in double quick time. A very efficient operation.
I am now at Musli Sziget Panzio in Veszto which has a pretty location overlooking a lake (but no sign). Veszto is a pretty town with geraniums on lampposts and neatly cut verges. But I was too late for the cake and coffee shop and the only thing that is open this Saturday night seems to be a hamburger take away, patronised by men with short hair cut in a similar way (a little longer on the top and a No 1 on the sides).

A morning flock of geese

Panoramic shot of large field of maize

Large field of Sunflowers

Korosszakal to Geszt on E4: Day 35

Today's walk on the Alfoldi Kektura took me close to the Romanian border at a number of points. It started along the embankment of the Sebes-Koros river, then passed through grassland and by lakes which are part of the Koros-Maros National park plus a number of villages.
I debated whether to take a shorter route along the road to avoid approaching the border on account of previous difficulties near Kismarja  (see blog for Day 30). I decided to go as far as the first village, Korosnagyharsany, as this section was not too close to the border, and then consider my next step. Soon after I turned onto the embankment of the river which was the first part of the route, I was addressed by a man at the bottom of the slope. Wanting no trouble I went down to see what he wanted. Although difficult as he had no more English than I had Hungarian, I understood he did not want me to proceed along the embankment as it went to Romania. He showed me his ID which indicated he was in the Polgárőrség, or civil guard organisation. I showed him the card that Bela Horvath helped me make up and indicated I was going to Biharugra and Geszt. This seemed to work and he allowed me to proceed along the Kektura after telling me how he had been in London in 1999.....or maybe that was when he tried to learn English and that I should learn Hungarian. Anyway, I was glad to proceed.
A kilometres or so later I was again called down from the embankment by some men by what I took to be an army jeep. It wasn't, instead they were offering me a welcome cup of coffee...even better they spoke English. They explained among other things that I was on a direct refugee route from the Romanian border. The refugees were told by the people smugglers to just follow the river into Hungary and it would lead them to Budapest (in fact the waters eventually flow into Serbia). The coffee and the friendly attitude gave me a boost and they reassured me that with my British passport I should be able to safely follow the Kektura through the border zone.
I soon after left the river and followed an abandoned railway line to Korosnagyharsany. The station sign was still there although the line is much overgrown. Then it was out of the village on an empty two lane road, then a right turn across grassland on another embankment for a long stretch with Romania just a few hundred metres to the south. I was again waylaid by a man on a motor bike checking I was not going to Romania. Otherwise I successfully reached the road for Biharugra after edging passed a flock of sheep. According to the map the road passed next to lakes known for their birds, but they were well hidden by tall reeds and trees. However at one point there was a side road to a raised observation platform with a sign describing the birds you could see. I could not see any of them. Possibly the wrong time of day as this evening I can hear hundreds of geese on a nearby lake.
By a smaller lake at the edge of Biharugra the border police stopped me half way through a peach and checked my passport. All was present and correct and they left me to finish my lunch. Then it was a long walk on open grassland followed by a large lake invisible behind the reeds. The map implies that you walk across the lake but it is misleading, the path, although overgrown for a short section, is largely dry and you are surrounded by reeds. Reeds were being harvested at one point, one man on the top of a lorry piled high with a mountain of reeds and the other passing bundles of reeds up.
On reaching Geszt after a large field of maize and sunflowers I visited Tisza Kastely, home to two rather important Hungarian prime ministers. As I entered the grounds a security guard stopped me and told me it was private. He then explained it's history, dating from 300 years ago. It is currently being restored and was covered with scaffolding. Leaving town the Kektura passes through and a cemetery, somewhat overgrown. At the edge was the Tisza family crypt.
After walking across grassland with lots of purple flowers (which I now know to be Hungarian statice), distant flocks of sheep and herds of cows, I have now set up camp in some woods, far away from anyone so I thought with only the sound of geese on the nearby, but invisible, lake. But now I am hearing barking dogs and the sound of some engine. The immigrant issue and the hunting season is making me jumpy!

Path along embankment close to Romania

Hungarian Statice

Berettyoujfalu to Korosszakal on E4: Day 34

Today's route included walking along an embankment beside a drainage canal, a long road section with high speed traffic and a pleasant walk on a track across the "prairie" plus three villages.

First I had a breakfast of "langos" and coffee from a stall at the edge of Berettyoujfalu. Langos is a fried dough, slightly salty. Perhaps because I did not eat much yesterday, the langos tasted delicious. 

Leaving town the Kektura followed a long section of cycle path along one of the embankments enclosing the Berettyo river (which also acts as a drainage canal). Willows and other vegetation lined the banks of the river, but the sides of the embankments were clothed in grass being cropped by flocks of sheep guided by their shepherds (I saw three of them). The odd heron and duck flew off as I walked along. In the villages that followed the storks nests were all empty unlike on my trip in June and July when parents were tending  young storks.

After the last village a cemetery, overgrown by shrubs obscuring the grave memorials, included some unusual wooden grave markers. Then a long length of road to walk along. There was not much traffic but as the road was so straight, dividing the flat "puszta" (or plain), cars were passing me at high speed and the occasional lorry created powerful side winds on a day that had turned quite windy.

Overcast skies covered the extensive grasslands that I turned onto along a small road and then a farm track. The road led to a gas gathering station although the nearby gas wells looked rusty and out of action. Cattle were grouped together at different places on the puszta with someone looking after them. I noticed several flocks of birds, some wheeling in the sky, some on the ground. It seemed a time of year when birds congregated together. 

It was a lengthy walk today but I finally reached Sylvia Vendeghaz in Korosszakal for a welcome shower, meal and rest, thanks to the kindly family who own it.

Telegraph poles across the grassland

Cycle track on the river embankment

Long straight road (no cars here but when they appeared they were very fast)

Nagykereki to Berettyoujfalu on E4: Day 33

Today the route was along farm tracks and on the embankments beside drainage ditches and canals. However it did not start well. At 3:30 am I had an attack of diarrhoea and another at 6:00 am. I  am assuming it was the stuffed cabbage and Debrecen sausage I ate last night. A local dish, probably only requested by rare tourists. Drinking lots of water I decided to forgo food until the evening, so it was just a small black coffee at the station before I caught the train (and a panic about where I put my phone).
After the train took me to Nagykereki with a pleasant bonk-bonk-bonk rhythm I headed off through the village with some trepidation given my previous experience in the area (see day 30). It was difficult to avoid attracting attention as dogs barked at every other house, people were cycling past with their morning shopping and a group of men stood waiting for something.  They stopped talking as I approached, I said a polite "Jo Napot" and passed by.
Eventually I left the village and walked through fields of maize and sunflowers. In July the maize was green and the sunflowers had their yellow heads held high towards the sun. Now the maize was straw coloured and the sunflowers grey, sadly hanging their heads. The wild flowers were however just as pretty.
A lot of the walk was beside drainage ditches and there were plenty of little flies forming large swarms, constantly changing shape. In places the house martins were out eating some of them. Elsewhere a stork flew with lazy wing beats and a small lizard crossed my path.
I do not normally use a walking stick (or are they called trekking poles?) but I did this time as one book advised it as a defence against dogs when walking in Serbia. It proved helpful here as well when a black dog raced up to me barking and with bared teeth. He clearly was not wanting a pat! Fortunately waving my stick helped keep him at a safe distance although he followed me for a while.
Reaching Berettyoujfalu I was thirsty so stopped for a Pepsi at a bar.  Another customer tried some conversation but my lack of Hungarian made this difficult although he and his girlfriend valiant efforts with their limited knowledge  of English. So I showed him a card I had made up with some help from the author of the best website of the Kektura, Bela Horvath. It says I am an English tourist walking on the Alfoldi Kektura, I am not lost, I am not a refugee, or in Hungarian "Angol túrázó vagyok. Az Alföldi Kéktúrát járom. Nem tévedtem el. Nem vagyok menekült. Köszönöm!". They thought it very amusing.
Spending the night at the Liget Szallashely and have just enjoyed a meal at the Bella Costa restaurant. Hopefully I will not have to rush to the toilet tonight!

Sunflowers awaiting harvesting

Some of the wildflowers beside one of the embankments the path follows

Return to Debrecen - Day 32

Today I returned to Hungary to continue my walk along the E4 on the Alfoldi Kektura, but first I had to get back to the village of Nagykereki.
I caught a late bus to Gatwick and spent a number of hours on the floor of North Terminal waiting for the bag drop to open for my early EasyJet flight to Budapest. North terminal is surprisingly short of chairs in the check in area and I was not the only one lying on the cold, hard granite tiles. Despite using my "Buff" (a sort of neck scarf) to block out the bright lights of the terminal I did not sleep. The flight went smoothly and then I needed to get from Budapest terminal 2 to Ferihegy railway station by bus. I missed the first as the people ahead of me spent so long at the ticket machine trying to work out what to do and the driver would not let me buy a ticket from him (and I lost my place in the queue for the machine while asking him). (Note: you have to tell the machine you want to pay and then tell it how you want to pay). However I manged to get to the railway station and onto the train for the 4 hour or so journey to Debrecen. I checked into the Stop Panzio and the owner said I should have gone straight to Debrecen airport from London on Wizz Air, which would have saved me time and money. I checked, he was right, always annoying!
The first day is always difficult as you wonder if you have left something behind like your passport (as one chap did on the aeroplane,  fortunately a stewardess found it and quickly returned it to him).
After checking in, and after a brief panic when I thought I lost my pills, I headed out and visited the Great Reformed Church. It's much simpler than similar Catholic churches in Hungary, and played a part in the 1848 revolution when Hungary tried, and failed, to gain independance from the Hapsburgs. The church has a lift so that you can get a view from the roof and can also see the top of the domed ceiling in an attic beneath the roof - not constructed as I expected.
The kind lady at Tourinform also helped me book accommodation for a place who had not replied to my e-mail. She also suggested I visited the big park on the north side of the town which had fountains, trees, cafés and if I had timed it right, various entertainments.
So now I am in a nice restaurant with a guitar player strumming Beatle songs and the like. Early start tomorrow for the train to Nagykereki.

Inside of Great Reformed Church at Debrecen

Day 31 Back home

I had a spare hour before leaving for the airport this morning so took the opportunity to walk around the Buda castle area. Although I have visited Budapest a number of times I seem to have missed this area. That was a mistake as the hill has many beautiful historical buildings, attractive streets and great views down to the Danube and the Parliament buildings on the opposite bank, and up to the hills I crossed a month ago when I arrived.
Then it was off to the airport and crushes of people to get onto the EasyJet flight back to the UK (how come EasyJet flights are always full?). Then long queues at Passport control at Gatwick with everyone checking their phones, sending texts and checking Facebook, beneath signs saying no phones and no cameras. The delay meant I just missed a train home, a reluctant ticket machine finally defeating me, but the kind man at the ticket office got me a cheap deal on the next train (one single from Gatwick to Reading and another from Reading to Cardiff was the trick). What he did not tell me was that there was massive disruption to train services from Reading caused by a signal failure, Hungarian trains seemed good by comparison.

I hope to continue my walk along the Alfoldi Kektura and the E4 Long distance path in September. First I need to investigate whether I can expect to make the trip without being harassed as I was yesterday, by what I presume were a vigilante group.

Matthias Church in Buda Castle area

Day 30 From before Pocsaj to Nagykereki

For my final day of walking on this trip I was on the path by 6:00 a.m. after admiring the orange sun rising above the plain behind some trees in the distance.
The first section was along an overgrown embankment beside a drainage channel.  It was a haven for wild flowers,  thistles, grasses and insects. A botanical wonderland but slow walking. The huge field of sunflowers I passed, their yellow faces all pointing south, was a particularly memorable sight.
Eventually, I reached a road at the edge of Pocsaj and turned back south on another embankment, with recently cut grass, going to Kismarja. On route I passed a cyclist, a stork and in the middle distance a flock of sheep with their shepherd and a herd of cows. In Kismarja there was the chance to buy a can of "Hell", a croissant filled with chocolate and cherry, and a banana for a late breakfast. Then it was down the Kektura to Nagykereki.
A few kilometres down the path, waymarked with the usual blue lines on a white background, I ran into problems. A man appeared behind me, shouting something, I presumed to his dog. Then he came up and grabbed my arm and refused to let go, dragging me back towards Kismarja. I protested but he did not understand English and I did not understand Hungarian. He was then joined by a second man talking on his phone. It was made clear that I had to follow them back towards Kismarja, but  I indicated I was going the other way. I caught the word "Romania", which made me think they were in some way concerned with refugees crossing the border (rather than robbing me) so I showed my itinerary and pointed to the word " Nagykereki", the village in Hungary that was the next destination on the Kektura, pointing out a blue and white waymark on a nearby tree, but without effect. I then showed them my British Passport, however this was no help either. They did not offer any ID to me. At this point a car appeared and the men flagged it down. I was instructed to get into the car and the driver returned me to Kismarja, asking where I wanted to be dropped as we approached the village.
I headed off walking back to Nagykereki. I have walked the E4 Long Distance European Path, of which the Alfoldi Kektura is part, since Spain and was not going to be stopped at this point, but for my own safety, this time I walked along the main road. After a few kilometres some police stopped me, checked my passport and what I was doing, checked I had enough water and sent me on my way. I tried to determine what the problem was with the guys earlier, indicating they had grabbed my arm, but language difficulties limited our conversation. I gathered that the proximity of the Romanian border (the current border of the Schengen zone) was an issue, but not much more.
While I have no problem with police checking on people, being manhandled by (I presume) civilians while peacefully walking a national and international footpath was disturbing and I found my hand shaking as I wrote down my address for the police.
From there I walked to Nagykereki railway station along the road without further incident and caught the next train, which bumped its way along to Debrecen as British trains used to before continuous welded rail was introduced. The guard on the train spent a while tapping away on his handheld computer and successfully produced a ticket to Budapest, complete with seat reservation on the next Intercity train from Debrecen (I was impressed). I had only a few minutes to change trains at Debrecen, the guard encouraging me to run (not possible with a 15 kg rucksack) but I made the connection and am now safely in the Buda Mercure hotel, washed and well fed, with a view of Buda castle from my room.

Sun rising over Great Plain

Nagykereki railway station, end of the line and of my walk this time

Day 29 The woods before Letavertes to some woods after Letavertes

This morning I found a pool of water at the bottom of my tent. It had not been raining so maybe a heavy dew.
Today I was hoping that the next interlocking "Z" in the trail was worth the extra 12 kilometres or so. It was different in that for much of the walk there were extensive meadows of grass among the trees and only occasional cultivated patches. More conifers as well among the oaks and ubiquitous locust and poplar trees. I saw a number (a phalanx?) of storks feeding off something in the grass, maybe grasshoppers as I periodically sent large numbers jumping as I walked along. There was also a fine pair of some bird of prey. On the final leg of the "Z" approaching Letavertes there were small, one or two room houses lining the road, each with a vineyard or small holding, and most with an outdoor toilet in the garden. I guess they were once farm worker cottages and are now owned by people who manage them as a hobby. A few were sadly being left to collapse.
At Letavertes I bought a welcome Coke, chocolate bar and ice cream, and stocked up on water. Then it was a straight road with occasional fast cars for several kilometres. The landscape changed dramatically after Letavertes.  Instead of the forest I had walked through for the last week, there were huge fields of sunflowers and maize stretching away to each horizon. Eventually the route turned off onto a single track road, becoming a farm track after a few houses. There appeared to be on old kilato (look out tower) in the middle distance, but the path did not take me there and it was not sign posted.
I had walked further than expected and feeling tired, camped in a rare piece of woodland in a steep sided valley. Lots of tractors noises in some nearby field, another barking deer, buzzing bees and cooing doves kept me awake until darkness fell.

Large meadows on the section before Letavertes

Storks

Sunflowers extending to the horizon

Day 28 Halap to some woods

Yesterday, getting into Debrecen from Halap Csarda (a very minor bus stop where the Kektura crosses a main road in the countryside) was relatively easy as all the buses seemed to go to Debrecen. The converse was not true. I was relying on Google Maps to tell me which bus to catch from which bus stop. The App gave the time and number of the bus, but two buses arrived at the same time and neither had visible numbers. Fortunately I had interrogated Google to find the bus's final destination and so got on the right bus. I had written down "Halap, Csarda" and showed the piece of paper to the driver, as people do not seem to understand most of the words I try to say in Hungarian. This seemed effective and it helped that I knew the fare to give him from yesterday. Tracking the bus on my GPS I was able to press the request stop button at the correct place and so by 9:30 a.m. I safely returned to where I left off yesterday complete with food supplies purchased earlier.
Today the route, which had been fairly direct since Satoraljaujhely starts a series of large "Z's" adding on many kilometres, so I was hoping the extra distance meant some attractive sights. The top bar of the "Z" was pretty good. After the usual mosquito attack on sandy tracks through locust trees,  I followed a series of embankments, passed what looked like a wetter area with long grasses on one side and stands of poplars on the other. The white poplars looked particularly beautiful, the wind fluttering their leaves, showing of their white undersides like crowds of flirtatious maidens. A stork caught the thermals overhead looking remarkably graceful for such a big bird. Later there was a lake, although mostly hidden by reeds. An abundance of picnic tables were being overgrown by wild flowers. While admiring the lake I missed a turn and retraced my steps. The correct route took me beside a drainage channel, full of bulrushes and ducks which few off on my approach. Willows and flowers lined my path, everything you could want for a beautiful country scene that took me to the point of the "Z".
For the crossbar of the "Z" it was back to sandy tracks through black locust trees with occasional stands of pine. On the lower bar of my first "Z" I camped in a plantation of young oaks, wondering what tomorrow will bring. Despite carefully examining my camping spot before pitching my tent, as soon as I sat down for tea, I discovered an infestation of ants beside me. An insect of another kind appeared to be attacking me but I found that whatever pressure I applied I was unable to squash it, and it continued it's attack. Eventually I flicked it far away. As is common as soon as I had made camp, the sounds of activities reached my ears, a tractor starting, pigeons cooing, dogs barking. Yet it was not only dogs barking. On looking for the source of barks at the end of the row of oak saplings I saw a deer. After a few minutes it saw me too and wandered off, still barking.
My Nordisk Telemark tent has gained some holes. These seems to be where the poles rub the canvas while it is packed away, as I walk along. Initially the poles wore out the end of the bag they came in and now despite attempted repairs and plastic bags, the ends of the poles appear to be making holes in the tent. I calculated that I had carried the tent for 4000 miles, so I suppose in that time the slight movement of the rucksack as I walk creates quite a bit of rubbing. Holes have also appeared through the leather uppers of my boots where they bend above my toes....
Still I am shortly due to return home.

Mezes-Hegyi-To lake, its mainly covered in reeds

Daisies beside the path

Day 27 Ganas Hegy to Halap

By 6:10 a.m. I was packed up and on my way but already I could hear the sounds of tractors working amongst the morning bird song.
I did not get very far before a waymark appeared to direct me into impenetrable undergrowth. A previous blogger warned that there was a section of overgrown path near here, assuming this was it I followed some forest tracks to intersect the Kektura a little further on. Initially as I rejoined the marked path there was a trail to follow but this soon disappeared and I battled through 5ft high nettles and various other plants to follow the route indicated by my GPS and occasional (and surprisingly new looking) waymarks. This lasted only a few hundred metres but it was tough going. After that I was soon at the village of Nyiracsad. Ladies on bicycles with bags on their handle bars alerted me that despite being Sunday, there was a shop open. I  purchased some breakfast from the very busy shop and sat on a bench on the "green" to eat it while watching the early morning comings and goings.
The rest of the walk was the usual sandy tracks through woods with two important highlights. First was the narrow gauge forest railway now operated as a tourist train, bringing people out for a picnic amongst the trees (although a number of people seemed to have arrived in their cars instead). The train was an old diesel. Shortly after my second highlight was my first (and possibly only) kilato (lookout tower) on the Alfoldi Kektura. This gave a view of the large area of forest extending in all directions. The mountains to the north that I climbed before Satoraljaujhely were no longer visible, mountains to the south, probably in Romania were in the grey distance.
I ended my walk at the Halap Csarda (an abandoned building) on road 48 and caught a bus into Debrecen where I am now in the Fonix hotel. I walked around the town which has a well laid out and lively centre with buildings of various ages, a wide boulevard, trams, fountains and many bars spilling onto the pavement. On this Sunday night it seemed full of tanned and beautiful young men and women enjoying a drink, so I had a Gin and tonic and watched the world go by.

Narrow gauge tourist train

View from Kilato (lookout tower) of Great Plain

Debrecen centre with the Large Protest Church

Day 26 Nyirbator to Ganas Hegy

Except close to villages, today's route was entirely on sandy tracks usually surrounded by trees, typically locust trees or types of poplar. Sometimes the track rose slightly, sometimes it descended a little. It appeared I was passing through a great forest with occasional cultivated patches of variable size with maize, wheat, barley, sunflowers, oats or things I could not identify.
To add a little confusion, all the villages had names beginning with Nyir. I mistook the first village of Nyirbogat for Nyirlugos, and so thought I was making faster progress from Nyirbator than was the reality. I made a slight detour to "climb" the miniature hill of Hoportyo  (183 m), the highest point on the Great Plains. There was no view, only trees and a concrete post.
It rained all morning from when I woke to midday. A good solid downpour so there was no need for indecision about putting on waterproofs, sometimes a problem when it cannot decide whether to rain. The rain made deep puddles in the tracks I was following and the surrounding sand was over saturated with water, spongy and slippery. A lot of careful footwork was needed to keep my socks dry. Fresh on, they were a new pair, still soft, springy and super nice. Perhaps inevitably, as I was walking on a thin thread of sand between a large puddle and man-high stingy nettles, the sand gave way, my boots filling with water as I slid into deep water filled ruts.
A lot of snails were crossing the path as a result of the rain, making it difficult not to step on them. When I heard a crunch under my boot I did not look back. More pleasant were the deer which I saw on their own, in twos and once as a herd with one stag and several does. They always ran off but sometimes it took a while for them to realise I was creeping in their direction.
I am now camping on the "hill" of Ganas Hegy. Not very high but the slightly higher ground seems to keep away a few of the mosquitoes. As seems common, despite not having seen anyone or any vehicle on the track for several kilometres, as soon as I pitched my tent a car went up and down the track, then another came and stopped not so far away. A gunshot, a little time later made me decide to retire into my tent. It was well hidden from the track and away from any of the little wooden towers they shoot deer from, but I thought if I was inside my tent they would not see me moving and mistake me for a deer.

Hoportyo, highest point on the Great Plain

Deer on the path

Day 25 Vaja to Nyirbator

It was more road walking and sandy tracks today across a landscape not flat but with hills of very low relief, not especially memorable.
I passed through a few villages enjoying an apple filled croissant by a fountain in the park of Kantorjanosi. There does seem to be an effort to make these villages attractive, with groups of men cutting grass and sweeping pavements and the edge of roads. It did appear to have an element of a "make work" scheme but the results were pleasing and people were keeping the road frontage of their houses neat, raking the sand or with white flowered aloes. Maybe there was a "best kept village" competition. I also noticed that many people rode bicycles around the villages I had been walking through, to go to the shops or bars (bicycles outside a bar were a sure sign it was open), I suppose as it's flat and the roads tend to be quiet. In the UK, despite the short distances, people would take their cars rather than cycle, causing parking problems outside the local shops. The effect of greater wealth or laziness? I particularly enjoyed seeing girls and ladies riding side saddle on the luggage rack at the back of bicycles while their boyfriends or husbands peddled them about, it seemed conduct suitable of a gentleman, even if frowned upon in these more safety conscious and feminist days.
Although a short day to make up for some long days recently, I still felt tired as I approached my destination of Nyirbator. The final part of the Kektura into Nyirbator takes you on a circuitous route around the various sights of this modestly sized town. These included some big churches, a museum and a lake with a dragon sculpture and benches.
As I approached my hotel (Hotel Palma) I was a bit worried by the youths lounging outside, until I realised they were waiting for a bus, the stop being beside the hotel. My apartment is very plush in yellow and grey with plenty of room for me to do my exercises, so no excuses!

A road section approaching Kantorjanosi

Inside of one of the churches in Nyirbator