Hideg Mountain Summit Tour, olive green H

1. Route description, explanation of signs
The trail numbers on this tour are: 239, 240, the tour is marked as olive green H. Bike paths 2.7 km, public roads 5.85 km, low-traffic public roads 6.96 km, agricultural roads 2.09 km, forestry roads 5.87 km. The dashed line indicates an unpaved path (forestry road).

2. Difficulty factors in the tour
The highest point of the tour is Hideg Mountain above Pécsely, at an altitude of 385 metres. No matter which way you approach the round tour from the Balaton Cycling Circuit, there is a substantial elevation gain to climb, which can be a tough challenge.

3. Ambience
Short distance, big elevation difference, wonderful landscape. This is a brief description of the route, which is about 22 kilometres long and the highlight of which is the exploration of the Zádor Castle. The castle stands on the top of the 400-meter-high Derék hill between Pécsely and Barnag. Climbing up the castle hill is a good achievement in itself, but the whole terrain in the area is pretty hilly: although the route goes from Balatonfüred and returns to Balatonfüred in the end, you should still expect an elevation gain of 572 meters. Apart from the really fit cyclists, we would recommend this route to e-bike enthusiasts: when pedalling easier you can absorb the beauty of the area and have the energy and time to enjoy places like the terrace of Tamások Cellar and the calvary hill of Barnag. This round tour is an intensive essence of the ambience of the Balaton Highlands, highly recommended for long-distance travellers as well as for Balaton regulars.

4. Detailed tour description
The starting point of the tour is the Huszár Restaurant in Örvényes. The cycling-friendly restaurant is an ideal start- and endpoint to the tour and provides free parking. The "mountain tour" starts on the low-traffic paved road to Vászoly directly from the Balaton Cycling Circuit. At the beginning, the route climbs smoothly, but after three kilometres, at Laci Pince, you have to push the pedal real hard. It is worth taking a break on the terrace of the restaurant and enjoying the magnificent view and a cool spritzer.
Passing through a beautiful stretch of forest, you reach Vászoly, one of the pearls of the Balaton Highlands. This charming little village is definitely worth a longer visit. In the middle of the village there is a charming lake, which is fed by the Szent Jakab Spring. Next to the lake you will find the restaurant Kuti Kerti Kisvendéglő, with excellent cuisine, local delicacies, wines, fruit syrups and draught beer. The restaurant is open all year round (out of season only on weekends). Another fine restaurant in Vászoly is Zománc Bisztrócska, which is also open on all weekends.
As you leave Vászoly you can admire the impressive herd of grey cattle and, by prior arrangement, get a glimpse of the cheese-making manufactory of Vászoly, where you can buy premium artisanal cheese that should certainly fit in your rucksack.
The trail continues along a slightly hilly, but rough and stony hiking path, which turns into a pleasant forest road after two kilometres. Leaving the forest, you cross a beautiful meadow and reach the highest point of the tour, the Hideg Mountain. From this natural vantage point you can enjoy a magnificent panorama of the entire Pécselyi Basin with the Tihanyi Peninsula and Lake Balaton in the background. One can safely say that this mountain, which can only be reached on foot or by bicycle, is one of the most stunning lookout points of the Balaton Highlands. A unique treat on the mountain is the Hét Kenyér Zarándok bakery. A local couple bakes delicious sourdough bread twice a week in a wood-fired oven following a Transylvanian recipe. Buying and tasting are possible by prior arrangement.
With the delicious bread in the backpack, the path leads across a beautiful plateau dotted with juniper trees to the Zádor Castle. Today, it is sadly only a ruined castle in the middle of the forest, but the exceptional location makes it worth a visit.
From Zádor Castle, the trail leads steadily downhill on a well-maintained, gravelly forest path to Pécsely. There is a lot to discover in Pécsely: the cosy Zádor Restaurant and the village's three top-quality wineries, the Balogh Cellar, the Mészáros Cellar and the Kálmán Cellar. From Pécsely the ride takes you through beautiful forest landscapes on a low-traffic paved road to Aszófő, where you reach the Balaton Cycling Circuit and head back to the starting point of the tour. Before enjoying a pleasant meal in the restaurant, you should visit the historic Örvényes Water Mill, which is still in service today.
You should plan a whole day for the tour, even though the route is not particularly long, but there are so many sights, stops, restaurants, wine bars and other attractions to indulge in.

Municipalities on the route: Pécsely, Barnag, Vászoly, Balatonudvari, Örvényes, Aszófő.