recommended route
Joyful barrier-free excursion in the Búbánat Valley
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At our starting point, on the shore of Lake HalasPhoto: MTSZ - együttműködő szervezetek
One of the most beautiful yet less known lake complexes in the Danube Bend offers tranquility to visitors with its human-scale, thoughtfully built waterfront paths and forest trails.
Encircled by the Danube-Ipoly National Park, the aptly named Búbánat Valley stretches out on the border of Esztergom. Originally artificially created for anglers, the string of lakes has become a popular excursion site over the decades. Its lush vegetation and gently sloping surface, along with its easy accessibility, attract those wishing to hike and relax alike.
The origin of the valley's name, which runs perpendicular to the Danube, is unclear. According to popular lore, after the Battle of Mohács, the Turkish army massacred a Hungarian wagon camp here. In sharp contrast to the sad memories of the past, the area has undergone multiple stages of water management and tourism development, giving it a cozy elegance and vitality.
Most of the lakes can be circled on mostly barrier-free, paved or gravel surfaces with minimal slope, but the most determined and prepared wheelchair users and their assistants can also struggle their way into a truly forested, natural environment.
Author’s recommendation
- The route is not recommended independently, as there are minor to major surface obstacles that can be dangerous even for experienced active wheelchair users.
- The route is partly feasible for those using hospital wheelchairs and beginners with injuries, or users of large electric wheelchairs.
- The route is recommended for those using wheelchairs equipped with a handy or electric drive – the wide, acceptably surfaced paved roads and gravel trails mostly allow independent mobility.
- Due to the terrain conditions on the southeastern side, circling the Kerek Lake is especially recommended for wheelchair users with electric or mechanical drives, accompanied by a sporty, well-prepared escort.
- You can start the route as you wish from the north, from the tip of Halas Lake closest to the Danube (near a smaller connecting road with grassy-gravel parking possibilities), or from the parking lot built on the western side of Kerek Lake, farthest from the Danube, where a modern visitor center (Kerektavi Nature House) maintained by the Danube-Ipoly National Park offers barrier-free toilets and catering facilities.
- Food options are available at the Kerektavi Nature House, but it is advisable to bring your own sandwiches and drinking water.
- The most beautiful natural environment is found on the eastern side of Kerek Lake; here, moving completely away from houses, we approach the southern tip of the lake across an extensive grassy field. This section is recommended only for well-prepared, experienced hikers equipped with a large-wheel wheelchair adapter in front and a sporty, experienced escort (there are hidden potholes, erosion gullies, collapses in the grass). This part of the route is impossible with a hospital wheelchair or large electric wheelchair.
- Carry a spare inner tube and appropriate pump.
- In variable weather, have a raincoat or umbrella with you.
- In rainy weather, most of the route can be completed (from Halas Lake to the western side of Kerek Lake), and in dry weather it is passable even in winter on this section.
- The terrain alternates between long sun-exposed and shaded areas, so a head covering and seasonally mosquito repellent are highly recommended.
Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.
Track types
Public transport
Public-transport-friendly
- When arriving by low-floor bus from the direction of Esztergom or Szentendre, you must get off at the Esztergom, Búbánatvölgy stop.
Directions
- From the bus stop, we must travel a few hundred meters in the direction of Szentendre on the shoulder of main road 11. As this is a busy road, it is the most critical section of the route. We turn right (south) onto the paved Fárikúti road, and after another few hundred meters we reach the tip of Halas Lake, the starting point of our route.
Parking
- You can park by car at the starting point of the route at Halas Lake.
Coordinates
Localization
Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.
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