ITINERARY

We set off at 8 a. m. from Zalaszántó. We leave the village behind and follow the route of the Kéktúra (Blue Trail) that descends into the valley of the Gyöngyös stream. From here there is a steep slope up to the plateau of the Mountain of Keszthely. The path will be steep and slippery. We have our first stop at the medieval castle of Rezi from where there is a splendid view over Várvölgy, Zalaszántó and the Tátika.

We follow another path from the castle to return to the edge of Zalaszántó through rarely visited forests. From here we go across the Lapos field and head for the Tátika. During this walk we can see some Iron Age burial tumuli. We reach the peak of the Tátika in about one and a half hours. The castle ruins located on the top of the mountain is the oldest castle ruin of the Balaton Uplands and one of its most beautiful memorials at the same time. From the top of the castle walls there is a splendid view over Zalaszántó and Sümeg.

After a longer break we descend from the mountain and go on hiking to the Béke Sztúpa (Stupa od Peace) along the Parrag Mountain. The stupa is the biggest consecrated Buddhist shrine in Middle Europe. At the end of the day it is worth taking a walk to the Szent Donát Chapel in the vineyard as well as to the Kotsy water mill in Zalaszántó.

DISTANCE: 20 kms/12.5 miles
TIME: 8 hours
DIFFICULTY: moderate