Monday 18 September 2017

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, BulgariaGreece 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.ukAmazon.com, the Bookdepository.comlehmanns.debookspot.nl, and other good online bookstores.


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