disease can be treated with antibiotics if caught at an early stage, although vaccination is available in the USA.
Dogs
In rural Hungary dogs are not pets but inexpensive alarms, and most houses have a sign on the gate: Harapós a kutya! or Vigyázz! A kutya harap! (Beware of the Dog). Every garden dog feels it is its duty to bark, howl and snarl at any stranger, and once the first dog starts a chain reaction sets in until the whole village is in commotion. Villagers seem to be impervious to the racket but it is unsettling for the first-time walker in Central Europe. Fortunately the brutes are usually safely locked behind garden gates and it is rare to see feral dogs wandering around the countryside. If confronted by an overzealous village defender that has slipped its chain a threatening swipe with a stick or well-aimed stone should be enough to send it on its way.
The risk of rabies (veszettség) in Hungary is very low and health authorities take the control of the disease very seriously. Rabies posters of a fox’s head pinned to trees in some walking areas look alarming, but they are merely informing walkers that bait with a serum has been laid in the area as part of a humane programme to vaccinate foxes against the disease. It is unusual to catch rabies in Hungary as owners are legally obliged to vaccinate their dogs regularly. If you are bitten try to identify the dog’s owner and insist on the vaccination certificate (Oltási papírok) and take it with you to the hospital or nearest surgery. The doctor will administer a tetanus injection whatever the dog’s vaccination history, but if you cannot produce a certificate, or the dog was feral, you will be automatically treated for rabies. There is also a follow-up investigation by the local health authority. Treatment for dog bites is considered an emergency and free if your country has a reciprocal health care agreement, but avoid the risk of a bite and the subsequent bureaucracy: steer clear of dogs however friendly they look.
Snakes
The common viper Vipera berus can be found in many hill areas, especially in the Zemplén, but it is unusual to see one, let alone get close enough to be bitten, and fatal bites are rare. The anti-venom serum is available at rural pharmacies. If the pharmacy is closed ring the bell for the pharmacist, who usually lives on the premises.
Drinking Water
Karst formation has diverted surface water underground in many upland areas and there are few clear streams. It is not advisable to drink stream water, and not all waterborne diseases can be eliminated using the ordinary purification tablets available in camping shops. In summer carry at least two litres of water per person and fill up whenever possible from the blue pumps found on village streets. Alternatively, the local bar will gladly refill your water bottle from their tap, or if you see a villager working in the garden ask: Kérhetek egy kis vizet? (May I have a little water?)
If the route does not pass through villages there are many springs (forrás or kút) marked on walking maps. They range from boggy hollows to elaborate structures built by the local walking club and named after some local worthy or historical figure. Springs and wells above and away from settlements and hunting lodges are likely to be clean, although there are concerns about the quality of water in parts of the Mecsek. Springs or pumps designated undrinkable are marked: nem ivóvíz.
Refreshment Abuse
Some walks pass through villages where cheap bars and excellent restaurants offer food and drink at very reasonable prices. Stopping for refreshments is a pleasant way to break up a walk and Appendix 2 lists a few drinks and how to order them in Hungarian. If you decide to take the opportunity for an extended lunch be aware that excess alcohol is dangerous on a long hot walk. You might also find yourself regretting it as you stumble through the dark to finish the route.
Waymarking
Hungary’s hundreds of trails are marked out by a system of rectangular coloured waymarks comprising two white bands with a central stripe of red, blue, green or yellow. Auxiliary routes use other symbols: a cross connects two routes; a square leads to a settlement or accommodation such as a hostel; a triangle indicates the route to a summit or viewpoint; an L is the way to a historic ruin such as a fortress; a coloured spot leads to a spring or well; a semicircle to a circular route; and an omega symbol leads to a cave. In ski resorts coloured saltires (stiles with a cross-piece) mark the ski routes. Waymarks are usually painted on trees, but on tree-less heath and karst rocks do the job, and in villages telegraph poles, fence posts, garden walls or water pumps are employed. A few routes have wooden signs giving directions as well as estimated walking times in hours (ó) and minutes (p).
Volunteers clearing the trail, Börzsöny, Walk 4
Hungary’s first waymarked routes were set up in the second half of the nineteenth century by volunteers, but it was during the Communist period that state-sponsored organisations took an interest in their maintenance. During the 1950s volunteers from the trade unions were deployed around the countryside to repaint the old waymarks and create new routes. In those days the work was paid; transport, brushes and paint were provided free. Nowadays the upkeep of waymarks and monitoring of the routes depends on the availability of walking club members prepared to spend their spare time and money. As a result the coverage varies and many rarely used trails are overgrown and waymarks missing. Sections of the waymarked system follow main roads for a few kilometres. This was not a problem in the 1950s, but the increase in car ownership in recent years has made some road-verge walking unpleasant; Hungarian drivers seem reluctant to give a comfortable distance between themselves and pedestrians. To get the best of an area this guide directs the walker along the most suitable waymarked route and not necessarily the traditional routes prescribed by Hungarian walking guides written in the 1950s.
Maps
The theory is that if you keep to one waymark colour you need only continue to the end of the route. In practice waymarks tend to be conspicuous when the track is obvious and absent at complicated junctions. Waymarking is improving, but many were painted a long time ago and are obscured by vegetation, weathered, or the trees they were on have been felled. Old green waymarks tend to turn blue with age and vice versa. Therefore the ability to read a map is important and also adds to the enjoyment of walking. The Hungarian company Cartographia publishes a series of excellent walking maps (turistatérkép) in 1:40 000 and other scales. Official walking routes are denoted on the maps as red lines and the different route colours are distinguished by a letter: K (kék=blue), P (piros=red), S (sárga=yellow) and Z (zöld= green). A selection of hotels, hostels, campsites, country restaurants, snack bars and even petrol stations are also marked on the maps. Understanding map references is useful for one or two walks in the guide, and an ability to use a compass is helpful at complicated forest trail junctions where visibility is restricted but not essential.
In Hungary Cartographia’s maps can be bought in most book shops in cities and towns, but the main stockist is their shop in Budapest (see Appendix 4). Apart from the most tourist-aware settlements small village shops do not usually stock walking maps, but try the post office, any large hotels in the area or the local museum. The relevant map name and number for a specific region is at the beginning of each route description.
Cartographia’s maps are fairly accurate and updated regularly, but be aware that even the most recent issue cannot keep up with all changes caused by privatisation. The following points are worth noting.
With the exception of the Balaton map only a selection of the more common symbols are explained in Hungarian map keys. Refer to the glossary in Appendix 3 for a translation of the symbols and common topographical terms.
The letter H within a square is a hotel and not a hospital. A hospital or doctor’s surgery is a cross within a circle.
Hungarian maps are fragile and will soon fall apart. Map cases are fine but expensive, add bulk and weight, and are not indestructible. A strong clear plastic bag is adequate protection from rain or perspiring fingers and is inexpensive to replace.
A common error is to assume that the red lines on the map (the official waymarked routes) will be very obvious on the ground. Unlike the faint dotted lines on the map denoting tracks, the red lines tend to stand out,