National Blue Trail


The National Blue Trail is a national trail in Hungary, for most of its length part of the European Long Distance Walking Route E4. The route starts atop the Írott-kő Mountain on the Austrian-Hungarian border then leads across Hungary eventually ending 1,170 km later at the village of Hollóháza by the Hungarian-Slovakian border.. The name of the Kéktúra is a reference to the marking of the path itself: it is a horizontal blue stripe on a white rectangle. All segments of the trail are freely accessible to the public; no fees have to be paid or permits obtained, there is only one ferry to take over the Danube between Visegrád and Nagymaros where you have to purchase a ticket. Although to have an official completion, you have to purchase a stamping brochure from MTSZ, the organizer of the trail.
During its course the Blue Trail visits arguably the most beautiful natural and man-made sights of Hungary, e.g. more than a dozen forts and castles, lookout towers, three World Heritage Sites of Hungary, Lake Balaton, the Danube Bend, and the spent volcanoes of the Basin of Tapolca, etc.
According to the official website, as of March 2023 its total length is 1172.4 km and the total climb is 31 460 meters west to east.

History

Early history

The National Blue Trail was the first long-distance walking route not only in Hungary but in Europe. Its path was first waymarked in 1938; its length was 910 km in that time between Írott-kő in the Kőszeg Mountains and Tolvaj-hegy in the Zemplén Mountains. A lot of Hungarian hikers began the completion of the Trail after World War II, so the Nature Rambler Section of the Lokomotív Sport Club of Budapest announced the National walk on the "blue" hiking path in 1952. In the 1950s the blue trail was extended with a detour to reach the vicinity of Budapest, which is the most popular section to this day.
The Nature Rambler Section's Committee of Railway Employee's Union developed this issue on the national level in 1953, and published the first brochure, which showed the whole route in map sketches.
Later, organisation and control of the National Blue Trail movement was taken over by the Hungarian Rambler's Association "Friends of Nature" in 1961.

Popularity in the 1980s

But the Blue Trail was known only among hikers until the beginning of the 1980s, when Hungarian TV broadcast a series about the route of the Trail. The organiser and editor of this series was Pál Rockenbauer, who at that time worked in the editorial office named "Natura" of the Hungarian TV. Pál Rockenbauer organised a small team and they completed the National Blue Trail during 76 days in an east–west direction. They carried everything in their backpacks and undertook the whole project without any external help.
Their work was very successful: the series drew people's attention to the National Blue Trail. Everybody got to know the Trail in Hungary and many people began the completion of it. A lot of hikers have the series on video or DVD at home. Pál Rockenbauer committed suicide in 1987 during a hike on the paths of the Blue Trail close to village Katalinpuszta at the foot of the Naszály Mountain. A wooden headboard column cherishes his memory on that place beside the path of the National Blue Trail.

Sister blue trails

In 1989, the MTSZ launched the second blue trail commemorating Pál Rockenbauer, called the Rockenbauer Pál Dél-dunántúli Kéktúra. The 550 km long trail starts from the western endpoint of the OKT and spans to Szekszárd, covering the southern Transdanubian region including the Mecsek that is not covered by the OKT.
In 1996, another blue trail was launched, the Alföldi Kéktúra. The 870 kilometers long trail runs between the RPDDK endpoint Szekszárd and Sátoraljaújhely, almost reaching the eastern end of OKT crossing the mostly flat Great Hungarian Plain region.
The 3 official blue trails managed by MTSZ are called Országos Kék Kör . Hikers receive their badges by completing all 3 trails independently.

Revival in the 2010s

The OKT was in waning popularity in the early 1990s with fewer than 50 people completing it each year. But in the late 2000s it began to become popular again, and in 2012 the number of hikers surpassed the previous yearly record. Popularity continued to grow throughout the decade as the route was given a complete facelift with new signposts and waymarkers, on many sections it was rerouted for more convenient use. The MTSZ published a new brochure along with a new set of redesigned stamps, and many stamps were relocated for 0-24 hour availability. Due to marketing success and renewed interest in hiking, the number of completions reached 500 for 2021 and 800 for 2022, making them the most popular years in the history of the Blue Trail.

Certification of completion

The entire trail or its sections can be done without any official registration. However, the official completion of the Blue Trail requires stamping the certification booklet at checkpoints.
There are 150 checkpoints on the route of the Blue Trail. Participants have to certify the completion of the tour by collecting all the stamps along the way and marking the completion date of each stretch between two stamps in the booklet.
The National Blue Trail has its own custom designed stamps with the name of the corresponding checkpoint. They are located along the route, usually at a distance of 5-10 kilometers. If they are not exactly on the route, a marked side path leads to the seal. Some checkpoints have more than one alternate stamps, for convenience and redundancy.
In case of missing or unavailable stamps, the hiker has two options:
  • Find an unofficial stamp nearby that contains the name of the place or an address so it can be accepted as a local stamp. Stamps from train stations, post offices, town halls, local businesses like pubs or shops ar usually accepted.
  • Photos are accepted if the stamp was not available and shows the place and person along with the date.
Image:Stamps in the book.gif|thumb|left|A sheet with stamps in a personal completion book of the Blue Trail with old series of stamps
Usually, hikers have to start or end a trip at a checkpoint. There is no restriction on the starting point, the direction of the hike or the continuity of the entire route, the only requirement is that the hiker must walk all sections of the trail following the actual route. There is no time limit, usually there are only a few thru-hikers, for most hikers it takes years to complete the Blue Trail in various sections.
After completing the entire trail, the booklet must be sent to the Hungarian Ramblers' Association in Budapest for verification, after which the official certificate and commemorative badge are issued.

Awards for completion

Anyone who completes the Blue Trail is eligible for the Blue Trail Badge of MTSZ. The badge is an irregular quadrangle with a road leading towards mountains with a blue signed post and below in red stripe with the following: "Országos Kék-túra MTSZ". MTSZ prepares and hands over the badge—if it is possible—during a small ceremony. A record of those who have completed the trail is also kept by the Association.
The number of people who have completed the Trail is more than 4100 in year 2007. It is also possible to complete the Trail more than once.
There are three sections on the route of the Blue Trail which have their own badges. These can be obtained without completing the whole Trail; however, by completing the Trail one is also eligible for these.
  • Dorogtól Nógrádig túramozgalom through the Pilis Mountains, Buda Mountains and Börzsöny Mountains – 138.8 km, 4490 m total climb.
  • Mátra-Bükk útjain túramozgalom – 120.0 km, 4360 m total climb
  • Veszprém megyei kéktúra túramozgalom between Sümeg and Bodajk through the Balaton Uplands and the Bakony Mountains – 247.8 km, 5360 m total climb
Image:Gykt badge.jpg|thumb|The badge of the Children's Blue Trail
The Children's Blue Trail can be completed by children between the age of 6 and 14 hiking 300 km on the Blue Trail. It is divided into nine regions:
  • Kőszeg Mountains – Little Hungarian Plain
  • Balaton Uplands
  • Bakony
  • Vértes – Gerecse
  • Pilis – Buda Mountains
  • Börzsöny – Cserhát
  • Mátra
  • Bükk – Aggtelek
  • Cserehát – Zemplén
Children who complete at least 50 km distance in a region obtain the regional badge of Children's Blue Trail ; at most one badge can be earned in each region independently of the distance covered. If the combined length of the completed sections reaches 300 km, they obtain the GYKT badge. In case of organising and leading a group of children, the leader can obtain the badge, if the number of the children is at least 6.
Completion of GYKT counts towards gaining the OKT badge as well. The validation of the completion is the same as in the OKT.

Detailed route description

Kőszeg Mountains and Small Plain

142,1 km, 710-metre climb
Image:Irottko watch tower.jpg|thumb|left|Lookout tower on the top of Irottkő - here starts the 1128 km long route of the National Blue Trail
Image:Jurisics Square, Kőszeg.jpg|thumb|The main square of town Kőszeg
The route of the Blue Trail begins on the top of the Írott-kő Mountain at the feet of the lookout tower on the Austrian-Hungarian border and leads among the mountains of the Kőszegi-hegység until the town of Kőszeg. It passes by the Hétvezér-forrás, the lookout tower of Óház-tető and the Calvary Church of Kőszeg. After Kőszeg, the Blue Trail reaches the wide plains of Rába River. The route of the Trail crosses the Little Hungarian Plain in northwest-southeastern direction via Sárvár – where the route crosses the Rába River – until Sümeg. The total climb on the 120 km long plain section is only 460 metres.
Stamping places
Lookout Tower of Írottkő, Hétvezér-forrás, Kőszeg, Tömörd, Ablánci Malomcsárda, Szeleste, Bögöt, Csényeújmajor, Sárvár railway station, Gérce, forester's lodge of Rózsáskert, hunter's lodge of Hidegkút, village Káld, village Hosszúpereszteg, forester's lodge of Szajk at Lakes of Szajk, Ötvös railway station, Kisvásárhely, Sümeg railway station