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A full day bike-tour around Lake Balaton - Part I.
Cache coordinates: N46°59,xy7 + 00°02,499 , E18°10,2vz - 00°05,652 (3rd box 02.05.06), where
X: the red lines leading to the well=x at N 46° 53,559'E 17° 59,607'
Y: date of the memorial construction 19y1.IX.28 at N 47° 00,888'E 18° 10,059'
V: the poet's memorial built in 198v at N 46° 57,235'E 17° 53,628'
Z: date on table "oktober z8" at N 47° 01,927'E 18° 06,647'
I invite You to a Bike Tour in Hungary, around the Lake Balaton. Lake Balaton is the beautiful easy and big pond of Europe, there are another popular caches along the road, but this one is designated to the bikers... (Of course, you can complete the quest by car, too, the roads are near to it). There is a well built cycle-road on the most part of the range. The overall distance is about 80 km, but in an easy, smooth terrain, our youngest member was only 8 when she completed the tour first ! A full day on bike, and a half by car. As I mentioned, you can go by car, the beauties of the shoreline are the same !
Please, keep in your mind, that there is a ferry transfer in the route, it is out of work at night. This year (due to the early spring rain) we started a little bit late, at 10.30 A.M. with youngsters the age of 4, 10,11 and 13 (OK, the four years old had a comfy backchair on a bike...). With a comfortable pace, fulfilled lunchtime and well checked pubs along the road we arrived back to the start point to 19.00. And You ??
The bicycle road around the lake could be followed easily, there is the green-yellow sign beside the road with the bike pictogram and the phrase "Balatoni körút". At the northern and eastern shoreline, the road is excellent, separated and well signed, but at the southern part - due to the lack of space and will- you must go on asphalted roads used by cars, but they choose routes where the traffic is usually small.
So, this is a round tour ! Although the description below starts from a designated startpoint to a determined direction, it is important to know, that you can start the tour from anywhere to any direction along the shores of the lake east of the Tihany Peninsula.
The recommended tour starts at the village of Balatonaliga (nearest place to the capital, Budapest). So, place your bike to the startpoint N 46° 58,9890' E 18° 10,1710' 147 m [GCBAKE+startpoint] and start your ride westward.
Soon you will reach the edge of the sand cliffs, there is a superb panorama of the lake, and you can find a little monument of the old hungarian kings at N 46° 58,5770' E 18° 09,9250' 157 m [GCBAKE-1]
Then there is a comfy downhill road to the direction of Siófok, be careful at the railway crossing and the steep road behind ! The next village called Sóstó. After that, you will arrive at Balatonszabadi, there is a nice chapel at N 46° 55,1120' E 18° 04,9260' 117 m [GCBAKE-2] . Next is Siófok, the biggest city around the lake. Unfortunately, the road-signs here so rare, so, if you missed your way, find a nice square at N 46° 53,559'E 17° 59,607'114m [GCBAKE-3] with a wishing well...
Count the red lines leading to the well= x.
The next place is Zamárdi, we can get nearer to the lake. Reaching Szantód, the road becomes a little bit rough, be careful. Attention ! At here, you must turn to the right from the bicycle road, to the ferry station, be aware of the signs ("Ferry" in hungarian ="Komp" ;if you would go further, straight along the road, you can circle around the whole lake at the end, but it is about 230 km...) A little help :at N 46° 52,7780' E 17° 54,0470' 110 m [GCBAKE-4] you can find the ferry station and a blue billboard with the ferry timetable and prices; summertime its only some minutes waiting while the next ship arrives.
While on the ferry, please take a look at the yellow twin-towers of the thousand-years old monastery of Tihany, at the top of the peninsula's hill !
In the peninsula, there is no separated bike-road, so you must go to the right (to north and east) a few miles on road 71 (small elevation at the start, usually abandoned. You can find the well built bicycle-road at about N 46° 55,6930' E 17° 51,6300' 107 m [GCBAKE+waypoint], coming from the western shoreline. The next city along the road is Balatonfüred, here you can take a look at the marina and can find a memorial of Rabindranath Tagore, the famous Indian poet at N 46° 57,235'E 17° 53,628'105m [GCBAKE-5].
Hes memorial built in 198v.
The next town called Csopak, here you can find some refreshing spring water at the well( N 46° 58,1940' E 17° 55,4980' 107 m [GCBAKE-6]). Continuing your journey, at the village of Balatonalmadi, at N 47° 01,7170' E 18° 01,1040' 109 m [GCBAKE-7]
you can find the sculpture of an ancient leader of hungarian freedom-fight.
Go along, at Balatonfuzfo the road will turn along the shore to the right (east-south).
Cycle further to Balatonkenese, and stop at the memorial of the First Steamboat Of The Lake N 47° 01,927'E 18° 06,647'115m [GCBAKE-8].
You sould find the date on table "oktober z8".
So bad - at the start, you comfortably rolled down from the hilltop, so you must climb back at Balatoakarattya... Leaving the place, near the road, you can examine another place - a WWII. memorial at N 47° 00,888'E 18° 10,059'161m [GCBAKE-9],
the date of construction 19y1.IX.28.
On the top of the sand-cilffs again, you can continue. At N 46° 59,xy7' E 18° 10,2vz', there is a CACHE !! Please, sign in the logbook, and change some gadgets....
Ride away, and, at N 46° 59,7820' E 18° 10,1700' 160 m [GCBAKE-10] you can find a wondeful panorama of the lake again ! (Be careful, dont't go behind the barriers, there is a Chasm !).
Some minutes, and you will arrive back to your startpoint, to the car, or to the railway station.
Good luck, have a nice ride/drive
2005.09.11.: The first box lost, the coordinates of the new one:
N46°59,xy7 + 00°00,016
E18°10,2vz + 00°00,130
2006.05.02.: The box lost again, so we decided to move further. Practically, now you should start around Balatonkenese (GCBAKE-8). New coordinates:
N46°59,xy7 + 00°02,499
E18°10,2vz - 00°05,652
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
pbhag 3 purfgahg-gerr sebz gur fcevat gura sbhe be svir cnprf sebz plpyr ebnq, haqre n gerr gehax