Ruins of Hegyesd castle GCHEGE Traditional Geocache
Ruins of Hegyesd castle GCHEGE
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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The cache is hidden by the side of the ruined walls of medieval Hegyesd castle near the top of a volcanic origined hill (height: 280 m).
Approach of the cache:
Ruins of Hegyesd castle are near Hegyesd village in the Tapolca basin. You find the tourist path marked yellow stripe in the centre of the village. Keep to this gravel-covered cart road (you are heading in the beginning Sout-west, later South by foot or car).
You can select your further route where the yellow trail marking turn North-west. Or you keep the yellow blaze by foot or else you drive further to the recommended parking place.
In the first case you go to the ruins up on the tourist path marked with yellow L.
In case you drive further, before long the cart road branch to the right at the edge of the forest. You find the parking place at the beginning of the study path in the forest (N46 54.596’ E 017 30.971’). You keep the study path northward and later you reach the yellow L marking. You climb up on the steep path and stairs. When you find the basalt stone ruins of the castle, you go round to the point when the yellow L begins to lead downwards. You walk around the ruins very closely the wall and you can find a three-trunked tree. The cache is at one metre distance.
Later you can climb to the top of the hill up (you will be careful to protect the rock vegetation) and there is a beautiful view of the surrounding fields and volcanic origined hills.
The history of Hegyesd castle:
The first reference to this castle can be found in a 1282. year dated document of the Veszprém chapter. The castle was in this time in the property of Gyulaffy-family. Later the castle got importance in the years of the islam invasion. The Osmanly army occupied in 1561, but Hungarians besieged the castle and chased out them in 1562. In the course of alldestroying sieges the castle was ruined and it was not reconstructed enymore.
The basalt hills in the northen area of Balaton lake:
5 million years ago this area was a table-land in approximately 300 m height that came in existence from sandy-clay deposits of the former Pannon-sea. In the course of volcanic activity basalt lava spouted out and spreaded on the surface. The hard basalt layer protected the soft sandy-clay surface from the water erosion later and remained the witness-hills giving evidence about height of the ancient table-land. These round shaped hills have a special panorama that compares to a coffin. Other hills (for example Hegyesd) have altered history: the peaked hills are the solidified basalt lava in the volcanic flue.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur pnpur vf uvqqra va n yvggyr ubyybj nobhg bar zrger bs gur fgrz n guerr-gehax gerr