Day 20 - Lillafured to Visegrad

Monday 16th July 2018

We first met Peter Szabó four years ago on our first tour through Hungary on our way to Romania’s Transfagarasan road and Dracula’s Castle in Bran. Mick had an issue with the front brakes on his R1100s and the nearest main BMW dealership was Full Gas on the shores of Lake Balaton. 

Mr Peter Szabó. It’s great to meet up with an old mate again.

While Mick got on with explaining his problem to the mechanic I got chatting to a young guy on a Kawasaki. This was Peter. We have stayed in contact via Facebook and Messenger ever since. Peter makes a number of bike tours each year, leading paying guests in Tenerife, Croatia and other parts of Europe.

He arrives at our campsite at 9am ready to lead us, on a free tour this time, through such hills that the amazingly flat country of Hungary has to offer.
So we ride through the twisties of Hungary and up a side road to see Sirok Castle. It’s far too steep a climb in bike gear so make do with a few photos.

Sirok castle, a 13th century ruined castle

Further on west Peter takes us up another small side road up to the highest point in Hungary. Mount Kekesteto is 1,014 metres high with commanding views in gaps through the trees down to the Hungarian plain. There is a cafe at the top where we stop for coffee.

The view down from the summit

 There is a small monument at the top and also, surprisingly, a sort of shrine in the memory of past bikers.

Atop the highest point in Hungary

The biker shrine at the summit of Kekesteto



My front tyre is down to the minimum wear line and for the last few days my steering has been very heavy, serious under steering which at first I put down to the appalling state of the Hungarian roads. But now my wrists are aching from the need to constantly counter steer on every tight bend. It’s time for a new tyre.

Peter is an invaluable asset now. He makes numerous phone calls trying to source a new Michelin and somewhere that will fit it. Of course he gets it all sorted. What a star.

At Camping Dömös

We drive down into the suburbs of Budapest and buy a Michelin Pilot 4GT from a dealership. It costs €113,  slightly more than a fitted tyre from my usual source, but that is Andy at A18 tyres near Doncaster. But Andy is Mick’s nephew so there is probably discount involved.

Peter straps the tyre on the back of his bike. Fitting is arranged in south Budapest tomorrow.

On the bank of the Danube. Big innit?


From Budapest it’s a short ride north up the Danube to Camping Dömös near Visegrad. It is a lovely site on the banks of the Danube. I  swim in the pool and we have a spicy beef stew, local dark beer for Mick and local wine for me. This is a ‘Bulls Blood’ wine from nearby Eger, and absolutely wonderful.

Swimming at Camping Dömös

 We sleep the sleep of the just on the banks of the Danube. 

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