Mount Kekes

Kekes is the roof of Hungary at 1014 metres, which by alpine standards is a hill and by Hungarian standards is the only real mountain summit in the country. It sits in the middle of the Matra, a volcanic range worn down to rounded ridges under beech and oak forest. A road runs to the top, so the summit is shared between hikers arriving on marked trails and drivers arriving in twenty minutes from the spa villages below. The summit is occupied by a television tower with a public viewing deck, which lifts you above the trees; from ground level the forest blocks most of the panorama. Short ski runs drop off the north side and work in reliable winters.

What you actually see

• The tower viewing deck - the only spot with a full panorama, over the Matra ridges and out to the plain.
• Beech and oak ridge forest - marked trails along the crest, quiet a few minutes from the car park.
• The ski slopes - short north-facing runs used when snow holds.
• Long trail links - the national blue trail crosses the summit on its way across the range.

When to go

May to October for walking, with October giving the best colour and clearest air. Winter can bring genuine snow cover, though the runs are short and conditions vary year to year. The summit is noticeably cooler and windier than the valleys, often by several degrees. Weekends bring a full car park by late morning, so start early or come midweek.

Honest expectations

You can drive to the highest point in the country, which strips it of any sense of achievement, and the summit area is a car park with kiosks and a communications mast. The natural view is blocked by trees, so the panorama is behind a paid turnstile in the tower. Haze from the plain often flattens the distance. Ski runs are short and snow is unreliable.

Nearby

Matrafured and Matrahaza lie below on the access road, with Gyongyos and the wine country at the foot of the range.