Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
From Sárospatak it runs 396 km to Sárospatak; allow about 7 h 42 of riding. The stops in between: Component of Esztramos Hill, Dobšinská Ice Cave and back through Component of Esztramos Hill. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 800 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. It crosses from Hungary into Slovakia - carry ID and check vignette or toll rules. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Rákóczi Wine Cellar
Sárospatak is an old town on the Bodrog river, right where the foothills of the Zemplén range run out into the plain, and in Hungarian history it carries more weight than its size suggests. It was a seat of the Rákóczi family, and the castle in town was one of their strongholds in the long wars against the Habsburgs. Local tradition also claims it as the birthplace of Saint Elisabeth of Hungary, in 1207, and the Reformed College here, founded in the sixteenth century, once counted the Czech educator Comenius among its teachers. Not bad for a small place at the edge of the map.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Rákóczi Wine Cellar is where the day begins. Next is Component of Esztramos Hill.
2. Component of Esztramos Hill
Esztramos is a lumpy limestone hill rising from the valley of the Bódva in north-eastern Hungary, a stone's throw from the Slovak border. For much of the twentieth century it was quarried for limestone and iron ore, and in the process the miners broke into caves hidden inside it, full of crystal formations. The Rákóczi Cave, the best known of them, has delicate aragonite crystals and pools, and the hill now forms part of the Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst, a World Heritage site shared between the two countries. Visits to the cave are limited and usually need to be booked, so check before you count on getting inside.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Component of Esztramos Hill comes up about 114 km into the recorded legs. Next is Dobšinská Ice Cave.
3. Dobšinská Ice Cave
Step out of a warm summer day into the Dobšinská Ice Cave and the temperature drops to just below freezing within a few metres. The cave, on the northern edge of the Slovak Paradise in eastern Slovakia, holds a vast mass of ice, tens of thousands of cubic metres, with frozen floors, walls and columns that have built up over thousands of years. It was explored in 1870 by Eugen Ruffinyi, opened to visitors soon after, and became one of the first caves in Europe to be lit by electricity. It is part of the UNESCO-listed Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst, shared with Hungary.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Rákóczi Wine Cellar. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Rákóczi Wine Cellar to Component of Esztramos Hill
Rákóczi Wine Cellar → Component of Esztramos Hill is 114 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Component of Esztramos Hill to Dobšinská Ice Cave
Component of Esztramos Hill → Dobšinská Ice Cave is 85 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Dobšinská Ice Cave to back through Component of Esztramos Hill
Dobšinská Ice Cave → back through Component of Esztramos Hill is 83 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Component of Esztramos Hill to Rákóczi Wine Cellar
back through Component of Esztramos Hill → Rákóczi Wine Cellar is 114 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.