Kohászok route (Kohász blue trail), section 1: Salgótarján – Istenmezeje

Itinerary

• From the railway station underpass heading west, we take a detour on the S mark to the Galcsik Inn to get the first stamp, then we walk back.
• From the underpass of Salgótarján railway station, we follow the K mark to Istenmezeje.

Detailed description of the route

Salgótarján – Bárna: below the Medves region basalt plateau

The Kohászok route starts with a short detour: from the railway station we need to follow the S mark to the Galcsik Inn, where we find the first stamp at the reception. After a quarter-hour round trip walk, we step onto the K mark in the underpass of the railway station, leaving the town along gently climbing streets, whose center bears the marks of socialist urban planning. The industrialization and town development of Salgótarján, however, did not start in the second half of the 20th century: in the mid-19th century, the extraction of the nearby brown coal gave life to one of the most significant Hungarian companies of the era, followed by the opening of the steel factory and the early (1867) railway construction. The panel houses were built in the 1960s in the narrow valley, just before the mine closed in the next decade.

Leaving the garden houses, after a short forest section, we leave a holiday resort, on the far side of which it is worth making the first optional detour of the route: we can climb up to the top of the Pécs-kő basalt block on the S, then in the last meters on the S▲ marks. On a narrow ledge, helped by a stretched rope, we reach one of the best views of the Medves region. We can see the entire block of Karancs on the far side of the city, the Medves plateau, the nearby Salgó Castle, and if we are attentive, large slag cones resembling termite mounds can also be spotted nearby. The mountainous view from Pécs-kő includes the Mátra and our further route. The rock monolith is formed from lava retained in the former volcanic vent. In the past, basalt quarried for cobblestones was transported down using a cableway; later, a ski slope even reached here.

Returning to the K mark, we descend into a shallow valley and circumvent a forester’s lodge with a large bend in a nice forest, avoiding pine clusters. We arrive at a memorial plaque next to power lines, where we find the Inászói stamp. On the widening valley floor stood Inászó in the first half of the 20th century, which had 2,300 inhabitants at its peak and even a hospital; only a few ruined buildings and photos on the plaque remind us of it, as it became depopulated in the 1970s. The 13th-century market town was resettled in the mid-19th century when mining began at the Ó-Mária-taró coalfield (and with it Salgótarján’s coal mining). Around the area, coal was mined in 24 mines in the mid-20th century – a memento of the era is the memorial site created on the left side of the road further down.

We reach the Mátraszele road on a wide dirt road, and on its far side the terrain and the character of the forest also changes. We walk along a narrow beech-covered small valley, then struggle to climb the valley head with bends. We cross over a clear-cut area and continue through mixed forest to the meadows next to Bárna. It is worth looking out to the former pastures, as the steep cliff Szér-kő opposite the valley offers a nice view. We arrive in the village on a road lined with Scots pines, possibly along the area of a former ski slope; on the way to the destination, we also pass by a rock chapel – the sandstone appearing in its wall already defines the terrain shapes for the coming days.

In the center of Bárna, the stamp hangs on the board in the park. We also visit the café, then turn off among houses and bypass the calvary and the bell tower on a sandy road. It is worth taking these into the route, as the reward for a few meters’ detour is a splendid view of the village filling the valley. (And we can also ring the bell.) In the meadows on the edge of the village, on the edge of a marshy depression, bivouac huts built on local initiative stand (two in number), next to which a resting place has been built. Water must be brought from the village, but embraced by pines and meadows, and somewhat isolated from the settlement, it is a perfect campsite for one evening of the Kohászok route.

Bárna – Istenmezeje: a remote hilly region with a monumental basalt needle

The continuation of the route presents a tough choice: the Kohász blue continues in a mixed but usual forest bypassing the nearby Nagy-kő, but if we leave the official route and choose the K▲ mark, with a steep climb we can reach a rocky viewpoint as well. It might help with the decision if we say that the Nagy-kő near Bárna is one of the most spectacular panoramic points in Northern Hungary. The trail leading to the summit is also beautiful, narrowing at times to a ridge road and weaving among boulders scattered due to rockfall, but standing on the top of the huge basalt needle is an unforgettable experience. The exposed, vertically 'cut' rock shape was created by mining, and its material is basalt solidified in a volcanic vent, showing also circular patterns. From its top, the panorama extends from Börzsöny to the Aggtelek karst, everywhere rolling forested hills and mountains, and a defining element of the view recalling the wilderness of the Carpathians is the Mátra range stretching ostentatiously like a giant wall right in front.

From Nagy-kő, we continue all the way to the connection of the K mark. A short descent is followed by a long forest winding, roughly keeping level, circumventing the fence of a large game reserve. Sometimes on a wide transport road, sometimes on forest trails, we hike; at times glimpsing toward the hills of the Vajdavár region, but this section is not defined by panoramas. In dry weather, the sand is underfoot, after rains the clay slips, but at least the terrain poses no challenge. From a cleared slope, a nice view opens of the Mátra ridge, then it is worth a short right turn from the mark to see the forest meadow waves toward Mátracserpuszta – whoever ventures to the not-so-distant end of the trail will get a nice view of the Mátra.

The comfortable, uneventful but atmospheric section reveals a scarcely visited forest landscape, where bears and wolves regularly occur. When the pleasant yet soon monotonous forest landscape lulls you, and you might think we simply 'slide down' to Istenmezeje, the route offers one last surprise: the aptly named Katus pit leading to the village. A narrow path clings to the edge of the slope in the dark beech forest of the gorge-like valley, and every step should be taken carefully, since due to height and terrain conditions, slipping can sometimes be fatal.

In the center of Istenmezeje, we can get the next stamp on the covered terrace of the town hall. Further up, near the main road, there is a restaurant. After eating, it is worth taking a short detour to the rock formation called Noé's vineyard, whose grooved sandstone surface and the view opening from the edge make a perfect closure to this section.