Jósvafő – Bódvaszilas (Day 57 of the OKT Hike)

Jósvafő is a real treasure trove: neat houses, well-kept yards, and the murmur of a stream wherever we turn. Today’s section begins on the outskirts of Ófalu at the bridge over the Kecső Creek, so we see only a tiny slice of Jósvafő before soon leaving the village behind in the fairy-tale valley of the Tohonya Creek. The first stamp of the day is located on the signpost just past the stream bridge. Shortly after leaving Jósvafő, we pass the brick-lined entrance to the Kossuth Cave —which can only be visited on a guided tour—where a rest area has also been set up. Next to it, the water that collects in the cave emerges at the surface as the spectacular Nagy-Tohonya Spring, which resembles a hydraulic structure more than a traditional spring. The streams flowing toward Jósvafő have carved a spectacular little gorge in the limestone, and a few hundred meters from here, we can witness it for ourselves: along the gravel-strewn path winding between the steep mountain slopes, boulders of varying sizes make the Blue Trail a sight to behold. Soon we arrive at a small clearing, where the K trail markers lead us onward through an electric fence.

We can cross the electric fence by unhooking the standard plastic-handled hook—this marks the boundary of the Hucul herd’s territory. The herd of 200 horses, kept in austere conditions, can be seen year-round on the Jósvafő Plateau and the Gergés-Lápai pastures; the OKT trail also leads here after a short but memorable climb. Breeding of the renowned Hucul horse breed ceased in Hungary after World War II, and only resumed in the 1970s, when Dr. Csaba Anghy, then director of the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden, gathered purebred Hucul horses. The ten mares were transferred to Aggtelek National Park in 1986; additional purebred horses were purchased from abroad to join them, and the modern breeding of Huculs was launched. Hikers can see the success of this effort for themselves, as we ride alongside the horses for kilometers along the OKT trail toward the entrance to the Szelce Valley. The bushy, sparsely wooded pasture is bordered on all sides by beautiful peaks; hiking here is a wonderful experience, though it’s worth preparing for the scorching sun with a hat, sunscreen, and plenty of fluids. Where there are animals, there are flies; you can only prepare yourself mentally for the swarm of these two-winged pests.

We bid farewell to the herd at the northern gate of the electric fence and enter the wide western entrance to the Szelce Valley. The highest peak of the Aggtelek Karst, the 604-meter-high Fertős-tető and the 440-meter-high Kopasz-tető, the Szelce Valley—which narrows significantly in places—is one of Hungary’s most beautiful grassy pastures. The Blue Trail route was rerouted here in 2026. The valley, with its unique atmosphere, constantly “feeds” our eyes with beautiful scenery; it’s worth stopping to take a photo every single meter. A dirt road runs through the valley, which we’ll be following. Trees dot the grassy strip along the road, but on the steep slopes of the western side, the sparse shrub forests of the karst hillsides dominate. To our right, however, on the eastern side of the Szelce Valley, a contiguous canopy of oak trees dominates the gentler slopes.

The Szelce Valley follows a structural line; a small, low-flow stream carved its way into this depression, eventually seeping deep underground, and with its final disappearance, the valley’s incision was completed.

About halfway through the valley, at a right-angle bend, we follow the dirt road to the right, alongside the power lines heading toward Szelcepuszta. Toward the eastern end, the path, which gradually opens up, turns north again, and soon, after turning onto the paved road, we arrive in Szelcepuszta. Among hikers, the settlement is famous for its tourist lodge, built in the 1960s and, following its renovation, now known as the Borz-Alom Forestry School. (It’s definitely worth staying there; the building features rooms of various sizes—some with individual heating in winter—and well-maintained common areas.)

Previously, it was also possible to stay at the Kastélyszálló, which was converted from a former count’s hunting lodge; however, it has not been in operation since the change of ownership in 2022. This was a favorite hunting ground of Miklós Horthy; he used the building’s predecessor (which burned down), and the regent even had bears introduced into the forest.

Although we’ve left the Hucul stud farm behind us, the equestrian theme continues to accompany us for the next few kilometers. After Szelcepuszta, we first descend into the Patkós Valley, where there is a rest area and the Puska Pál Spring—also known as the Patkós Spring. Cold karst water flows abundantly from the spring even during droughts; we can always count on it. (There is also a covered rest area next to it.) The Patkós Stream, which flows through the Patkós Valley, joins the Lizina Stream—coming from the northwest—to form the Ménes Stream, and we continue along the Blue Trail toward the northeast through its shady, damp, and narrow, winding valley. The stream, flowing at an elevation of 280 meters, is bordered by steep-sided 400-meter ridges; in this cool environment, we also encounter extrazonal beech forests.

The Medve-kerti Spring, which rises higher up in the Ménes Valley, still preserves the memory of the nearby bear park to this day; and in the Sárog Garden above it, a fence was built (with the help of residents from Derenk and Szögliget), into which two pairs of bears (reportedly from Poland) were placed. According to some accounts, these were bears that had previously been kept in captivity and were accustomed to humans, so they could not be set free; local hunters and foresters took care of feeding them (with crops, corn, fruit, and occasionally horse meat). By the 1940s, their offspring numbered more than twenty; many of which were released into the wild; some were rarely seen in nearby villages (e.g., near beehives or in orchards), but with one exception, there are no records of any conflict ending in a shooting (even that was necessitated by bees that had gone wild due to their overturned beehives). Then, in 1944, as the front line approached, the animals kept in the garden were set free.

We leave the Ménes Valley behind at the Derenki turnoff: turning left and making our way down the slope of the Ubocs-side saddle, we arrive at the Mocsolya Stream. Over the next kilometer, meadows and patches of forest alternate; soon the landscape opens up, and in a wide, bowl-shaped depression (i.e., a polje), we reach the Derenki stamp, which hangs on the OKT information board.

Derenk – Szabó-Pallag Forest House

Derenk is first mentioned in written records in 1427, but it is likely that the area was already inhabited when the nearby Szádvár was built in the 13th century. The settlement, which had existed until the early 18th century, was completely destroyed by the plague, but in 1727 it was repopulated, mainly by Polish families. After two centuries of relative tranquility, the village’s subsequent depopulation had a much more prosaic cause: Miklós Horthy wanted to establish a bear reserve and an undisturbed hunting ground in the area, so it was decided to relocate the village’s residents. The Polish-speaking population was dispersed among the surrounding settlements in 1943, and although the bear reserve was ultimately never established due to World War II, the residents did not return. Derenk was left with only one resident: István Babarcsik, who held out in the village until the late 1960s. Another interesting fact about Derenk is that on June 4, 1920, , the Czechoslovak-Hungarian border was drawn precisely along the line of its only street, which would have resulted in nearly all of the houses falling within Czechoslovakia. A referendum was held, in which the steadfast residents of Derenk voted to remain part of Hungary, so the border was moved to the top of the hill, a few hundred meters further north.

Today, only the ruins of the barn and the beautifully restored school building remain in their original form in Derenk. The latter serves as a memorial to the local Polish community: the interior of the farmhouse, which has no doors or windows, has been arranged like a museum. Anyone can go inside to pay their respects to the displaced villagers—and for hikers, the site also serves as a welcome shelter and resting spot. In front of the school building stands a chapel and a stone cross, both erected in the 1990s. Together with the nearby cemetery, the Derenk memorial site awaits visitors in a dignified and well-maintained condition.

The alternation of meadows and forests continues beyond Derenk, and at the Várkert junction, you can choose to climb the nearby Szádvár. The ruins of this grandiose fortress, built in the mid-13th century, remain imposing to this day, and the 480-meter-high hill offers a spectacular panoramic view. The detour adds at least one hour to the trip, covers about 3 km of extra distance, and involves an additional elevation gain of nearly 100 m, but if you can, be sure to visit Szádvár! The castle ruins cover an area of nearly one hectare and are divided into inner and outer castles. After the Tatar invasion, it served as an important defensive stronghold for the region; then, in 1675, imperial troops blew it up and rendered it uninhabitable, as they suspected it of being a hotbed of the Thököly uprising. You can reach the castle from two directions via the PL-marked hiking trail. From the south, you follow a steep, serpentine path, while arriving from the north, you can ascend to the castle via a seemingly endless flight of stairs flanked by rocks. The staircase cutting through the wall of the lower castle is one of the most unique, atmospheric, and fantasy-like sights of the entire hike.

Returning to the Blue Trail, during the final third of the day’s section, we explore the Alsó-hegy massif before descending from the karst plateau to Bódvaszilas. Alsó-hegy is one of the most spectacular, high plateaus of the Aggtelek Karst, towering above Bódvaszilas, Komjáti, and Tornanádaska, and dropping sharply down into the Bódva Valley. We’ll tackle the hike’s greatest elevation gain over the next 5 kilometers—though the ascent isn’t very steep, it’s continuous and monotonous, making it tiring. Near Szádvár lies the Lakatos Spring, named after the speleologist László Lakatos, which, unfortunately, has been dry for quite some time. The caver passed away in 1969 while exploring the nearby Meteor Cave, and the spring was named in his honor in 1974.

We climb up to the plateau of Alsó-hegy through a forest in excellent condition and appearance, winding our way among the tree stumps, and our efforts are rewarded by the sad sight of the Szabó-pallag forester’s lodge, which is in poorer condition and appearance. Next to the house, which no longer has any doors or windows, we find the next OKT stamp, but a decent rest area has also been set up here, equipped with several tables, benches, a rain shelter, and a fire pit.

Near the forester’s lodge, at Nóra-lyuk, we are closest to the national border: Slovakia is less than a hundred meters away.

Szabó-Pallag Forest House – Bódvaszilas

After getting our stamp, we continue for a while along the Alsó-hegy plateau, skirting around the sinkholes and potholes, and we also walk past the entrance to Meteor Cave—which can only be visited with a guide—that opens at the bottom of the rocky Kis-vizes-töbör. Our path, which has been descending all along, begins a much steeper descent at the Hársas-oldal fork, and the landscape changes as well. The continuous beech forest gives way to the oak-and-shrub forest typical of karst slopes, and here and there we catch glimpses of the view through the sparse foliage. Below us lies Bódvaszilas, and behind it stands Esztramos, with its jagged peak, broken yet proud, on the opposite side of the Bódva Valley.

The OKT trail ends in Bódvaszilas; from the road leading into the village, the sheer face of Alsó Hill is also breathtakingly spectacular—it’s worth looking back from time to time. On the outskirts of the village, you’ll find the old granary, which has been beautifully renovated and repurposed (since 2013, it has served as an arts center called MagtArt), then we walk past the garden of St. Joseph the Worker Church to follow the pictograms leading to the train station—instead of the “K” markers—along the main street, Kossuth Lajos Street. The last stamp on our section is located at the train station, on the wall next to the ticket office.