Across the Tokaj Mountains – Rákóczi route, 2nd section

Itinerary:

• Our route follows the P marking all the way from Erdőhorváti to Telkibánya, except for three detours.
• We leave the Rákóczi route at the PL marking for the Regéc Castle, at the P▲ marking for Sólyom-kő, and at the PL marking for the Amadé Castle viewpoint.

Detailed description of the route:

On the edge of the Zemplén wilderness

Starting from the center of Erdőhorváti, at the Roman Catholic church, we head northwest following the P marking. Initially, we walk along Kassai Street, which used to really lead to Kassá via Regéc and Vizsoly, but from the S-turn we turn west into the valley of the Kis-Tolcsva creek, then leave the houses of the settlement. Despite its favorable position and picturesque environment, Erdőhorváti is sparsely populated, although it was mentioned in the Árpád era as having a population of over a thousand. It was famous for its wine and pretzels; both are long-lasting and unbreakable. The border of Tokaj-Hegyalja stretches within the village boundary, extending along the Tolcsva creek valley, between Horváti and Komlóska on the Vég Hill. Phylloxera caused the greatest destruction in the vineyards grown on these dense, forest soils throughout the region. Almost all vines were replanted at the end of the 19th century so that the famously long-lasting Tokcsa and Erdőhorváti wines, which withstand transport well, could quench the thirst of northern inhabitants far away. However, purchasing power dried up with the Trianon borders, and in the 20th century, the old, glorious wine production began a slow decline.

However, the crunchy Horváti pretzel remained popular; at the beginning of the 20th century, several dozen families still baked them in the village. They sold the palm-sized, crunchy rings strung on a string in surrounding towns and markets, where they were a popular treat for locals. The pretzels were consumed either eaten dry in the forest or vineyard or softened at home with hot water mixed with curd cheese.

In the deserted area of the mountain range

One kilometer beyond the village, both the valley and the bulldozer road fork; we turn onto a ridge between the two, onto a third path, beginning a slow climb into the mountains. In a shrubland area among old meadows and pastures, we reach Szőlő-máj peak. Behind us rises the characteristic, hood-shaped peak of Pusztavár and the hills around Tolcsva; from the widening valley of the Tolcsva creek, we look down all the way to the floodplain of the Bodrog. The path initially runs on a wide ridge but, as it narrows, we shift to the western side. This is already the area of oak forests – although the knotty oak trees stand quite sparsely on the increasingly steep, rocky slope, dense undergrowth thrives underneath. We also cross some abandoned meadows – from the groves and small groups of trees sprinkled clearings, the elevations above neighboring Baskó are clearly visible.

From the bulldozer road, with a slight wave through the oak trees, we turn off to the Király-kút, barely a few meters away. From beneath a small pile of stones springs the fissure water, which was valuable for the locals using the meadows, the swineherds, shepherds, and herdsmen grazing in the oak forest. We continue on the bulldozer road and arrive at the grove-like Baski pasture. Between the prominent trees, we leave the creek valley and start a steep climb over a ditch. We cross a washout in dense forest, then join a forestry road; already among significant beech trees, we arrive at the Zabarla saddle.

We are in a deserted area: the several tens of square kilometers mountainous area between Háromhuta, Regéc, Baskó, and Erdőhorváti is crossed solely by the P marking; apart from the few hikers, only game, lumberjacks, and hunters frequent the area. The relative undisturbedness results in wolves prowling the forest. If we walk quietly and attentively, we might have a good chance of spotting some game.

After the Zabarla saddle, the path descends briskly on the other side. Above the source area of the Mély Creek, we reach a wide bulldozer road, which we follow in level ground past the spring basin, then cut across the Farkas-verem saddle and walk briefly along the watershed. To our left is the source of the Arka Creek; to the right, the water network of the Tolcsva creek unfolds. One flows into the Hernád, the other reaches the Tisza through the Bodrog, far over the flat plains of the Great Hungarian Plain. Here, at the springs, we arrive at the base of the impressive rocky ridge, the Regéc Castle Hill.

At Regéc Castle

The particularly steep, rocky peak is, according to experts, an andesite lava neck remaining from a volcanic vent, around which the volcano itself has already eroded away. Some theories hold that here lies the mountain range's only volcanic caldera, i.e., the collapsed, eroded crater remnant: the semi-basin surrounding Regéc.

Following the P marking, we first climb through an atmospheric oak forest from the lowest point of the Farkas-verem, then join a gravel road leading to the castle, which is also followed by the National Blue Trail. Instead of the spiral wagon road leading to the summit, we shorten the long spiral: by following the PL marking (to the left), we take a wild charge on a steep path supported by roots to seize the fortification.

From the newly built old tower of Regéc Castle, we can enjoy one of the most complete panoramas of the Tokaj Mountains. It is no coincidence that the fortress was built here: we overlook the valleys of the Hernád and Bodrog, although these hide in the misty distance. The landscape is dominated by the huge, rounded cone of Gergely Hill, which towers over the Hernád valley and the semi-basin spread out below us. To its east, a series of volcanic cones rolls all the way to the (hidden) floodplain of the Bodrog. To the east, the characteristic truncated cones of the Sátoros Mountains break the monotony of the flattening volcanic ridges. Below us stretches the long valley of the Tolcsva creek; at its bottom hides the former glass factory town of Háromhuta. South of us, countless cones and peaks fade into the misty horizon, capped by the imposing cone of Magoska.

We return from the castle to the P marking on the gravel road, which after a few hundred meters turns into a path. We reach a long clearing from where the elongated rows of houses of Regéc appear below. The road lined with fruit trees ends in a wagon road near the meadow's edge, and crossing the pastures above the village, we reach the houses of Regéc.

At the gateway of Upper Hungary

Crossing sleepy little Regéc, we leave the mountain-village turning left at its northern end. The inhabited area is surrounded by enclosed pastures; the grove-like, tree-grouped meadow offers an impressive view of the medieval castle reigning on the opposite side of the semi-basin. The increasingly dense shrub mosaic on Kovács Hill turns into a uniform oak forest. We rest on the gentler stretch and gather strength for the climb, then curve with a large arch onto the block of the towering Nagy-Szár-kő above us.

It offers one of the most magnificent views of the mountain range – unfortunately, at a considerable distance from the hiking trail, but the rock-surrounded meadow attracts adventurers from afar. The forestry road climbs increasingly steeply on the rocky mountainside, and with increasing altitude, the oak forest changes to the beech forest of the summit region.

At the saddle, a clearly mountain climate dominates, with magnificent beeches guarding the border of the central mountain area. Below us, the extensive valley network of the Gönci-(Nagy-) creek is the innermost part of the Zemplén Landscape Protection Area, harboring many natural values. The names are telling: between Medvemarás and Farkas Hill is our nearby destination, Sólyom-kő, while the rocky opposite side bears the name Medve-Kas. Although our largest predator, the brown bear, has not settled back, it rarely visits; the wolf and lynx, as well as the masters of the air, the common and imperial eagle and the peregrine falcon, also evidently inhabit the area. The zone around us is the largest continuous, settlement-free forest of the Tokaj Mountains, where almost undisturbed naturalness prevails. The branching valley system also inserts itself precisely into the highest average altitude area of the mountain range. Although the peaks fall short of the over 800-meter summit height of the Milic group, the valley basin surrounded by more than 700-meter-high mountains from all directions forms an especially closed terrain.

Between Bán Hill and Téglás-kő, we briefly overlook the source area of the Szerencs creek at Fehér-kút, from where the [Upper Hungarian] mountains, Kassa, and the Gömör-Szepesi mountain ranges can already be seen. The bulldozer road continues through beech forest across the saddle, then we descend on asphalt to the Fehér-kút hunting lodge. The spring outlet now rarely flows, but at the rest area equipped with tables and benches on the edge of the mountain meadow in front of the house, we can catch our breath before the last big rise. From here, we still have to climb 150 meters up to the side of Téglás-kő, the summit point of our route.

From the gravel road on the meadow edge, a forestry road branches off right into the hornbeam-beech forest, gradually climbing up the side of the massive stratovolcano. On the block with varying steepness, scattered characteristic andesite benches and lava flows solidified into stone form bastion-like shapes around the summit region. We cross such a rocky ridge through the dense beech forest, and approaching the mountaintop, the gray andesite towers of Sólyom-kő unfold beyond the trunk column hall.

Sólyom-kő and Amadé Castle

The andesite bastion row forming the edge of the mountain top, Sólyom-kő, is the natural fortress of rock climbers. A forest path marked with P▲ leads to the tops of the towers; from the rock outcrop looking southwest, a beautiful view unfolds. The imposing ridge of the mountain range's western edge is defined by Gergely Hill and the Hernád valley. The former's tilted cone and between us stretches the turtle-shaped valley of the Szerencs creek in a continuous forest cover towards Hejce. Below the village, the Hernád valley opens wide the panorama to the horizon: on clear days, the tilted plateau of the Bükk is also identifiable on the southwestern horizon, and to the north, the Cserehát and the flat, forested ridges of the Gömör hills fade out of sight. The elevated viewpoint has a distinctive atmosphere, as if looking back at the Earth from a box seat, from the gate of another world.

The P▲ marking returns to the P marking after describing a half loop on the opposite side of the mountain top, which, following the previously taken bulldozer road, turns towards Cicés meadow. This meadow surrounded by mixed forest with birch and pine groups characterizes the mountain range - perhaps these patches best evoke the Carpathian atmosphere. On the far side of Cicés meadow, a clearing leads up the side of Téglás-kő, where (in the mountain clearing) we reach the highest point of our hike. From the clearing enclosed by wildlife protection nets, we still get some view of the abandoned peaks; then, with a sharp turn, we head north, descending along the ridge to Amadé Castle.

Leaving the flat, forestry-utilized area, the Amadé Castle ridge is covered with increasingly wild, mossy rocks, steep escarpments, and mixed beech forest. We descend about one kilometer on the narrowing ridge until we reach the castle, segmented by rock ridges, ditches, and stone walls. Only traces remain of the Árpád era fortification, but the place's atmosphere remains distinctive: durable is the proud attitude with which the rock outcrop reigns over the region. A small path marked with PL leads out to the natural base of the castle, the highest rock protrusion from which we overlook the valley of the Gönci creek and the surrounding slopes. Around us rolls the secluded, forested terrain of the Tokaj Mountains; opposite us on the ridge lined with peaks over 700 meters, the massive block of Nagy-Milic spreads. We also see a slice of the Hernád valley, where on a clear day Kassa and the Carpathian mountains lined up behind it also appear.

The steep rocky wall breaking off below us is a relic of the ice age climate, which carved out the harder andesite lava layer from the stratovolcano side. A classic example of this frost pattern can be seen on the ridge we walked and on the opposite side of Téglás-kő on the cliff of Sólyom-kő.

Descent to "Golden Button" Telkibánya

From the lookout point, we return to the P marking, which winds along the western slope descending along the ridge. Leaving the old beech forest, we descend steeply along an old clearing's rump on a steep path to the Kis creek. At the valley floor, we walk along the creek bed and already in gentler terrain, but truly wild, we trek. We cross a meadow whose far side contains a pine forest where the P marked path disappears. Among large mossy stones, in a primeval forest-like, wild area, we wind through the deeply cut creek gorge.

Leaving the winding gorge, the path finds a clearly forestry road and leaves the creek. On the side of Dobogó Hill covered with oak, we arrive on a gentle path at the ruins of the (Gönc) Pauline monastery. The centuries-old oaks towering around the small forest fill it with piety. Stepping into the walls, surprisingly intact decorated capitals, carved pillars, arched ceilings, and gate remains can be discovered; attention can also be drawn to the rose window's place. The hike's visitors from the surrounding settlements, the Hernád Valley Section of the Hungarian Tourist Association, saved the ruins with persistent work at the beginning of the 20th century. Sadly, the residential part of the monastery next to the church was completely destroyed, but based on its size and location, it was probably a multi-storied cloister structure with corridor balconies. The remains cover a large area and are marked by a strongly articulated surface, indicating the former residence of the monks.

From the young forest below the monastery, we descend gently to the confluence of the Kis and Gönci-(Nagy-) creeks, to Potácsház. For a long time, tallow, raw materials for soap and glass manufacture made from ash were boiled here. The woods needed for production could be most easily accessed from the central part of the mountain range, in the valleys of Gönci and Kis creeks surrounded by beech forests. Thanks to Potácsház's location, the produced material did not need to be transported far beyond the mountains. At the beginning of the 20th century, the logs were already carried on a railway track to Gönc train station – mainly for railway sleepers, firewood, or furniture making.

Behind Potácsház, we follow the valley and then cross the ridge saddle separating the Gönci and Ősva creeks. We still have to overcome nearly 100 meters of elevation on the gentle bulldozer path (from which only at the valley head do we turn towards the saddle). On the other side, we descend steeply to the former mining town, Telkibánya.

The settlement recalling its glorious past now lives sleepy weekdays. The wealth and rapid rise brought by quartz veins sprinkled with gold were exhausted within a couple of centuries. The heyday lasted in the 14th-15th centuries, from the reign of Charles Robert to King Sigismund. Later, Prince Rákóczi restarted deep mining to finance the war against the Habsburgs; and the mines operated until the end of the 19th century.

Arriving on the side of Bizsóka Hill, we reach the forest-surrounded cemetery, finally descending on the asphalt road of the Silver Fir Hotel into the village. Crossing the Ősva creek, opposite the Catholic church, we arrive at the main square, where a pub and a bus stop are also located. There is also plenty of accommodation in the village if you would like to continue exploring the Rákóczi route towards Füzér the next day. The bus traffic is also relatively frequent towards the Kassa–Miskolc railway line, to Hidasnémeti.