At the top of the Bükk

Itinerary:

• We start on the Z▲ trail from the Gloriette clearing. 
• We take a detour to the Szalajka spring on the asphalt next to the Upper Lake, then on an unmarked path.
• Returning to the dam of the lake, we head uphill on the ZΩ trail, which joins the Z▲ trail again.
• We make a round-trip detour to the Istállós-kő cave.
• We continue on the Z▲ trail, passing Istállós-kő. A detour to Szilvási-kő is possible on the S▲ trail.
• We descend back into the Szalajka valley on the Z trail, passing the Kopasz meadow.
• We reach back to the Gloriette clearing on a short section of the Z▲ trail.

Details about the route:

The Szalajka stream then and now

We start from the upper station of the Szilvásvárad State Forestry Railway, from the Gloriette clearing along the Z▲ trail. The only public transport reaching here is the narrow-gauge railway, though it is worth exploring the Szalajka valley on foot, either uphill or downhill, extending the route by over two kilometers. The Szalajka stream is one of the most atmospheric and spectacular waterways of the Bükk, with waterfalls cascading over tufa dams, dammed forest ponds, many graceful trout living in its crystal-clear water flowing through alder shadows leaning over the stream. However, the karst spring responding quickly to rainfall can dramatically change the valley's mood suddenly. So it happened that in October 1976, more than a hundred liters of water per second burst to the surface from the Szalajka spring, turning the creek into a muddy flood and carrying away everything in its way in the Szalajka valley.

To prevent similar cases, the Upper Lake was created immediately below the spring, which our hike touches right above the railway station. Long ago, here above the reservoir by the spring, the path serpentine led to the Istállós-kő cave - however, in April 2017, late-arriving snow clung to the branches of the leafed-out trees, combined with stormy winds, causing forest sections to collapse. We must walk back to the reservoir dam to continue our route, where the ZΩ trail curves up through the intact forest on the hillside and climbs to the Szalajka spring along the edge of the ridge. Here the path bypasses a rocky projection supported by a railing, steeply rising toward the spring cliff. The hiking trail leads to this wild area deliberately: the ancient source of the Szalajka stream is located here, nearly 100 meters above the current outflow. The imprint of the past represents a higher, less deeply cut Szalajka valley. This ancient spring carves a wide source cave into the western escarpment of the Bükk, which we can also visit with a short detour of a few tens of meters.

As the bushy rock ridges close in, the path climbs higher diagonally and reveals a cave with a triangular entrance leading into the deep Bükk wilderness with an imposing rock arch before us. The natural shelter was also the shelter of prehistoric humans during the ice age, and the Bükk shepherds also liked to stay here with their animals in the spacious cave. The hillside towering above us was named after this cave, Istállós-kő. The nearly 60-meter hall with a tent-like ceiling shows dripstone flows and campfire traces. Even in the hottest summer, the cave remains cool, while in the harsh winter, the interior of the mountain breathes a gentle breath into the hall.

On the ridges of the Western Bükk

From the junction leading to the cave, we have to descend a few meters back into the valley, where the path nestles into the boulder-filled gorge. We walk in one of the most characteristic and wildest representatives of the Bükk’s gorge valleys; around us are bold shapes, the monumental block of the Bükk mountains rising imposingly. The narrowing Szalajka valley runs into a steep mountainside where the path curves left in a shallow cut diverted by the ridge above the cave. Here begins the steep ascent gaining nearly 400 meters in elevation, completed over about one and a half kilometers - approaching one of the most difficult paths in the mountain range and the highest peaks of the Bükk.

This section is recommended only for experienced hikers in bad weather: on wet surfaces after rain or especially on snowy or icy ground, dangerous slips may occur. Despite this, the route itself is beautiful, showing true mountain character with rocky ridges and winding wilderness trails among old beeches.

The rocky ridge above the Istállós-kő cave culminates on a small forepeak forming a steep, rocky saddle on the side of Istállós-kő. Here we join an old rock-cut path that bypasses the rocky projection along the middle of a tremendous drop-off. From here, on the opposite side, we continue climbing in a notch. This is the steepest segment where our physical strength is truly tested. The path climbs meter by meter between the roots of old beeches; it is worth using natural root-formed steps. We gain well over 100 meters in elevation over about 200 meters horizontal distance, a steep slope for a hiking trail.

Luckily, we cross an old path here in the steepest side that encircles the block of Istállós-kő between Ispán Hill saddle and Great Kopasz. We turn onto this rest-like path entering the northern side of the mountain, where the last push to the summit must be completed. This section is still very steep but less strenuous compared to the middle segment. The forest is also younger, less scenic, but on the northern and northwestern sides some shade may provide relief in the morning hours on this sweaty section.

The rounded mountain top signals we are near the summit, where unexpectedly appears the forest clearing surrounded by a leafy canopy, the highest point of the mountain. To the right is a wooden cross, and to the left the rocky summit proudly holds the wooden pole marking the mountain's peak. The recorded height of 959 meters was long the highest known in the mountain range but modern, precise satellite measurements revised this. Behind the mountain's edge projection and just a few hundred meters from Istállós-kő, the forested summit named Szilvási-kő proved to be about one and a half meters higher. Our further route leads here as well, along the eastern ridge of Istállós-kő, which bypasses a flat summit depression.

We reach the saddle between Istállós and Szilvási-kő, where the previously followed Z▲ trail turns off to the south side. To see the actual highest point, one must side-slip a few hundred meters from the saddle to the north on the S▲ trail. At the junction equipped with a small sign, we can reach the rocky peak of Szilvási-kő on an unmarked path, which towers on the border of pine forest and beech forest.

Our original route, however, descends on the southern side of Istállós-kő into the saddle beneath the mountain, where we continue right, westward on the Z trail through the hall of impressive beech trunks. The slope rests in a small hollow before we truly enter again the western escarpment of the plateau.

Descent back to Szalajka valley

The Z trail, up to now on a wide cart track, detours to the right around the ridge of Little Hill, leaving the comfortable road; we start to descend steeply into a cut. The path follows the natural slope, located at the foot of the cone-shaped mountain formed south of Great Kopasz's rounded block. On this segment, we make a half-circle around the mountain, slowly losing arduously gained elevation.

At the bottom of the cut, a side path branches off at a resting place, the K+ trail, which leads to the Őr-kő meadow, offering a very scenic alternative for the descent. We, however, continue on the most effective and fastest route back, the Z trail, which shows a characteristic plateau meadow. At the junction, we reach the Kopasz meadow, a typical mountain hay meadow situated in a flat saddle. On the far side of the meadow, decorated with vivid green grass and colorful flowers, stands a strange concrete building sunk below the meadow level. Here opens the Kopasz meadow cave, with a rocky throat disappearing behind the bushes letting cavers access the mountain’s interior.

At Kopasz meadow, the slope temporarily softens, but entering the cut between Great Kopasz and Küllő Hill, the bulldozer road descends steeply from the plateau's edge. Between the stony mountainsides, we soon emerge at the saddle created by Little Kopasz, where a barely visible forest clearing hides in the old beech forest. On the bulldozer road leading to the hayfield, we curve left, southward with a gentle slope, and after a few minutes of nearly level hiking, the Z trail turns off again from the comfortable road into a steep, stony cut. The western escarpment of the plateau truly begins here, but the path cleverly leads out to a ridge of a rock projection. This shoulder temporarily eases the path’s steepness, but at the rockeridge saddle, it cuts right into a cut under the ridge. This short but indeed strenuous, rocky, and boulder-strewn section is the key point of the descent. After the steep segment, we turn onto a serpentine path entering beneath the rock, where after a few hundred meters, the entire hillside softens, letting us exit the technical section. We then follow the ridge formed as a continuation of the rocky plateau, from which a heavily overgrown path leads right to the wide bulldozer road coming from the Ugró-kő mine. From here, we comfortably descend to the forestry road running in the Horotna valley, which leads back to the Szalajka valley with truck-width.

Here we only follow the road for a few hundred meters, on which we could comfortably return to the narrow-gauge railway terminal, but the Z trail turns left down to the creek. This path is quite steep and hard to pass in several sections due to fallen trees, but along a scenic creekside promenade, we reach the forest museum and Fátyol waterfall at the mouth of the Szalajka valley. If the creekside path is overgrown, muddy, or slippery, we can cross the dam on the opposite side and descend comfortably to the forest road. Close to the creek, we reach an outdoor exhibition displaying the mountain people's life and forestry work. At the small clearing, where a clever and illustrative forest museum is set up, and at the large covered rest area at the end, the Horotna valley flows into the Szalajka valley, where we again greet the fast-flowing Szalajka stream, an old acquaintance. Right from us, above the confluence of the two valleys, lies the Fátyol waterfall, Hungary's most spectacular tufa dam system, where the Szalajka stream tumbles downward in a wide, shimmering curtain. Here we reconnect with the Z▲ trail we followed at the beginning. Crossing the Gloriette clearing, we return to the narrow-gauge railway terminal, closing the loop.

If we still have enthusiasm and spirit for exploration, it is worth walking the last short section from Fátyol waterfall to Szilvásvárad, as the natural sights here follow each other like vendors at a fair along the gently descending, barely two-kilometer stretch. The Szikla spring which flows from rock with a waterfall into a small pond, the trout hatchery's pools surrounded by lush vegetation, the spectacular, crystal-clear Szalajka stream lakes, numerous trout and impressive aquatic plants, a wildlife park, forestry museum, narrow-gauge railway, and bazaar row touch numerous sights before we arrive back in the village.