At the watchtowers of the Northern Bükk

Itinerary

• From Nagyvisnyó, we start on the S trail towards the Dédési-várhegy.
• We make a short detour to the Dédesi castle on the KL trail. (to the left).
• From the fork below the castle, we continue on the S trail to the saddle below Kisvár.
• From the saddle we head towards Bánkút on the K trail.
• On Bánkút road, we turn right onto the Z trail, which takes us up to the Bálvány, then descend back to Nagyvisnyó.
• We reach the bus stop by turning left on the S trail.

Detailed description of the route

On the border of two counties, from Nagyvisnyó to the Bán valley

We start eastward from the center of Nagyvisnyó following the S trail. Nagyvisnyó is a typical Palóc village with a comb-like settlement structure formed by houses and yards built perpendicular to the main road. The locals' livelihood was mainly provided by the forest; they used the narrow valley of the Szilvás and Bán streams as meadows.

Along the village edge meadow, at the foot of the Northern Bükk, we cover a little over a kilometer until the wooded ridge of Taró-bérc reveals our first destination: the characteristic, forest-covered cone of Dédési-várhegy. Here the valley floor narrows at the border of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and Heves counties, where the forests of Bükk and Borsodi hills close in front of us. Here the Bán stream emerges from between the Dédesi and Taró ridges, gracefully winding towards us with a ribbon bordered by alder trees. We follow the stream upstream along a forestry road leading into the mountains. On the left is a cozy forest pub and buffet in the shade of the foothill forest. "Fapuma" is a cult place at the northern foot of Bükk where forest workers, hikers and visitors from the nearby Youth Camp meet and discuss matters of the forest, mountains, and life.

From here truly a borderland, as the forestry road of the Bán valley marks the county boundary; also here the foothill meadow meets the dense ridge forests. A few hundred meters past the Youth Camp buildings, the S trail cuts left into the oak forest, where we begin the long climb to the top of Bükk. The Bálvány stands nearly 700 meters above us, and with detours and the ridgeline undulation, the elevation gain we have to face approaches 1000 meters. Nevertheless, pacing well we conquer the height, first climbing in a pleasant, light oak forest on the western side of Bán valley. Soon we reach the ridge, into the dense Var-forest, which was typically kept clear in medieval times so enemies could not hide in it. We arrive at the foot of the Dédési-várhegy cone via intertwined forestry roads. On the steep ramp cut by a wide bulldozer road, we fight up the first significant elevation beyond the cone. Here we also cross an ancient rampart, as the ridge including Dédési-várhegy was the site of a much larger and older fortification, which can be seen up close in the next kilometers. But first, we besiege the medieval Dédesi castle.

Conquering the Dédesi Castle

We emerge from the steep side of the Bán valley under the saddle between Dédesi castle and Kisvár. Until the early 2000s this was a quaint meadow, serving as the site of the marketplace below the castle on the flat area. Today this area is covered by dense bushes; alongside it, we turn off onto the KL marked path leading to the castle. The path spiraling around the cone of Vár-hegy makes a full turn to the summit, climbing in a thick forest of increasingly rocky and craggy terrain clockwise. In the dark linden-beech forest on the northern side, with trunks covered in thick moss carpets, we reach the natural defense line of Vár-hegy, the rocky ledge on the northeast side. The path steepens but after a few steps we reach the lookout on the rock summit.

From this natural watchpost, we overlook the deep, forest-covered gorge of Vár valley below us. The opposite, furrowed side is alternately covered with beech and oak, while the upper section of Vár valley splits into side valleys—the Recem, Moldva, and Torma valleys—covered by a truly mixed forest composition. The branching valley system steeply climbs the Bükk massif to the northern edge of the plateau, which culminates at the right in the summit of Bálvány, recognizable by its lookout and translucent radio tower. Before it, an impressive limestone tower breaks the gently undulating forested ridge: the Kisvár rock fortress is strictly protected, a favorite among climbers and one of the most beautiful rock ridges in the country.

We reach the summit with one more short bend, closing the circle around Vár-hegy. On the wooded hilltop stands ruined wall remnants, only a fragment of the former castle that dominated the northern part of the massif. Its fall was caused by defenders who fled the Turkish siege, according to legend after 15 days of fighting the defenders retreated from their hopeless situation and blew up the castle on the invading Turks.

Climbing to the edge of the Bükk plateau

Returning to the junction on the KL trail, we continue carving through the elevation layers, circumventing the small prominences of the Verebec-vár ridge on the S trail. We pass near the white limestone tower of Kisvár visible through dense trees, and in the saddle behind it join the circulation of the Országos Kéktúra. Here the S trail descends into Vár valley, and the bulldozer road we have been using is accompanied further by the K trail. Until the late 2000s, a hiking trail led up to the Kisvár rock bastion, but the summit marking was removed due to increased protection, the fragile plant life of the rocks, and falcons nesting on the cliff.

Even if we do not go to Kisvár, we can look out to the nearby Vásárhely-kő. Continuing along the bulldozer road with the K trail, we bypass the towering cone opposite. From a bend, on the right side, a clearing opens on the western side of the mountain, with a rock ledge offering a half-circular panorama. What was hidden from Dédesi castle we can see from here. From the well-recognizable mass of Bálvány and beyond the chain of northwestern ridges, the western horizon unfolds towards Nagyvisnyó and the Nógrád hills, the central part of "Palócföld".

Further on, we gradually climb the Verebec-vár ridge along the broad bulldozer road. We bend onto the Pados-side through youthful and mixed ash, hornbeam-beech forests; here the chain of rocky ledges is truly articulated. We arrive at the ancient castle's central area where significant Iron Age finds were uncovered. Traces of the settlement and the ramparts around the fortification can be found around the highest point of the ridge, Verebec-vár. The narrowing ridge section called the Vaskapu shifts the former oak forest into old beech forest, and after a small prominence, we enter the Verebec saddle serving as a junction. For a long time, the steep eastern escarpment was crossed here by the Országos Kéktúra route ascending from Vár valley, eastwards on the level road. The bulldozer road leads towards Nyír-kő and the Farkasnyaki fork, but we continue southwards on the steep Ördög-side climbing path.

On the extremely exposed north side, the bulldozer road traverses a thick beech forest. The limestone massif of the Central Bükk here turns into softer, shaly rocks, so along easily eroding old sediments, the northern edge of the raised limestone plateau plunges several hundred meters. The increasingly rocky mountain side tests our endurance over more than a kilometer, but coming out of the Ördög-side we immediately feel relief. On the level saddle, next to a pine forest, we cross the Bánkút road and a short distance left into the hornbeam-beech forest on the opposite side, descending gently towards the Bánkút ski slopes. After a short traverse, we reach a wide meadow between the forests, operating as ski slopes in the increasingly rare snowy winters. Opposite the last lift row, we pass by a prestigious tourist house offering accommodation and services. On benches in front of the old ski house, near Bán-kút spring, we can rest before the last climb taking us to the top of the massif.

The Bálvány lookout, the highest accessible point of Bükk

We climb up to the saddle where the parking lot is located, and turn right in front of the Fehér Sas pension, then enter the forest on the left at the asphalt road bend, now following the Z trail. We reach the rocky ridge of Bálvány over a rock outcrop, following it westwards to the highest point of the mountain. After riding the small undulation of the ridge, we arrive at the summit covered with pines, ashes, and beeches, near the translucent tower and the Petőfi lookout.

The building has multiple levels; if you are not afraid of heights, it’s worth climbing the last ladder from the middle wooden platform, as the view unfolds from the highest level. Around us is the forest of Bálvány, whose upper branches offer a view of the Dédési-várhegy and the rocky crest of Kisvár to the north. Striking is the richness of the northward falling ridges and the deep valleys swallowed by dense forest cover. Directly below us to the west lies the valley of Ablakos-kő, out of which only the steep ridges rising around it are visible. In the distance, the western horizon is bordered by the Mátra Mountains, north of which the Palóc hills roll with many summits along the borders of three counties and present-day Slovakia, with the volcanic ranges of Heves-Borsodi hills and Karancs–Medves region. To the north beyond the Bükk foothills and the Uppony Mountains, the northern section of the Carpathians is visible in good weather, with the Low Tatras capped by snowy peaks, and farther right the rocky crown of the High Tatras. Southward lies most of the Bükk plateau, gently rolling, forested landscape dotted with cones and meadows. An interesting feature above the Bánkút ski slope is the radar station built around the millennium, resembling a huge golf ball with its white dome. Below it, over the cutting of Garadna valley, the view extends to Miskolc and the edge of the Great Plain.

Long descent to the Szilvási-valley

Continuing below the summit on the Z trail, we enter a clearing, then follow a bulldozer road northward in sparse, old forest. Initially, we remain on the gently rolling plateau of Bálvány, where forest management roads follow the gentlest courses. At the edge of a meadow, we cross a bulldozer road running level, and on the far side, following a ridge branching from Bálvány, we wind between increasingly steep escarpments on the Z trail. We are surrounded by one of the wildest regions of the massif: nearly impenetrable gorge valleys and rocky mountain sides that host flora and many protected animals left from the last Ice Age. To the left of the ridge lies an extremely steep mountain area under strict protection. The protection is guaranteed by the wild fauna, although in the 20th century, a forestry railway pushed up from Nagyvisnyó to the mouth of the gorge valley to exploit the harvestable woods.

On the distinctly shaped ridge, crossing dense forests with its gentle undulations, this part of Bükk has been little traveled; the tourist traffic experienced on Bánkút doesn’t cross over the Bálvány massif, leaving Nagyvisnyó as the nearest destination several hundred meters below. The ridge follows the curve of the deeply incised Ablakos-kő valley below, turning west and undulating between 700 and 800 meters through Taró-fő and Száraz-pallag.

After one last promontory, the road steeply descends northwestward on the Mála-bérc; behind us remains the strictly protected area of the Northern Bükk escarpment. Views increasingly open through forest clearings to the hills below. The previously mixed beech forests increasingly change to oak with decreasing elevation. Over two and a half kilometers on the Mála-bérc we descend continuously 350 meters. At the lower section, we hike through acacia and black pine forests, and the last prominence of the ridge above Nagyvisnyó leads through pine groves and meadows, from where a striking view unfolds over the hills gently becoming undulating. Behind us are the wildly rolling northern ridges, with the impressive Kisvár and the cone of Dédési-várhegy on the edge. Except for Bánkút and the ski slopes, we can overlook the entire route taken so far, serving as a worthy conclusion to the long hike. Through the gentle meadow of Méhecső-side and behind some homesteads, we arrive at Nagyvisnyó on the main road between Eger and Kazincbarcika. We return to the bus stop by turning left on the S trail.