Bátor educational trail

Itinerary : 

You must follow the blue T mark all the way

• Our starting point is the Tourist Center located in the middle of Bátor, from here we head towards Nagy-oldal
• At the end of the village turn right, then under the forest turn left towards Muszka Hollow
• Here turn right up the ravine slope, then after the 4th station turn right up to the hilltop
• After the 5th station we descend into Jófia Valley, then continue along the Víz Valley
• We join the route of the National Blue Trail (K)
• After the forestry nursery garden, turn left onto the paved road
• After the bridge over Laskó Creek we leave the National Blue Trail, sharply turn right into the forest along the creek
• At the village boundary, the road splits two ways: to the right a short 10-minute detour leads to a geological outcrop and the Nagy-kő rock formation (stations 9 and 10) 
• We return crossing over the creek bridge, continuing towards the village
• Entering the village, we walk past the cemetery, then after leaving the chapel the trail crosses to the other side of the road, heading up to the church
• Following the trail, we arrive back at the Tourist Center

Detailed description of the route :

The blue T marked educational trail starts from the tourist information center located in the middle of Bátor, where you can get information about the trail and find informational brochures. On the eastern side of the village, under the wooded slope of Nagy-oldal, the path leads past a ruined granary building to the Mogyorós Well. The well is actually a spring, covered with a push-handle well house, and its water is drinkable and very fine with high mineral content. Here there is a shelter building containing the trail starting board and an overview map. Nearby, in an abandoned quarry, a fire pit and resting place have been established. The path leaves the village under the forest, winding along the edge of a meadow. At the 2nd station – from where there is a beautiful panorama overlooking the settlement – you can learn about the special birdlife of the meadow. Afterwards, the path bends into a narrow ravine, the Muszka Hollow, where the 3rd station is located. Here you can observe special geological formations, pillow lavas formed 160 million years ago by underwater volcanism. Shortly afterwards, under a pine forest, the sign of the 4th station appears, where you can learn about the historical trade routes of the region – one of which we are currently on – and the memories of the region's former outlaw world. The path turns right, then upon reaching the hilltop a beautiful view unfolds before us: northwest the castles of Medves, Karancs and Salgó and the mountains above Ajnácskő, in the distance the Vepor massif, and to the north the steep sandstone hills of the Vajdavár region (Ő-Bükk). A few old centuries-old oaks still stand here; unfortunately, they are all that remains of the once extensive wooded pasture, whose history, economic significance, and changes in forest management are presented on the sign of the 5th station.

We descend into Víz Valley, where the trickling brook shelters a special community of life: the world of sticky willows developed on the valley bottom. Many rare plant species live in the cool valley, and old trees provide habitats for several rare bird species. This community of life is shown on the sign of the 6th station.

After a short walk, for a while we join the National Blue Trail (K) section (OKT-22) between Sirok and Szarvaskő. At the valley bottom – where we cross the creek – there is a sandstone wall. 16 million years ago, the sea waved here, with its coast covered by swamps. The deposited sand, changing in color and grain size, which often covered decaying plants in the swamp world, transformed into brown coal over millions of years. This coal was first mined on the border of Bátor and Szarvaskő, then from the second half of the 19th century the mining focus shifted to neighboring Egercsehi. This is introduced on the information board at the 7th station.

At the end of the valley next to the former forestry nursery garden, among chestnut trees, a newly created resting place with log tables and benches awaits us. As the tourist path reaches the highway, the trail follows the National Blue Trail south for about 100 meters, then after crossing the Lakó Creek bridge we leave the Blue Trail with a sharp right turn and continue along the creek. From here the trail mark continues along the creek. At the sign of the 8th station, we reach the ruins of a watermill destroyed in the 1940s. The former building – the only watermill in the area – is introduced on the educational trail's information board.

The tourist mark continues along the former mill channel. The creek valley suddenly narrows, and we enter a gorge framed by the quartzite rocks of Nagy-kő near Bátor. Upon exiting, the path splits two ways: the left branch returns to the village, but it's worth taking the right detour, crossing the creek bridge and turning right again. In an abandoned quarry, the 9th station presents the eventful geological history of Nagy-oldal, while not far from there under the Nagy-kő rock tower, the 10th station deals with the rare plants on the hillside. These rocks host the largest population of the indigenous Hungarian rock cress, whose thousands of small white flowers paint the red rock white in spring.

After this short 10-minute detour, we turn back and walk to the Laskó Creek bridge, from where our route back to the village continues. We enter the settlement past the cemetery, where we pass a monument chapel built in the 1700s (11th station). From here our path leads back to the village center along the neo-baroque Saint Imre Church on a hill (12th station), returning to our starting point.