Between mountains and valleys in the Western Mátra

Itinerary:

• We set off on the P marked trail from the bus stop next to the Óvár Restaurant and follow it up to the Nyikom saddle.
• From the small meadow, we ascend to the Nyikom peak along an unmarked stony path, then descend the same way.
• On the P markings, along the previously known route, we return to the saddle between Nyikom and Vörös-kő-bérc.
• Turning right onto an unmarked track, we descend into the Zám stream valley.
• We follow the Z marking up to the Eresztvény junction.
• Turning left, following the Z◼ marking, we climb up to the spacious Nagy-parlag meadow.
• On the meadow, we turn left and guided by the S marking, passing Hidegkút, we return to Mátrakeresztes.

Detailed description of the tour:

Mátrakeresztes, the former glassworks settlement

Mátrakeresztes clings to the bottom of the narrow valley of Kövicses stream, which is faithfully reflected in the village structure if you walk along the main street of the mountain settlement located by the watercourse. The long but narrow houses stand close together, with only courtyards between them, and the street lies directly in front of their walls. However, the idyllic valley location also carries dangers: in 2005, the flash flood of the Csörgő stream, which flows into it, swept away Mátrakeresztes. A large amount of rain that fell in a short time ran down the slopes, swelling the stream into a raging river that swept through the valley, leaving behind a ruinous trail. Locals believe the impact of the disaster was increased by clear-cutting on the surrounding slopes, as there was not enough vegetation to hold back some of the sudden heavy precipitation. The frequency of extreme floods may be linked to climate change, as since the turn of the millennium, four floods have occurred that experts would have statistically expected only once every 50-100 years.

Unlike today, in the Middle Ages the whole Mátra was described as a dense, continuous forest landscape. During the reign of our Árpád dynasty kings, glassworks were already established based on this resource. One of Central Europe's earliest smelting sites was built near Pásztó, and products from the Bodony glass workshop were even used in the windows of Eger Castle at the end of the 15th century. The most intensive period of glass production stretching over several eras was in the 18th century, when several glassworks were founded inside the Mátra by Slovak settlers. There are records of 16 glass smelting operations operating in the mountains from the Middle Ages onward. The word 'huta' is of German origin and means smelting furnace.

The large wood demand of the plants began to disrupt and consume the vast Mátra forests. Not only did the furnaces require a large amount of firewood, but the production of wood ash (szalajka), necessary for the process, did as well. An average domestic forest-based glass production site needed about 4 tons of wood ash annually, which required cutting about 40 tons of wood. This resulted in the destruction of surrounding forests within a few decades.

The glassworks shut down during the 19th century, but glassmaking and polishing continued in the Mátra: an internationally renowned glass factory was established in Parádsasvár, and currently, smaller enterprises preserve and continue these centuries-old traditions.

The local peculiarity of the 2005 flood was that planks lay along the stream bank throughout the village. The old craft of wooden spoon carving is still practiced by part of the population of Mátrakeresztes. The water spread out the raw wooden boards, which serve as the material. The village, now part of Pásztó, was formerly called Alsóhuta; it was settled by Slovaks in the mid-18th century. Initially, a glass production site operated in the valley, supplied by the forests for its significant wood demand. A description from 1837 mentions: "Close to Alsó Huta, 200 souls, Hungarian Catholic and Lutheran inhabitants, bordered by hilly valleys, with a beautiful glass-making workshop."

After the end of the glass production era, logging, wood transport, and charcoal burning became the main livelihood, alongside many taking seasonal jobs in the Great Plain. Mátra woodcutters were famous and sought after, often employed by forest owners from distant parts of the country for seasonal work.

From the stream valley to the Nyikom summit

We start our hike next to the Óvár Restaurant. Crossing the bridge over the Kövicses stream, we turn right onto the P marked trail and leave the village. At the sharp bend of the dirt road, we branch left, crossing the thicket opening of electric wires. Our path cuts through a pine-mixed forest where the surface is covered by crushed volcanic stones. We are already walking among beeches and oaks when we arrive at the trickling Tóth spring. To reach a water point, we need to detour a few meters right from the tourist road, where among mossy andesite blocks, we find the source's spout. On a stony path, we climb in the Tippanos valley to the edge of the Erdész-meadow, from where we continue on an easy-level path.

Thanks to a forest clearing, the landscape opens towards the inner parts of the Mátra. Behind the Óvár cliff and the gorge cut by the Csörgő stream, we see the central section of the Mátra ridge with the prominent antenna tower of Galya peak. We arrive on a beautiful spruce forest path covered with needles at the unfenced Nyikom spring. This small, flat area provides drinking and wallowing spots for wildlife.

At the saddle between Vörös-kő-bérc and Nyikom, the terrain softens, and we hike comfortably along a dirt road. Towards the south, a clearing gives us a view of our later route over the Zám stream valley, with the pyramid-shaped Havas mountain forming the border between the Mátra and the Great Plain stretching to the horizon. Along a path between older oak forest and regrowth after logging, we reach the edge of the marsh below Nyikom, where we may encounter protected Dianthus pontederae (Danube carnation) and Clematis integrifolia (field leatherflower).

Right of the road, we spot a resting place and a roofed, drilled well's cavity. Reaching the small clearing of Nyikom saddle, we climb an unmarked stone path (indicated by a newly installed wooden sign) to the Gortva-Jójárt lookout tower on top of Nyikom. On the 764-meter peak stands a four-story tower offering a panoramic view through its closed windows over the wider area. We get a good view of the inner Mátra region; the elevations of Ágasvár, Óvár, Galya peak, and Kékes are easy to identify. Towards the Great Plain, the Muzsla and Havas peaks are the most characteristic. Beyond the Zagyva valley, the lower ridges of Cserhát roll, while to the southwest, we spot the ranges of Börzsöny, and the Visegrád and Buda Hills. Towards the north, Karancs and Medves mountains show themselves, and in clear weather, the higher parts of the Upper Hungarian Carpathians can be seen.

The forest around the peak is privately owned; the owner built the lookout, which is available for use by the wider tourist community. Let us appreciate the intention, protect and preserve the structure and its environment, and keep them clean!

Wild adventure in the Zám valley

We return from where we came on the P marking back to the saddle between Nyikom and Vörös-kő-bérc. Next, a somewhat adventurous section follows into the Zám stream valley. In the young forest growing after timber harvesting, the freshly marked, increasingly steep track is easy to follow, and in the valley, we find the old tourist markings, albeit incomplete. Although there has been little tourist traffic for some time, more and more people have sought this alternative descent route, thereby establishing the new path.

At the saddle, from the junction of the P and Z+ marked trails, we start descending southwest along the Z marking, on the right side of a surviving, prominent beech row, in the direction of the slope. We wind on a freshly painted, well-visible path through dense regrowth. After about 400 meters and 70 meters of altitude loss, we join a forestry transport road and continue the hike turning right. Here, we encounter worn old Z markings. We are at the source of the Zám stream. Soon, taking a sharp left turn, we begin descending along the watercourse. From the intersection, we have a view of the Vörös-kő-bérc ridge above us, while in the opposite direction we can look towards the Hidegkút hill area.

Leaving the wide road, we continue on a path through a coppice, partly through a leaf tunnel, stepping over wind-fallen trees and sometimes through thickets, reaching the valley floor, where we wander along the stream. Coming from a devastated forest area, we enter dense beech wilderness. Here, the forest mostly remained standing, but branches and significant quantities and various sizes of wood and rock debris brought down during the major flood cover the valley that gradually widens and deepens. It is apparent how powerful the now quietly flowing stream is during floods. In many places, the bed splits into multiple branches, with moss-covered andesite blocks and fallen branches forming islands. Due to the closely closing canopy above our heads, little light reaches the gorge bottom, creating a dim, mysterious, prehistoric atmosphere. We step carefully because the valley provides a good habitat for rare, protected plant species, such as white bird's-nest (Monotropa uniflora) and broad-leaved helleborine (Epipactis helleborine), one of the largest orchid species.

The path winds along the stream's edge. Several times we cross from one bank to the other, and on several sections, we cross over small islands in the bed among piled, moss-covered stones. Sometimes we step over branches or circumvent a trunk as we descend through the wild environment, while the forest gradually changes into oak and hornbeam woodland. The glacier age rock seas scattered are becoming more prominent in the gorge's hillsides.

It is worth moving with the least noise possible as the undisturbed environment enhances wildlife movement – additionally, feeders placed by the forestry increase chances to spot forest animals. Reaching this feeding spot, we can sit down for a rest and say goodbye to the naturally idyllic valley, reflecting on the wonderful section we crossed since the Nyikom ridge.

Through a special forest section to Hidegkút

Turning left onto the Z◼ marked trail, we climb out of the valley and after passing Galamb clearing's hunting forest patch, arrive at the spacious Nagy-parlag meadow. Now only two abandoned, deteriorated houses remain from the former farmstead colony where a 1930 hiking guide listed 58 inhabitants. Today, the foundations of former buildings, a large dug well, and fruit trees remind us of the once significant mountain settlement here. It is worth turning towards the trees as you might fill your pockets with apples. Meanwhile, we can ponder what life was like here on the mountain, where even villagers came up for major work.

Switching to the S marking, we cross northeast through the meadow, getting views over Káva and Tót-hegyes directions. Entering the woods again, another special forest section awaits us. On the next ca. 2 km section, we alternate between oak stands, black pine and forest pine patches while winding along the tourist path. Our route character changes from time to time: sometimes we observe from a wide forest road, then wander on a single-person path into the mysterious density of the wilderness, among various tree trunk columns. In the moss-covered rocky oak hillside, then through smaller clearings, and finally along slender pines, we reach the ephemeral stream of Korlát-kút.

The not too strenuous climb continues to ease as we join a forestry transport road from the fairy-tale path. Beyond a coppice fence, we get a good view of the volcanic cone of Havas and the Világos-hegy–Tót-hegyes ridge, with the crown of tree cover over Káva in the foreground. The conifers remain behind us, and leaving a nice oak forest, we arrive at the meadow in front of the Hidegkút tourist house.

Return to Mátrakeresztes

The formerly forest guard house, now a white-limed building group, has been functioning for a long time as a hostel-type accommodation. On the developed resting area in front of the houses, we can sit down for a while and it is worth looking around under the fruit trees for freshly fallen juicy treats.

The water-rich Hidegkút spring can be found 100 meters away, where we can fill our bottles. Climbing up to the saddle between Hidegkúti-hegy and Péterke-hegy, we continue north on the last section of our hike, still following the S markings.

Exiting the forest, we descend through the meadows and hayfields above Mátrakeresztes on a wide forest road. From the open area, we get a fine panorama towards Óvár and Ágasvár. As we descend further, the details of the narrow Kövicses stream valley unfold, revealing the village houses within. With a final slope, we enter the village and soon our footsteps echo on asphalt along Kékesi road. From here, we walk to the main road and turn left to return to our starting point at the Óvár Restaurant, where we can reward ourselves with a refreshment after the hike.