Circular route from Répáshuta to the edge of the Bükk plateau

Itinerary:

• Starting from Répáshuta village hall, head southeast following the S marks.
• Turn left onto the SΩ marks and ascend to the Balla Cave, then return along the same path.
• Turn left on the S marks and walk to the Pazsag tourist cabin.
• Follow the K signs to hike to the Gyökeres clearing.
• Follow the Z marks until the Hármashatár fork.
• Following the Z◼ marking directions, return to Répáshuta.

Detailed description of the route:

Répáshuta

Located in a basin at the convergence of deep valleys, Répáshuta developed as a logging settlement in the second half of the 1700s by serfs arriving from Upper Hungary. The village, which still has a Slovak ethnic background, is named after glassmaking (the word 'huta' means glass melting furnace), with the glass factory starting operations in 1790.

Glassmaking activities in the Bükk began continuously from the early 18th century. The first factory opened in Óhuta (today Bükkszentlászló) in 1712, the second in Újhuta (today Bükkszentkereszt) in 1755, and then the third glassworks was built in Répáshuta in 1790. The last, fourth factory was established in 1834 in nearby Gyertyánvölgy and produced quality products until 1897. The main reason for moving these glassworks was that the intensive wood use consumed the local forests within 2-3 decades. When the factories relocated, partly the workers and their families moved as well, creating special relationships and ties among the Slovak-speaking Bükk villages.

After glassmaking ceased, the people of Répáshuta mainly lived from logging and lime and charcoal burning, whose products were exchanged for grain and food at markets on the Great Plain—products they could not produce themselves in the mountainous environment.

The karst cave of the Balla Cave

From the center of Répáshuta, follow the S marks down Szabadság Street on our circular route. We leave the farmstead, then the cemetery, and after the village end sign, step off the asphalt onto a gravel road. Soon we turn right into a hillside, then left switching to the SΩ mark continuing the ascent. We wind along a path secured with wooden railings up to the large entrance of the Balla Cave.

The first part of the entrance chamber can be explored without a lamp, but if you want to venture further inside, a light source is recommended. The 54-meter-long former spring cave is an important archaeological and paleontological site, "which in scientific significance can be somewhat compared to Szeleta Cave," as stated in a 1932 guidebook. Excavations in the early 20th century confirmed Stone Age human presence and uncovered animal bones and numerous tool remains. It was a true sensation when the skull of a child who lived during the Ice Age was found among the debris.

Descent to Pazsag

Descending back and continuing on the S marks, we walk alongside the fences of gardens climbing up to the Répáshuta hill. You can occasionally see the idyllic environment of the village settled at the junction of valleys and above it the edge of the Bükk plateau. We cross a beautiful beech forest on the Balla ridge, then start descending into the narrow gorge of the Katalin Valley. During the vegetative period, this section is typically a guest-attracting scrub which we cut through until reaching rocky ground, from where we continue on a forestry road. We cross the wide Pazsag valley, then turn into the Kis-Pazsag fen gorge. The word "fen" means a valley without a permanent watercourse, which is common in the Bükk because the karstic rock cracks absorb water. The beds of the fens operate only temporarily after more significant rainfall or snowmelt.

We arrive on a gravel road to the Pazsag tourist cabin complex where we can rest at benches next to the houses. The small forest settlement originally operated as a forester's and hunter's lodge but was renovated by 2017 and converted into high-standard tourist accommodation. On the asphalt road next to a forester’s memorial post, turn right onto the K mark. For nearly the next 2 kilometers, we walk on solid pavement through beech and fir forests, providing the best raw materials for the old charcoal burners.

County border on the Turkish road

From the other side of the Gyökeres clearing, we now follow the Z mark. We reach the Miskolc road, cross to the other side, and ascend the ridge marking the county border. From here to the Bánya hill, we walk along the so-called Turkish road, a medieval route dating from the period of Ottoman occupation, which connected the Eger castle with the northern foreland of the Bükk, typically running along ridges and hillsides. This former significant cart track, used as a military and trade route that crosses the mountain range north-south, is still well reconstructed. This section coincides with the border of Heves and Borsod counties. The hiking trail runs parallel to the national road between Miskolc and Eger, where for a while, the unnatural noise of vehicles passing below can be clearly heard.

Amid regrowing forest, we arrive at the first viewpoint of our hike, from where we can study the Mátra mountain block and the Great Plain stretching to the horizon. Ahead of us, we see the escarpment rising above the Bükk plateau, with the looming limestone peak of Tar-kő, 950 meters high, pointing towards the sky. The plateau’s borders, also called the giants’ table, are marked by many exposed rocky peaks known as "stones." The limestone mass of the mountains’ central part contacts the softer clay shale layers, which eroded more quickly over millions of years. This created an escarpment sometimes several hundred meters high like a wall, crowned by these distinctive ridges.

From another point, the landscape opens to the south; here we get a stunning panorama of the Lök valley and the Vár-hegy mountain block above Eger. The open area soon ends, and we pass through an oak forest touching the ridge section called "between two waters," which refers to two springs fed by precipitation seeping off the plateau on both sides. Descending towards the Juhász-kút-nyak saddle, the rocks of Három-kő become visible. If water is needed, a short unmarked path on the right leads down about 100 meters to the Juhász-kút, which is located on the other side of the road.

Under the stones of the Bükk plateau

We bypass a barrier and then switch to an ascent into the slope of the plateau. Our next stage takes us along the border of the Southern Bükk and the Bükk plateau, at a spring area feeding streams flowing towards the Great Plain. Here the limestone layers contact the shale formations, and we find numerous karst caves and springs. To the right of the marked trail is the entrance of the Ilus-kúti cave; slightly lower, the Meander and Kőháti caves can be found.

Continuing up the terrain step of the Kő-hát, we can take a detour to the Alsó-Kőkapu viewpoint to the right. It is worth the short distance as the rocky edge offers a magnificent panorama. We see the rolling ridges and valleys of the Southern Bükk; in the foreground of the mountain range, the houses of Felsőtárkány and Eger are visible. The exit of the Hór valley and the long ridge leading to Vár-hegy are also clearly visible. The sunny edge is a good resting place, and sitting down here makes enjoying the wonderful Bükk landscape experience even more pleasant.

We walk along a path between the rocks of Kőkapu, wandering in an old beech forest. The gray-silver trunks of these ancient trees give a taste of the wild. At several places in the forest floor, we can discover hollows left by former lime kilns. This traditional craft was practiced for centuries by the residents of the Bükk villages. Its product, burnt lime, was a good exchange base for agricultural products missing in the mountains. Haulers regularly attended markets on the Great Plain, where they sold and exchanged these valuable mountain products.

From Bánya hill to the hut basin

Below Bánya hill, at the forest section named Hármashatár referring to the county border, we arrive at the Z◼ junction, where we complete the final part of our tour. Before heading back towards Répáshuta, a short unmarked 300-meter detour leads to the rocky outcrop on the top of Bánya hill, "from where a rewarding view opens to forested mountains and valleys bounded by the Várhegy-Odorhegy-Hollós mountains and the escarpments of the Bükk plateau (Háromkő, Tarkő, Peskő)," according to the 1932 tour guide. We step onto a forestry asphalt road, soon cutting corners on serpentines to descend by path. We cross solid pavement twice more, then pass through a pine forest to reach the resting place of János-rét.

Our mark continues along the edge of the Miskolc-Eger road. After bypassing János-kő and Borostyán-tető, we descend into the valley leading to Répáshuta and after just over half a kilometer arrive at the village's outermost houses. From here, we reach back to the village center on asphalt where we can eat and even stay overnight. If planning to stay for several days, we can explore other routes around Répáshuta as well.