Exploration trip from the peat bog to Törökasztal

Itinerary:

• We start from the village center on the K trail heading south on Nyírjes Road.
• Going around Darnó Hill, turn right before the first houses at the Nyírjesi Road bus stop, turning right into the forest onto the K+ trail, which leads to the Nyírjes Lake.
• We return to the village center along the K trail and follow it all the way to Sirok Castle, where we take a detour on an unmarked path.
• Continue on the K trail to Törökasztal – on the last section we again walk on an unmarked path.
• On the same road, following the K trail, we return to the village center.

Detailed description of the route:

At the peat bog of Nyírjes Lake

We start from the beautifully renewed village center to explore the special features of Sirok on the K trail. We bypass the foot of Darnó Hill southwest toward the Mátra area to climb up on the K+ trail from the opposite side bus stop on Nyírjes Road to Nyírjes Lake.

Darnó Hill is the oldest member of the Mátra region; its rocks formed already in the Paleozoic era, 360-300 million years ago, in contrast to the main massif of the Mátra, which consists of Miocene volcanic rocks about 15 million years old. Accordingly, the "grandfather of Mátra" is much lower and worn down; we climb its sunny, young oak forest on a winding path. The route, following the surface unevenness, soon merges into a forestry road where after about a hundred meters, we continue following a path by the watercourse, cutting off a curve of the dozer road. The small, seasonal stream flows from the Nyírjes Lake peatland – provided there is enough water in the lake, as it is fed only by surface water. Its catchment is small and closely reflects weather changes.

Arrival at a flatter area on the path brings us to the information board of Nyírjes Lake. The environment is surprising because there is no visible lake, that is, classical water surface: we stand before an impenetrable thicket of dense shrub forest. The local basin of the riolite tuff has long filled up – this is the fate of every water body unable to renew: remains of the plants living in it completely fill the depression over time, leaving only a wet, moist peat bog as a memory of the former lake. However, the sediment of the bog has preserved the imprint of millennia; from the accumulated pollen in the layers of dead vegetation, we can infer the area's former climate. According to this, the landscape was dominated by dense pine forests since the Ice Age, gradually replaced by beech, then oak with warming. The bog preserves species characteristic of Northern Europe from the Ice Age. Several sedge species, aquatic herbaceous plants, and insects are found only here in the Mátra region. The lake is named after the preserved downy birch here, which is the main forest tree of Iceland. The bog’s soil, several meters thick, soaked with water, is extremely acidic with a pH of 4.5 and nutrient-poor water, creating conditions tolerable only by certain species.

Walk to Sirok Castle

After exploring the bog, we turn back on the K+ trail and return along the same path to the village. Watch out for the path turning off at the dozer road; it's easy to miss and continue along the wide cart road. On Nyírjes Road, we return to the village center on the K trail, then head northwest (left) on Petőfi Street. We turn onto Dózsa György Street, then return via Cemetery Street exiting the village beside the cemetery. (This nearly one-kilometer detour can be shortened by taking a small path to the church from Széchenyi Road behind the savings cooperative.)

The castle built on the rocky base above the village shapes the area's atmosphere. The once considered impregnable rock fortress was indeed never besieged. Like many strongholds in Hungary, Sirok Castle fell victim in 1713 to Habsburg imperial order after the Rákóczi War of Independence. Fortunately, the ruin remains have been restored and even truncated they still show their old dignity above the Tarna region. The paved cart road approaches the castle from behind, curving around it in a semicircle. It's worth exploring the ruin from inside, and from the small protrusion next to the entrance, we can also well perceive its strategic role. One can see far into the Tarna Valley and the undulating hills above it. To the southwest, the massive block of Mátra dominates the view, culminating in the Kékestető radio tower, while to the northwest, the cone and coffin-shaped volcanoes of Karancs-Medves line the horizon. We see the central area of the Palóc region, where the hilly and winding landscape hides many small villages in stream valleys. This undulating region connects the island-like ranges of the Northern Medium Mountains with the Carpathian forests. Recently, brown bears regularly appear in the area, and presumably, wolves and lynxes returning to Bükk also use this ecological corridor.

The Friend Rocks and the Dacite Tuff Towers of Törökasztal

From the saddle below the castle, a short detour lets us explore one of the area's volcanic formations—the prepared blocks of dacite tuff. Already descending from the castle, our attention is drawn to the finger-like protruding tower group on the opposite slope. Continuing along the K trail beyond the meadow below the castle, we reach these peculiar natural formations from the sparse forest. The stones, popularly called the Nun Rock and Friend Tower, indeed resemble a human figure from certain angles. Their origin can be attributed to imaginative power – though not in as abstract a sense as one might think. The heads of the friend and the nun are larger volcanic lava blocks that fell into the ash fall before the eruption. The volcanic bomb fused with the tuff, forming a unity; millions of years later, when the layers reached the surface, the harder lava piece protected the softer tuff layers underneath. This results in their distinctive appearance, shaping the figure below the head.

It's worth walking a few more minutes along the path to the top of the hill at the rock group called Törökasztal, from where we get the best view of Sirok Castle and the Mátra behind it. The also tuff-formed rock was, according to legend, one of the Turkish guard observation points stationed at the castle; this is where its name originates. A peculiar depression is visible in the center of the flat block, likely having a carved drainage channel. It is assumed that in prehistoric times, the rock might have functioned as a sacrificial altar, but nothing certain can be known. From here, the K trail continues towards Bükk, cutting through the winding area to reach the neighboring castle of Szarvaskő. We, however, return to Sirok along the route already taken, thus closing the short but rich “Y”-shaped circuit.