From Hasznos to Tar through the Mátra

Itinerary

• From Hasznos we ascend on the Z trail to the Várhegy junction.
• On the ZL trail we visit the ruins of Hasznos castle, then return on the same route.
• On the Z trail we hike to the Ágasvár tourist house.
• Just above the tourist house we switch to the P trail for a few steps.
• We descend to Tar along the K+ signs.
• On the KL trail we visit the ruins of Tari castle.
• On the purple ᵯ trail we walk to the center of Tar.

Detailed Tour Description

The Hasznos Castle

From the bus stop we head east on the Z trail along the main road edge. We pass the cemetery, then turn left into Csenteri Street. Initially still on asphalt, we then ascend on a wide dirt road along the edges of arable lands and vineyards. At a crossroads, we turn right onto the ZL signs and ascend to the ruins of the Hasznos (Cserteri) castle. This small eagle's nest built in the Árpád era (along with the nearby Óvár and Ágasvár fortresses) protected the Pásztó military road. It was captured by the Turks in 1552, then slowly fell into ruin in the 18th century due to lack of defensive purpose, and now only parts of its walls remain. The 333-meter-high cone offers excellent views of the surroundings. Below, we see the surface of the Hasznos reservoir created by damming the Kövicses stream in the 1970s and the waterworks building complex in front of the concrete dam. From the highest point of Várhegy steeply dropping towards the valley, we can observe the forest-covered protrusions of Ágasvár and Óvár, and to the right the Nyikom block rises, opposite which stretches the flat summit of Gombás-tető.

Up to the Ágasvár tourist house

Returning to the Z trail along the ridge, we climb towards the plateau-like Gombás-tető. Along the way, from the edge, we nicely overlook the reservoir area and now can study from above the outstanding remnants of the castle we just visited. The broad grassy plateau of Gombás-tető, which functioned as a volcanic eruption center millions of years ago, today serves as a gliding airfield. The open terrain offers a beautiful view towards the Zagyva valley, framed by the rolling hills of Cserhát, and even in the distance the Karancs massif is visible. Ahead, the approaching Óvár and Ágasvár dominate the view, and the saddle of Kőkapu cutting between them is clearly visible, which is our next hiking goal. At the end of the airfield, we enter soothing oak woods, cross a power-line clearing on a pleasant cart road. Changing to a gentle climb, a forestry wire mesh accompanies us on the left. To the right, the K● trail leads to the nearby Merítős spring, where we can get water. After the fenced Kosiktanya building, we ascend the northern side of Óvár and wind among smaller and larger mossy andesite stone piles. Upon reaching a clearing, the landscape suddenly opens north: we see the Karancs region and the elevations of Medves. Continuing through the beech forest for a few more minutes, we arrive at the saddle called Kőkapu, also known as the saddle between two castles. The name refers to the former fortresses of Ágasvár and Óvár. A final ascent and then switching to the P trail for a few steps brings us to the meadow of the Ágasvár tourist house, where we can rest or buy refreshments from the buffet.

Heading towards the arboretum!

We leave the house group behind on the western side of the summit along the winding K+ trail. We walk downhill past the ancient oak tree called Pelés-fa and return to the Kőkapu area, where we visit a viewpoint opening to the Cserhát. After cutting through the young narrow thicket, we cross the overgrown rocky stream of Patai-kút. We turn onto the grassy oak forest path leading to the ridge line of Várbérc, then descend towards the Szalajka valley. On our left appears a spruce forest, then a stone building signals arrival at the edge of Fenyvespuszta.

The old forest settlement nestled in the embrace of the mountains is now home to the Fenyvespusztai Forestry Forest School. The meadow in front of the main building features a covered resting place, offering a good chance for a break. Before continuing, it is worth visiting the nearby Tuzson Arboretum. This roughly 3-hectare conifer collection was founded in 1928 by the internationally renowned botanist János Tuzson. He brought mostly evergreens from distant countries for botanical experiments and propagation purposes. Walking along the forest herbal garden paths, we can view specimens of nearly two dozen different pine species and some deciduous trees and shrubs. Walking through this forest area which differs markedly from the usual Hungarian woods, one can become completely absorbed.

To Tar through the Csevice valley

The last section of our hike begins alongside the arboretum fence and continues along the Szalajka stream. We descend comfortably on a sometimes deeply cut path through young oak woods. The lower part is the tectonic trench of the Csevice valley, which harbors special springs.

At the small clearing of Felső-csevicekút, there is a resting bench where we can taste the special dripping water. Thanks to chemical processes decomposing underground, the infiltrating water is enriched with carbon dioxide — such springs in the Mátra are called csevices. The word is of Slavic origin, meaning sour. The reddish discoloration of the stream bed stones indicates iron content but contains other minerals as well. After quenching our thirst with the water, we can make a small detour to a viewpoint. Behind the spring, an unmarked path leads down about 40 meters in elevation to a bare rock surface. From the open terrain, one can see the surrounding landscape from the Zagyva valley to the Mátra ridge.

Continuing down towards Tar, we shortly pass the ruins of an abandoned rhyolite tuff mine (Fehérbánya), and opposite it, we see the water intake facility of Alsó-csevicekút. Soon we cross the stream by a ford and are already at the outermost houses of Tar.

Switching to asphalt, we turn onto the KL trail, passing by the Árpád-era heritage church enclosed by fortress walls. This house of worship is considered one of the most beautiful sacred buildings in all of Palócföld.

At the end of our path, a large wall fragment reveals that here stood the castle of Lőrinc Tari. The medieval noble family prominent in the region counted among its members the trusted man of King Sigismund. His adventurous and travel-filled life is said to have even included a descent into hell, which was later sung about by Sebestyén Tinódi Lantos. We can learn more about the Tari family history from an installed information board.

From the hillside, we get a fine view of the village and the neighboring Cserhát hills. After taking in the sights, we descend into the village center along the purple ᵯ signs on Petőfi Sándor Street. From here, we can continue by bus, or walk to the railway station to take the train.