From Nagybátony to Mátra-bérc

Itinerary

• From the bus stop, follow the S marking to the Vörös-kő lookout standing on the Mátra-bérc.
• Head west continuing on the K▲ marking, which joins the K marking.
• At Newton Rock, return to the K▲ marking, and descend through the Ágasvár summit to the Ágasvár tourist house.
• Heading northwest, switch from the K to the P marking and return to Nagybátony.
• In the inhabited area, complete the last short section on the now familiar S marking.

Detailed description of the hike:

Turning our back to the villages

From the local bus stop, we start on the S marking along Lengyendi road. We are in a part of Bátonyterenye that used to be an independent village. Behind us on the hillside rises a church notable for its Székely gate and wooden tower. Some old porches of peasant houses remain; this part of Bátonyterenye still retains a rural character despite significant mining and industrial activity that lasted until the 1980s.

Turning right onto Mátra street, we follow the Szoros stream confined in a paved bed out of the village, surrounded increasingly by the circling mountains. Passing apiaries and locust trees, we leave behind the village houses, then shortly climb left into the hillside from the valley floor. The strenuous section leads to the ridge of Szégyen-parlag, where a pine plantation colors the forest landscape. The term 'parlag' means uncultivated, neglected land - likely used as common mowing ground in the past. A cleared area is followed by a dense, damp forest patch, then again we wander in pine forest.

As we circle Borostyán peak, we cross a wide forest road in the saddle behind the summit. This spot is marked by the Three Blackthorns, which served as a landmark before modern navigation for travelers moving between the Mátra foothills and the Zagyva valley.

Towards the Mátra-bérc

From the crossing, we can view the heights of Mátra-bérc ahead. Continuing with mixed forest ascent, we reach the asphalt road connecting Mátraalmás and Nagybátony, where on the opposite side springs the over hundred-year-old Bec spring. Its name stems from the word 'becs', and the water comes from fissures in the Mátra rock mass. The spring indicates the slope of the ridge region has been reached. The dense andesite fissure network absorbs little water, which it passes on only narrowly, so watercourses appear nearby, feeding short-flow creeks. Their waters enrich the Zagyva River and its tributaries. Take advantage of the comfort offered by the covered rest area to refresh yourself, as a strenuous section awaits!

Our damaged forest road is shaded by beech forest. The huge Mátra volcano tilted southwards over time, causing the northern side to uplift. The massive mountain broke apart, creating sharp slopes through minor landslides. This shaded, cool habitat is sought by beech woods, where we are walking along the ridge over the valleys of Medve and Dobróka streams, on a sharp mountain edge.

View towards the foot of Mátra

The hiking trail goes straight up on a particularly steep line towards the summit, cutting across carriage road bends. After crossing freshly cleared forest edges and newer forest roads, a wooden direction sign indicates arrival at the Mátra ridge. Turning left on the S marking, we seek the massive tower of Vörös-kő with a short ascent. Climbing the spiral staircase, from our metal cage we see the mountain foot almost flat, which was just challenging us. Looking afar, the Karancs-Medves region appears, and behind it, the mountains of the Felvidék rise. In the other direction, Galya peak's buildings, and further turning, Mátraszentistván's peaks patch the forest carpet.

Along the whole Mátra-bérc

From the lookout, we return in the direction we came, then continue along the Mátra bérc ridge, our most memorable section. On the K▲ marking, we circle an old Slovak hut settlement named after its ski lift, pass Mátraszentistván cemetery, then soon spot the ski slopes and lifts. Beside our path, traces of overgrown potato fields appear; on our left, log cabins resembling huts line up. Switching to K, we follow the mountain ridge, mostly staying on its gradually narrowing back.

Re-entering the forest, at Kis-kő's side, we study moss-covered small rock fragments shattered by frost heaving from the ice age. After crossing a forest road, we ascend the ridge named Sztremina from Slavic, meaning steep, marked by striking slopes. The sunny oak grove is already part of the Csörgő Valley Forest Reserve, protected where life communities proceed naturally without human intervention for decades. In one place, the landscape opens, offering a view over the basin of Csörgő creek valley, with Mátraszentimre's buildings colored in the green foliage beyond.

We sometimes look down to the deep, seriously winding valley, but the beauty of this section is the narrow ridge. We reach a junction where turning right onto the K▲ marking, we continue our hike. The first meters invite a stop at the romantically named Newton Rock lookout terrace, from whose edge we admire the northern break of Mátra-bérc and the forest fitting into the Zagyva valley; far off, the Bükk also emerges. The inscription carved in stone resists time but remains recognizable: “God save us from Newton's faith.” The namer's identity, motive, and origin of the quote are unclear. A similar line is found in a William Blake poem, but the thought appears with Béla Kondor as well.

At Ágasvár

Heading towards Ágasvár, rock outcrops rise steeply from the ridge into the sky. Szamár-kő reveals volcanic layers, alternations of scoria and lava flows, illustrating complementary episodes of stratovolcano activity. The path uniquely climbs on rocks—sometimes hands must be used to overcome the challenging ascent. From above, finally unveils the Csörgő valley previously only seen through tree branches, with the High Mátra peaks veiled in mist beyond.

Crossing tree branches, we follow our path. On the exposed section, the air currents breaking through the ridge often disrupt the forest. The threatening tall silhouette of Ágasvár appears; indeed, we conquer the formerly castle-named peak on a steep slope. The site's legendary story tells that upon news of approaching Austrian danger, 300 Croatian soldiers came to aid the castle defenders, whose leader cast his eye on the castle captain's wife. As the brave approached, he forgot chivalry rules, and in the tight spot, the lady's servant killed the attacker. The commanderless army was then sent home, and the soon arriving imperial troops easily devastated the fortress overlooking the river valley. Historians say Ágasvár and the neighboring Óvár formed a defensive pair. First mentioned in 1264; by the late 15th century it was already in ruins. The stronghold at Hasznos then took on guarding western Mátra and Zagyva region.

Earlier, from a pine-shaded rocky outcropping, we can survey the true Ágasvár panorama stretching from Karancs to Börzsöny. It includes almost the whole Cserhát, with the Tepke ridge on the far side of the Zagyva valley most prominent. Southward, Nyikom marks the continuation of the Mátra ridge; below, the Hasznos reservoir's wavy surface reflects sunlight, and the remains of Hasznos castle ruins can also be spotted.

Facing the villages

Crossing rocks and descending a slippery root-covered slope, we reach the gate of the Ágasvár tourist house. If open, its restaurant offers food and drinks to refresh. The former hunting lodge was generously granted to the budding Mátra tourism in 1925 by the landowner, Baron Endre Hatvany. Leaving the house, we descend the hill a few meters left on the K then P markings. The vegetation and leaf litter can easily hide the Turkish footprints' shapes. In soft volcanic tufa, two deep oval depressions reminiscent of human footprints can be seen. Legend says Turkish soldiers guarded here so long their feet were imprinted in the rock. Their origin is actually unknown, but both indentations are probably human carvings.

Continuing through dense young forest, the central part marked by the originator of youth, a much-lived beech matriarch carries the tourist marking. Due to clearings, the path's direction is unclear in places, but signage helps the traveler. After crossing the shrub-overgrown Ágasvári spring creek, we reach the familiar asphalt road from Bec spring where the slope tames. A few meters later, we enter the forest's greenery to the left, with painted arrows drawing our attention to this path.

Following a forest wheel track, we ascend the relief. Due to the clayey soil, the water network of these slopes is particularly dense, but streams only occasionally get replenished, so they merely furrow the slope with minor ditches. Descending, we step onto an asphalt road leading to the almost empty, forlorn Szorospatak. Initially fueled by coal mining, which ended and turned the settlement into a resort with even a sports camp operating here. Overgrown buildings testify to the glorious times. The closed restaurant bore a grand inscription showing a tourist shop once operated there.

Back to Nagybátony

We stay on the P marking, returning through the forest under the spreading branches of willow. Initially the hiking trail drills through dense shrubbery, but further down it becomes friendly. An often dry ditch edges our path most of the year, but it is visible how torrents after heavy rains have undermined its banks. Below, we cross a ford and turn onto the last straight to the village. Along the Szoros stream, accompanied by the S marking joining from the right, we return to Nagybátony on the familiar path.