Glove-and-slipper hike next to Hollókő

Itinerary

• From the Felsőtold parking lot, follow the K◼ sign to the first hiking trail junction.
• At the junction turn right onto the K sign, which we follow touching the Kéz-kilátó and up to the junction before Hollókő Castle.
• From the junction go straight following the KL signs, turning off before the walls of Hollókő Castle to the Old Village.
• In the Old Village turn left at the first corner, then again left onto the Kertekalja nature trail T sign, which we follow all the way back to the village.
• Returning to the village continue on the opposite road along the Green Trail marked with a green Z wave until we reconnect with the Blue Trail route at the far end of Szár-hegy. (At the edge of Hollókő, we reach open terrain where it is difficult to follow the Green Trail marked with green Z waves. Next to Panorama camping, climb up the wooded hillside where we find the sign on a tree and the well-marked path.)
• Turn left onto the K sign, which we follow to the border of Felsőtold.
• At the village border, switching to the left-turning K◼ sign, we return to the starting point.

Detailed description of the hike

Departure from Felsőtold

Felsőtold is a charming little village located at the eastern edge of the Cserhát, in the valley of the Zsunyi stream. Its folk houses and, besides the late Baroque bell tower next to the St. Imre Catholic chapel, it has not many attractions, but exactly from the building mentioned – located along Széchenyi Street – starts a hiking trail leading by the shortest route to one of the region’s landmarks, the skyward open palm-shaped Kéz-kilátó.

From Felsőtold, we start along the K◼ marked path towards Háló Hill, soon joining the National Blue Trail K sign. We turn right and initially climb gently towards the top of Szár-hegy. We ascend for a long time on an open path bordered by shrubs until entering the forest. On the southern foot of Szár-hegy, a steeper climb awaits on a rocky, stony path to the summit. We reach the panoramic location of Kéz-kilátó before the ridge.

The Kéz-kilátó

From the "hand middle," we climb a few steps to the palm, which is a perfect resting spot, and we can even safely climb up the thumb. Not only is the fascinating construction enticing, but the panorama too: we have a view of the rolling lines of Cserhát, the nearby Upper and Lower Told villages, and the Farkas-kút Valley below. This artwork was created in 2020 from deadwood in the valley by local heritage preservers led by Benjámin Csíkszentmihályi.

After reaching the mostly panoramic hilltop on the K sign, we continue northwest towards Hollókő. In several places, the vegetation opens up, providing a beautiful view of the Tepke ridge and the valley spreading beneath. The mountain range carrying the highest points of the Eastern Cserhát owes its prominent position to its volcanic rock hardness – although considered part of the Cserhát, this area already belongs geologically to the Mátra volcanism formations.

After a short forest section, the andesite fortress of Hollókő comes into view, the next destination of our hike, but as we descend, we return to the forest again. When we finally step onto the grassy heights behind the castle, we have a great view of the castle, Pusztavár Hill, and its surroundings, as well as the wavy mountain ranges in Slovakia in the distant background. At this point, we switch to the KL sign that leads straight to the castle.

The majestic fortress of Hollókő

The fortress, towering on an andesite rock outcrop, with its unique spiral-shaped concentric walls and pentagonal tower, arouses curiosity at first sight. According to legend, the entrance-fee castle was built with stones brought by devil’s children, but in reality, the medieval fortress was built sometime at the end of the 1200s and was destroyed by the Habsburgs after the Rákóczi War of Independence. Inside its walls, we get insight into the 14th-15th century castle life and can enjoy fantastic views of the Cserhát forested landscape.

In the castle's exhibition, one can see how the medieval kitchen, bedroom, blacksmith's workshop, and an economic building looked. The showcases display rich finds unearthed during excavations, including King Matthias's silver denarius and Turkish clay pipes and weapon fragments. Besides visiting the castle, guided tours, medieval history lessons, siege games, and medieval birthday parties are also available. If you plan to visit the castle during the hike, count on at least an additional 1 to 1.5 hours.

From the castle, we take the KL sign down to the Hollókő Old Village. We reach the village's main street by a short, steep descent and join the National Blue Trail K sign near the Palóc Doll Museum, turning right.

The Hollókő Old Village and the stilt walkway

The settlement was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1987. The uniform, traditional appearance of the Old Village was formed after a tragedy: in 1909, a significant part of the houses burned down in a village fire. The destroyed houses were rebuilt within two years with stone foundations, chimneys, and tiled roofs. Characteristic of Upper Hungary and Palóc settlements, the ribbon plots and spindle-shaped village layout expanding around the church define the atmosphere of Hollókő. Most of the old houses commemorate traditional crafts, either in museum exhibitions or as showcases for craftsmen's products.

Not far from where the KL sign joins the main street's K sign, on Petőfi Sándor Street, at the Csalogató Dance House building, we join the T sign of the Kertekalja nature trail. This nature trail bypasses the Old Village through the forest, showing the valley of the Hollókő stream beneath the settlement, where locals once dug ponds for hemp retting and washing clothes. The ponds have now filled up, creating marshy, swampy habitats home to aquatic communities. The wooden stilt walkway meanders several hundred meters along the stream's side and includes stairs overcoming elevation differences.

The trail's boards show the process of hemp cultivation and processing, as well as how washing used to be done. Even on hot summer days, walking deep in the shady valley is cool. The diverse flora-rich ditch also offers wild, picturesque sections. However, during drier periods, the stream may dry out. We progress about 600 meters on the stilt walkway, then climb stairs following the T sign up to the boundary between the Old and New Village, where the Visitor Center stands. Here, we connect to the Green Trail marked with a green Z wave.

Back under the mountains

The Green Trail marked with the green Z wave leading southward from Hollókő initially follows József Attila Street, then turns left towards the parking lot and Sport Street, where we pass the Holló Jankó fairy tale playground. At the end of Sport Street, we reach open terrain with poorly visible markings while enjoying a wide view of the Zsunyi stream valley and the Tepke ridge.

The barely visible path ascends next to the Panorama camping to the right side, into the long, forested slope of Szár-hegy. After barely a few meters of elevation gain, our path evens out, clearly marked through the trees. The narrow path winding under oaks eventually joins a wider dirt road. At first, you can still get glimpses of the valley running alongside, then the path continues into increasingly dense forest leading back to our starting point. At the end of a short climb – just a few hundred meters from Kéz-kilátó – we reconnect with the previously visited K sign, where we turn left. For a while, we enjoy the 'parasol' of the forest trees, and shortly thereafter descend on a rocky, open terrain back to Felsőtold. Nearing the village, we turn left onto the K◼ sign, which leads back to the parking lot.