Hollókő circular route to Dobogó-tető

Itinerary

• From the Hollókő bus stop, follow the Országos Kéktúra K trail through the Old Village, then across the Sós-puszta, all the way to Dobogó-nyereg!
• From Dobogó-nyereg, where signs indicate directions, follow the S trail.
• About 400 meters later, the S▲ trail branches off to the right, leading up to the Dobogó-tető lookout tower.
• From the lookout tower, return to the S trail and continue the hike to the right, heading south!
• After descending, at a saddle point sharply turn left onto the S+ trail, follow it to the edge of the forest!
• Once out of the forest, walk briefly along the signs, at the first junction turn left onto the green Z wave trail.
• The green Z wave Green Trail turns right at a junction, weaving its way to the border of Alsótold.
• Passing the Alsótold cemetery, keep left and at the right turn of the street switch to the K trail that goes left. This leads us through Felsőtold all the way to the Hollókő Castle.
• From the castle, following the KL signs, we reach the Old Village where on the Kéktúra K trail we turn right to return to the bus stop.

About the hike in detail

Hollókő - Dobogó-tető

You might not realize that the porch stone houses of Hollókő's Old Village, part of the World Heritage, date back to the early 20th century. This is because a fire swept through the village in 1909, after which the village had to be rebuilt. From the fairytale decorations, we enter the forest, from which a short climb leads us to Sós-puszta. From the dirt road descending here, there's a beautiful view of the typical Cserhát region: gentle pastures stretch along the forested hillsides, where horses and cattle graze. (Near the clearing at Hollókő, a right turn on the dirt road leads, after a 2-minute walk, to another viewpoint from where, on clear days, we can admire the giant mountains of the Slovakian uplands.)

Opposite us we see the slope of Pusztavár Hill and Remete Hill; we bypass the latter and climb upward. Initially, we step along the Szénégető Valley, named after a previous period of forest utilization, then we wind higher on a steeper climb. Through green oak forest with a carpet of grass, we reach Dobogó-nyereg, where signs guide the possible directions. We ascend slightly on the S trail, then at a seemingly nondescript point we have to switch to a small path veering right, winding through the trees.

A few minutes later we stand on a small summit, above which a large concrete cylinder towers. The geodetic measuring tower is in a sorry state: according to the sign, climbing is forbidden, which is understandable given the rotting iron floors and creaky, broken-railed ladders. Nevertheless, those who undertake the climb at their own risk will enjoy one of Nógrád’s most beautiful panoramas: from the Buda Hills to the nearby highest parts of the Mátra Mountains we can admire our mountain landscapes. The Börzsöny mountains can be seen uniquely from this angle, in their entire mass lengthwise. Besides the volcanic mountains of the Slovakian uplands, the Tatras also represent the Carpathian ranges. On the western side of the 517-meter Dobogó-tető, an andesite outcrop stands out thanks to its resistant nature, lifting the small height above its surroundings.

Dobogó-tető - Felsőtold

Returning to the S trail, we turn right and descend to a junction, where we continue left. A small pond forms among the trees after rainy periods, so don’t be surprised if you hear the grunting of wild boars! At a saddle point, we turn left to follow the S+ trail. We tread on a beautiful old mixed forest slope, eventually reaching the forest edge clearings. Here the volcanic rocks are already pressed down deep, replaced above ground by finer-grained, sand-like rocks. With a sharp left and shortly after a right turn, we zigzag at the Kecske Ridge saddle point, and ahead of us lies Alsótold valley.

Walking across the forest edge clearings, the forested ridge of Tepke accompanies us on the right behind a lower hill range. Fortunately, we see no clear-cuttings; we travel through an idyllic area. Perhaps here we can get the best taste of the Cserhát atmosphere: gentle shapes, dense forests, and wide pastures mingle with small, quiet villages hidden in the valley, creating a friendly atmosphere. At the edge of the woods, we arrive at the border of Felsőtold and turn left.

Felsőtold - Hollókő

The Kéktúra previously turned into the narrow valley of the creek here, but due to a diversion, now we have to climb to the top of Szár Hill, following its ridge to reach Hollókő. The vegetation opens up in many places, and there is a beautiful view of the Tepke ridge and the valley spreading below. The mountain range carrying the highest points of the Eastern Cserhát owes its prominent position to its volcanic rocks’ hardness - although we classify it as part of the Cserhát, this area already belongs to the formations of Mátra volcanism.

Looking back, the back of Tepke rises high; the overlapping ridges create a gentle yet serious mountain landscape. After a short wooded section, soon the formidable image of the dark andesite-built ruins of Hollókő Castle appears, until we enter the forest again. Beforehand, it is worth making a short 50-meter detour to the left, from where we can enjoy an excellent panorama of the valley we left behind, with the picturesque Tepke ridge in the background. After a short walk, we step out onto the summit behind the castle. From the grassy spot, there is a great view of Pusztavár Hill and its neighbors, as well as the distant rolling mountain ranges of Slovakia.

Built in the 13th century, the castle enjoyed natural protection on three sides (although the Turks captured it twice): beneath it lies an andesite fissure volcano. Lava intruded into structural faults cooled and hardened under the surface, and thanks to its relative hardness, it came to the surface as the surrounding rocks eroded. This block’s edge is where the castle with its interestingly irregular shape stands. Following the KL trail, we finally descend through shaded forest to the Old Village we left behind at the start of the day, where on its smoothly polished cobblestones we aim for the bus stop or a restaurant.