Hollókő via the back entrance

Itinerary

• From the center of Nógrádsipek, follow the K mark to the Dobos-kút junction.
• From the forest junction, walk on the K● mark touching the Dobos-kút to the Remete-hegyi saddle.
• From the Remete-hegyi saddle, follow the S mark to the Dobogó-tető junction.
• Make a detour to the geodetic tower of Dobogó-tető on the S▲ mark, then walk back on the same path.
• Return to the Remete-hegyi saddle on the S mark.
• From the saddle, follow the K mark left to the Pusztavár-hegy junction.
• Make a detour to Pusztavár-hegy on the KL mark.
• From Pusztavár-hegy, follow the KL mark back to the first junction.
• At the junction, turn left on the Cserhát green paths Z mark, which we follow to the junction under the castle.
• At the castle, turn left on the KL mark, leading first to Hollókő Castle, then further to the Old Village of Hollókő.
• In Hollókő, walk along the K mark all the way to the bus stop.
• At the bus stop, turn left on the Cserhát green paths Z mark. Follow this until Nógrádsipek, crossing a stream. Here the green path forks; take the left branch. At the next junction, choose the right-hand branch.

Detailed description of the hike

Night shelter in a secluded forest

We start our hike from the center of Nógrádsipek following the K mark. Leaving the edge of the village, we initially walk on a gravel forest road, then turn left onto the K● mark, which soon begins to climb steeply. From here, the forestry path typically runs through oak-hornbeam forests. Due to forestry activity and road network, the mark can be easy to miss occasionally, but after a wide forest regeneration area, we soon reach the first important point of the hike, the Dobos-kút bivouac site.

The built spring never dries up even in the greatest summer drought, its drinkable, cool water offers a refreshing respite after the exhausting climb. Not only because of the spring, the location is worth choosing as a night camp; two night shelters stand here, built by enthusiastic local patriots. Since 2010, the two bivouac shelters have served those who want to rest, equipped with everything needed for a forest barbecue: here you find an axe, grill grate, matches, and even cutlery and plates. In the smaller building, you can sleep on mats placed on the floor, while the larger one even has mattresses you can use. These are located in the attic with limited headroom, accessible by climbing a ladder from the middle of the table. However, it is advisable to bring your own mat if you come with more than three to four people. The bivouac also provides rain-protected places for hammock users.

On the K● mark, upon reaching the Remete saddle, we turn right onto the S mark and continue along the flat ridge. At the highest point, turning right again on the S▲ mark, after a few hundred meters we reach Dobogó-tető. At the highest point of the hike, we arrive at the survey tower, from which there is a wonderful panoramic view over the surrounding forests. To the south, oak-hornbeam forests dominate the visible horizon, while looking west we can see patches of beechwood dotting the rolling wilderness. The massif of the Mátra Mountain looms bluish to the west, in the foreground among the hills of the Cserhát we can spot the Hollókő Castle, which we will visit on our hike. Before that, we look down to the Pusztavár-hegy north of us and continue our way there, making another detour. The steel ladders of the concrete tower are in poor condition; the graffiti states it is forbidden and dangerous to climb.

In the land of castles

Returning to Remete saddle, we start back toward Nógrádsipek on the K mark to take the small hill that preserves the remains of Sztrahora Castle. For this, we soon turn onto the narrow path of the KL mark that leads to the castle ruins. The forested Pusztavár-hegy does not have the same views as Dobogó-tető, but it was not always like this; fortification traces can be found on the steep prominence. The castle, built in the 12th century, was initially owned by the Kacsis clan, later falling under the control of Csák Máté, who was a petty king in the northern parts of the country. However, barely a century later, Sztrahora Fortress was referred to only as a former castle, gradually losing its significance near Hollókő Castle. Today, only a few stones and faint lines of former dry moats remain, barely qualifying as ruins, but the place's romanticism makes this slight detour worthwhile.

After the cultural-historical insight, we descend back to the saddle and continue on the Cserhát green paths Z mark, which leads sometimes on rarely used forestry roads. There is no significant climb left to Hollókő; the forest road undulates through oak-hornbeam forests. Finally, we arrive at a wide meadow: horses graze in the broad valley, and at the lowest point, collected water serves as a shallow watering place reminiscent of the alkaline lakes of the Great Plain.

Observing the wooded pasture, we gain insight into the land use of previous centuries. In Hungary, permanent human presence and the first forest clearings date back to the Late Stone Age. During the migrations, the Hungarian conquest, and the late Middle Ages and Turkish occupation periods, livestock farming developed that fundamentally changed the natural environment. The growing population and the densifying village network demanded increasingly large pastures. Villagers also collected fallen trees for firewood, while fallen leaves and cut branches were used as animal fodder and bedding. These wooded pastures are among our oldest and most valuable cultural landscapes from a nature conservation perspective. The trees provide shade, fruit, acorns, and during dry periods, their canopy serves as fodder for animals. They also supply renewable wood and represent significant aesthetic value.

We find such a wooded pasture also under Hollókő Castle, where we continue left toward the castle on the KL mark. A legend linked to the castle's origin explains the name: the future lord of the fortress kidnapped the wife of a neighboring landowner and locked her in a room in the building castle. Although masons built the prison walls during the day, by morning the stones had disappeared. According to the legend, the woman's nurse was a witch who conspired with the devil, sending imps who carried away the stones in the shape of ravens until the woman escaped.

The impressive fortress's history is similar at its beginning to that of Sztrahora visited earlier, but unlike neighboring strongholds, Hollókő Castle retained its strategic role longer. During the Turkish occupation, it became part of the chain of border fortresses and was used lastly by Rákóczi's Kuruc as a military camp. After the Treaty of Szatmár, like most border castles, it fell into ruin but has recently been beautifully reconstructed.

Palóc-land atmospheres

After visiting the castle, we follow the KL mark and then, turning right on the K mark among the houses, walk through the World Heritage site of Hollókő’s Old Village. In the village center stands the well-known wooden towered, shingle-roofed Catholic church built at the end of the 19th century. Surrounding it are rows of porch-fronted Palóc peasant houses with whitewashed walls that almost glow, giving the village a unified image attributed to the fact that the houses were rebuilt almost simultaneously after the 1909 fire. Typical Palóc style steep roofs house craft workshops, museums, and exhibitions presenting village life, where one can get a taste of pottery or weaving skills, not to mention the authentic Palóc dishes like gőr and tócsni (potato pancakes).

Next to the village, along the Hollókő stream flowing beneath the gardens, one can walk on an interesting educational trail: the washing and hemp retting ponds recall the everyday life of former inhabitants.

After the open-air museum, it is time to head back, as nearly a third of the hike remains. Leaving the village, we follow the Cserhát green paths Z mark on asphalt and then, after crossing a stream on a short, somewhat worn bicycle path section, follow the left turn. We ascend a broad hill ridge where the Cserhát green path again forks; here we take the right, straight branch leading all the way back to Nógrádsipek.