In the enchantment of springs, quarries, and trains

Itinerary

• From the bus stop, head west on Beke Street following the Z trail.
• At Lajosháza, turn left for the first time on the S◼ trail towards the train station, then turn back and follow it until the Tölgyfa-lapos intersection.
• Turn right onto the S● trail winding parallel to the bike path.
• At Farkas-kút, turn right on the S+ trail.
• At Sás Lake, cross the bridge to the Sástó lookout on the western shore (unmarked section).
• Go around the lake to the south, following the S▲ trail until the Z trail.
• Turn left on the Z trail to return to the bus stop.

 Detailed description of the hike

From Mátrafüred to Lajosháza

From the bus stop, head west on Beke Street following the Z trail, which we will follow all the way to Lajosháza. We enter the forest through a small park, where we soon turn right from the concrete slab road and shortly after cross the former bed of the Varsa stream. From the warmth-loving oak forest, we reach the edge of the former wooded pasture of Tarma, at the far end of which there is an abandoned house on the forest edge. Below it, we can find a small resting area and the source of the Gárdony stream. At the next meadow called Haluskás, there is a hunting stand offering a nice view of Sár Hill and the eastern part of Gyöngyös. Shortly before that, on the right, we find a small detour path leading to the Tarma well. The low-yielding spring, first filed in 1956, was renovated by the Tarma Well Friends Circle in 2000. After the Sástó stream, at the junction with the Z+ trail, turn right onto the dozer road, where about 100 m later we reach the Cserkő quarry, which opened in 1980 instead of the Gyöngyös Sástói mine. The still operating multi-level quarry extracts Miocene andesite, red andesitic tuff, and rhyolite.

After enjoying the spectacular colorful quarry walls below us, we return to the forest via a wide dirt road, crossing the Kis-Hidas stream through an oak forest without hornbeams. On the side of Bárdos Hill, we walk long and straight to the fresh water Ilona well, whose surroundings are a strictly protected area. After the spring, we reach a small clearing, which turns into a pink sea of autumn crocus flowers in September. We descend with a steeper left turn to the Nagy stream, which is the meeting point of the Z and S◼ trails. Before continuing on the latter, it is worth crossing to the other side of the stream bed and visiting the nearby train station, only 200 m away.

 Lajosháza

 On this line of the Mátravasút, a horse-drawn, 600 mm gauge agricultural railway called the Nyírjes line was established first in 1906, running from Gyöngyössolymos through Lajosháza northeastwards across the Nagy valley. Today, a significant section of the Z+ trail follows this route. In 1907, Lajosháza became a junction station. At that time, the Blokkházi and Cseternási lines branched off from the Szén stream valley. In 1917, a new section was built between Gyöngyös and Gyöngyössolymos, when horses were replaced by steam locomotives, and within a few years, the Gyöngyössolymos forests were connected by a 15.4 km railway line to the Gyöngyös MÁV station.

The Nyírjes line was rebuilt to the current 760 mm gauge in 1925. General passenger traffic was introduced in 1968; since then, the Mátra narrow-gauge railway had a very important tourism role. Its most successful period was in the 1970s when more than half a million passengers were transported on the Mátravasút lines in a single year. At the same time, freight traffic started to decline, and from 1978, timber, and from 1980, stone transportation stopped, shortening the route back to Lajosháza. Freight transport by narrow-gauge railway was eventually completely replaced by truck transport. In 2009, the railway line was rebuilt up to the Szalajkaház stop again, but due to the floods in 2010, a track closure was soon enforced on the line section between Lajosháza and Szalajkaház. After repairs, the Szalajkaház can be reached again by train since September 2012. The last renovation of the line started in 2018. Currently, only seasonal passenger transport operates from spring start-up to autumn shutdown. The Gyöngyös–Lajosháza–Szalajkaház line is operated by the railway division of Egererdő Zrt.

From Lajosháza to Farkas-kút

Returning to the Nagy stream, we continue on the steeply ascending S◼ trail, then after the stone sea, at Tölgyfa-lapos, turn right onto the winding parallel S● trail next to the bike path. We follow it through the dry oak forest all the way to Farkas-kút, where the spring surfaced in two branches was filed in 1961. Its popularity is shown by the fact that the kindergartens of Gyöngyös City adopted it in 2013. The resting place offers shelter from rain and a fireplace for our convenience. The water flow of Farkas-kút is cyclical like most springs in the Mátra, becoming lively after snowmelt and longer rainy periods. Because andesite, as a reservoir rock, has very low water solubility, the water’s mineral content is low. The spring is the last station of the Sástói nature trail, which we follow on the S+ trail towards Mátrafüred. Alongside the path, information boards and various outdoor games showcase the natural values and curiosities of Mátra. Emerging from the forest, we reach a beautifully designed playground and a meadow equipped with fireplaces, perfect for family programs.

Sás Lake and Mátrafüred

From here, it is only a couple of minutes to the country’s highest standing water at 507 m, Sás Lake. The nearly 2-hectare, heavily silted lake was drained and cleaned in 1953. The old beds were merged, and the current islands formed. The strong disturbance caused some of the indigenous communities to be damaged or disappear. The average depth of the lake is 1 meter. In summer, you can row boats, and in winter ice skate on it, but swimming is not allowed in the water. The country’s first mountainous campsite was also established here in 1961.

On the western shore of the lake stands the 53 m high Sástó lookout, made in Romania and originally intended as an oil drilling tower near Algyő, offering a beautiful panorama of the surroundings including Galyatető, Kékes, the southern slopes of Mátra, Sár Hill, the adrenaline park, and the chimneys of Visonta power plant. On clear days, even the Buda Hills are visible. The first-floor terrace has bird identification drawings and carved birds, while the upper levels have labeled landscapes and telescopes to make identifying sights easier.

Returning to Sás Lake, we continue south on the S▲ trail along the paved Farkas Road. Before reaching the main road 24, the trail turns right and leads through a well-developed shrub-level oak forest on a narrow path. On one small clearing, you can rest on a panoramic bench. From here, there are views to Kékes and the Sástó lookout, among them the adrenaline park. Soon we reach an intersection where we must turn left. After the sledding track, the rain shelter, and the memorial post of Kun Miklós, Széchenyi Prize-winning historian and university professor, the Z trail is only 100 m away, on which we turn left returning to Mátrafüred.