In the footsteps of lumberjacks and hunters

Itinerary:

• From the center of Újhuta we reach the Gerendás meadow following the Z trail.
• From the Gerendás meadow we turn left and follow the K trail to the Cselliszka meadow.
• At the Cselliszka meadow we turn right crossing over to the Kerek-kő on the K▲ trail.
• From the Kerek-kő we also follow the K▲ trail, taking its right branch back to the Blue Trail.
• We follow the K trail to the right until the branch located in the Szpalanyica valley chapter.
• In the Szpalanyica valley we turn towards Újhuta following the K◼ trail.
• On a detour we visit the Waldbott game reserve on the Z↺ trail, on which we finally return to Újhuta.

Detailed description of the route:

Between the north and south borders, between the valleys of the Tolcsva and Kemence streams

From the center of Újhuta we start on the Z trail heading northeast, from the bus turnaround and the bell tower, following the Tolcsva stream. At the beginning of our path houses of the settlement that nestle into the narrow valley accompany us along its single street. The village, originally centered around a glassworks, has old residential houses in the center of Újhuta, whereas towards the upper reaches of the valley, vacation homes built mostly in the 20th century dominate. The atmosphere is defined by the densely wooded stream valley: even during the hottest heatwaves, the abundant forest and the mountainous streams bordered by lush vegetation emit cool air.

After about a kilometer, as the houses become sparser, the valley splits into two; we follow the right branch side valley on the Z trail, where springs responsible for water supply and their protected areas occupy the valley floor. We bypass a fenced water base on a path leading into the stream bed, while otherwise we ascend along the waterworks’ motor grader road. After the upper well group, in the gently sloping valley head area, the path emerges to a wide junction at the Gerendás meadow.

This is the lowest pass between the Tolcsva and Kemence stream valleys, therefore the easiest saddle to access connecting the southern and northern areas of the mountain range with a motor grader road. Due to its privileged location, forest workers and residents of the huts in the hut villages frequently used this site for transit and transport of felled timber, as its name implies. At the edge of the forest clearing stands a shelter with attics offering sleeping places and a fire pit at the junction of forestry and hiking trails. Here we meet the National Blue Trail marked by the K sign, which follows the gradually ascending ridge from Makkoshotyka towards Regéc.

Among the star-shaped branching paths from the saddle, we choose the gently ascending motor grader road heading west, which is also marked with the K sign. Over the next two kilometers, through forest management areas, still crossing beech and oak woods or young forest regenerating after clear-cutting, we follow the leisurely winding cycle path. The forest roads skillfully wind along the terrain. We meander along the long ridge of Maklány Hill and follow the cut in the Új-Határ valley. Below Határ-bérc we touch on a characteristic mesic meadow situated in a saddle. At the Cselliszka meadow, the hiking trail branches so that one branch explores one of the mountain range’s hidden and exceptionally atmospheric viewpoints, the Kerek-kő.

At the Kerek-kő viewpoint, in the wilderness of the central area

In the steep, narrow valleys, in a landscape rich in bold volcanic cones, locals established meadows in such flatter saddles so that the rich, wildflower meadows would serve as feed for their animals. Since it was a densely forested and rainy region with few grassy patches, the artificially maintained meadows created after clearings benefited both the local people and nature.

In the middle of the Cselliszka meadow, which is lightly wooded with solitary old trees, we cut across on a barely visible path following the K▲ trail, which crosses the clearing on the far side and smoothly blends in the old beech forest of Hangyás-bérc at the same elevation. The rocky slope plunging wildly north culminates in a narrow ridge to which the K▲ trail also leads. The terrain becomes increasingly rocky, more craggy, and between mossy, knotty oaks, a mushroom-shaped rock formation decidedly blocks our route. The path bypasses the leaning, truncated tower on the left, from the rocky ridge edge on the other side the landscape opens up to the center of the Tokaji mountains.

Although the Milic group is visible in the distance, the view is dominated by the dense valley network of the Kemence stream. Below us, the northern slope steeply breaks off, densely forested with a steep gradient reaching the confluence of the Devil and Kemence streams. About one and a half kilometers away, at the forested valley fork, lies Rostalló, the terminus of the Kemence valley narrow-gauge railway. It was repaired up to this point, supporting forest management lines that once transported timber from the inner areas through the Kemence stream valley. The intense logging after the First World War, aiming to relieve timber hunger in the country that had lost much of its forests, denuded the surrounding volcanic cones. At the lower end of the valley at Kishuta, the felled timber arrived via Pálháza, from where it was transported further through Sátoraljaújhely, leaving the mountain range. The glassworks of Kishuta in the Kemence valley and its upper neighbor, Nagyhuta, operated briefly until the 18th century, consuming the forest. Even after the glassworks closed, the Slovak settlers lived on logging, which was natural in this forest-rich area.

From the Kerek-kő, we briefly return on the same ridge section, but from the saddle below the rock, the western branch of the K▲ trail proceeds straight on along Hangyás-bérc. This is also where we continue our journey, turning towards the gradually less steep saddle. In the old oak forest of the leveling hillside, we return to the motor grader road, continuing along the K trail, which we follow to the right (west) for another barely one-kilometer section. On the far side of the imposing mass of Nagy-Hangyás, we reach the uppermost part of the Tolcsva valley, the Szpalanyica valley. The name means "burnt valley" in the local Slavic language, referring to the burning of ash residue used in glass production. We turn off onto the increasingly descending forest management road, following the K◼ trail.

In the Waldbott estate game reserve

In the wide basin of the Szpalanyica valley, shortly after the branch, the motor grader road makes a large curve, and at its greatest arc two forestry roads branch off. The lower one, running level, veers in the direction important to us—although without markings—but if we accept this minor inconvenience, we can comfortably cross under Nagy-Kőrös into the game reserve. The marked path variant is generous with both distance and elevation since the roughly hundred meters gained on the descend in the valley must be compensated by the ascent towards the Kotliszka meadow over the next nearly two kilometers.

We cut deeper into the dense beech forest along the gently meandering Szpalanyica valley on the K◼ trail. Be careful because when the motor grader road crosses the still young Tolcsva stream, a steep path starts along a ditch on the opposite slope, which we also follow marked by the Z↺ sign (this leads us back to Újhuta). Although the trail is quite demanding for the first couple hundred meters, afterward we easily continue through beautiful pine forests inside the former game reserve.

At the Kotliszka meadow, we arrive at the saddle where two giant sequoias stand directly in the forest; their massive trunks and evergreen leaves resembling thuja are easy to recognize. The meadow itself is also special: at the edge of the clearing and along the crossing path, horse chestnuts grow, while redwoods line the path on the far side. From here, we descend gently into an old mixed coniferous forest with spruce, Douglas fir, and poplar. This forest association, uncommon for our country, was planted by the Tolcsva-based Waldbott family of German descent at the beginning of the 20th century. This was their game reserve, and at the lower end of Újhuta stood their hunting lodge.

Under the Kis-Kőrös peak, the atmosphere typical of northern landscapes accompanies us. Until the mid-20th century, a wooden lookout tower stood on the 500-meter-high summit, as well as on its sibling, the 600-meter-high Nagy-Kőrös, but today only decay remains. Beneath the game reserve's pines, we traverse the rocky ridge in an indigenous oak forest, then turn off towards Újhuta. At the junction of forestry roads, we pass an atmospheric forest clearing, the Sop-rét, and then enter the beech forest. From here, we descend the slope with increasing steepness, and at the valley bottom, another clearing appears above the houses. This settlement is the resting place of the dead, as it contains a cemetery that stretches all the way to the Tolcsva stream with a unique steepness in our country. Beyond the cemetery gate, crossing Tolcsva, we reach back to Újhuta center, to the bell tower and the bus turnaround, thus closing our circular route.