In the land of modest dimensions, on the hills of Galyaság

Itinerary:

• Leave Aggtelek heading east on the Jósvafői road.
• At the village edge, turn right onto the S trail, which we follow to the Saint Francis Chapel.
• From the chapel, take a right onto the K+ trail, staying on it until the entrance of the Peace Cave.
• From the Peace Cave Lake, go straight, climbing on the Z trail to the Pitics Hill, then trekking to Tornakápolna.
• Enter the village along its only street, and at the end turn right to visit the church.
• After the church, turn left onto an unmarked forest road.
• Continue straight on the connected Z trail until the fork after Borház Hill.
• Turn left and descend on the S trail to Szinpetri.

Detailed description of the route:

Between sinks

From the bus stop, walk down the road toward the edge of the village, where a short rest offers a view of the first attraction of our route: the Aggtelek lake and the rocky hillside arching above it. The latter, known in folk terms as the devil’s plough, is a karst area where organic acids produced by tree roots and the dissolving effect of rainwater have sculpted the limestone. The felling of trees ultimately created the lake on the site of a former cabbage garden: runoff from the slope deposited sediments that blocked the sinkhole, which previously diverted rainwater into a branch of the Baradla cave. Today, the clogged sinkhole forms a small lake after rainy periods, but during dry summer months, the open water surface is nearly dry. Continuing across the road, along the S trail, we see small, narrow (belt-like) plots: these traditional-sized land parcels are important habitats for certain animal and plant species that would be pushed out by the homogenization of large agricultural fields.

We pass by the barely detectable Zombor-hole sinkhole, overtaken by vegetation (marked by a sign). It marks an important boundary between the open, uncovered karst and the clay sediment area on the surface, where rainwater entering from the latter area seeps into the limestone body and precisely flows into the Red Branch of the Baradla cave. Staying at the edge of the parcels, without much impression of the nearby hills, we tread a narrow, vegetated path until reaching a dirt road. At one point, a sign reminds us of the nearby Ravasz-hole sinkhole, which clearly shows that precipitation falling on the edge of the uncovered karst has little chance to remain on the surface. Its way quickly leads down through these natural drainage paths into impressive corridors and giant cavities, becoming part of a huge, branching underground river system.

Behind caves

The hiking trail crosses an area broken by depressions, previously used as pastures and meadows, now becoming overgrown with shrubs. The trail merges with a busy road but luckily we do not have to follow the asphalt for long; soon the Saint Francis Chapel appears on the right where we return to the ground. Inside, the life and Sun Hymn of Saint Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan Order, can be read. The building was constructed as a bus stop in the 1950s when the nearby Peace Cave was opened, but it was later abandoned and fell into disrepair. In the 1990s, it was renovated on the initiative of the national park and took its current form. Behind it we continue our hike on the K+ trail. Various terrains lie ahead: mixed, wooded forests, bushes, and airy pastures alternate until the canopy closes over us and, sheltered by dense woodland, we reach the entrance to the Peace Cave. The entrance is artificially made, and below stretches the second-longest cave system of the karst. Its existence was unknown for a long time, but when in the 1950s watercourses disappearing underground were investigated (e.g., by marking with paint), it became apparent that some sinkholes were not connected to Baradla cave and therefore must feed another cave. This independent Peace Cave surfaces at the Komlós spring in Jósvafő.

From a small clearing, we continue straight on the Z trail. The forest floor is rich with natural plant debris and deadwood. The diverse age structure of the trees is also noticeable. However, the landscape offers few sights; the real attractions lie underground in the karst. A long forest walk awaits, and although the dense forest blocks views, the peak of Pitics Hill at 453 metres casts a shadow over us. At a junction, the Z trail turns left at a right angle towards the hill, where a tiring, lengthy ascent begins. Limestone appears in many places on the slope, as the thin soil partly washed away during earlier grazing, now reclaimed by forest. At the summit stands a rusty iron structure that once served as a lookout but has become treacherous with decayed wood and rusted iron. Climbing it is very dangerous and not recommended. It is a pity because this is the only lookout tower on the Aggtelek karst. The panorama is unique in its way: the karst’s flat ridges and forested plateaus viewed from here do not evoke the impression of rugged mountains. Only the distant Bükk mountains in the south and the tilted blocks of Pipityke (Pipitka) and Volovec to the north stand out. The latter’s summit was, for a short time after the first Vienna decision, Hungary’s highest point at 1293 metres (known as Ökör Hill). (It’s not worth regretting if someone skips the rusty ladders because roughly the same view comes at the end of the route.)

Few visit the ruined tower, so we descend down a cobweb-covered, rarely used path beyond Pitics Hill. On a steep path with a sharp right turn, we reach the Éger tourist house, standing in a pleasantly situated clearing since 1956. Its establishment is linked to the exploration of the Szabadság cave, which opens behind a moss-covered retaining wall behind the football field. The 3 km long system of passages is independent of Baradla and was mapped in the 1950s with the help of some residents of Égerszög through the Dász depression sinkhole.

In the Tornai landscape

Turning our back to the meadow near the tourist house, the Z trail guides us through forest towards the Galyaság. Suddenly, the forest disappears and the hilly area unfolds; wooded pastures and hay meadows wave before us. We cross a long open space; to the left rises the far side of the Jósvafő valley with the Aggtelek karst. The road turns right, leading onto the patchy, incomplete (unmarked) asphalt road of Tornakápolna. With the asphalt, the village population also diminished, and by the 2010s, it became one of the smallest municipalities by population in the country (once even having a primary school). Now it functions as a holiday village with several farmhouses beautifully renovated by new owners. At the end of its only street, we turn right towards the church (which is worth admiring from inside for its painted wooden ceiling if accessible), and behind it, we see the cemetery with traditional carved grave markers characteristic of the region. We leave it behind on the unmarked forest road to the left.

For a while, we walk through forest; in many places the scent of pine patches mixes with the air. The Z trail reappears, and following it straight on, we continue. Finally, the characteristic landscape of Galyaság reveals itself: emerging from under the trees, a hilly terrain dotted with forest patches and broad pastures unfolds before us. Opposite, the Borház Hill transmitter tower points skyward; we also conquer the small hill for the view. Its name is preserved in the medieval vineyards of Varbóc; back then, the plants grew without stakes and rows on the sunny slope, and in the 19th century, a cellar winery was built here. The most famous local white wine was the "Honey White", but very rarely they also produced the very delicate sweet aszú. A local feature of the wine culture is that vineyard work was particularly labor-intensive on the rocky slopes, and the history ended by the phylloxera plague at the end of the 19th century.

The Galyaság

The surrounding Galyaság belonged to the royal woodland estate of Torna from the 12th century; its game and trees were cared for by foresters and its fish ponds by water guards. Czech and German settlers were brought for mining work, gradually forming the typical Galyaság landscape, which we can fully appreciate shortly ahead. Around the tiny valley villages, pastures and forest stands alternate irregularly on the charming hilly ridges and slopes. This explains the name as well, since compared to the neighboring mountain range covered with a green mantle of slate, the word "galya" (emphasizing the difference) means a grassy, bare hilltop. Below, the rooftops of depopulated Varbóc dot the greenery. There's something captivating about the view: the low but steep slopes of the Aggtelek karst and the isolated, sharply rising blocks of the Szalonna Hills enclose a gently curving hilly region scattered with wide pastures. It seems as if every element of the Galyaság landscape wants to hide modestly from the world’s eyes under the protection of the higher mountain frame; nothing stands out or appears conspicuous. Besides natural geography, the strict decades of history are also responsible: villages with modest resources could only support a small population, often heavily taxed simultaneously by various rulers, ravaged by armies, and ultimately bypassed by modern industrialization. The population emigrated, and tourism has so far barely discovered this remote little region.

The Z trail leads to the cross above Varbóc, then following a local road along the ridge, turns towards the mountains through active pastures. Although we hike on low terrain, the constant panorama prevents hurrying, as the entire Gömör-Torna Karst swells before us. At a fork, we turn left onto the S trail. We must be alert in the next section as sparse markings appear on the exposed areas (it is recommended to use the Természetjáró app). Opposite, our destination—the deepening Jósvafő valley—awaits, but before starting the descent, we take one last left bend. We slowly say goodbye to the picturesque panorama, descending on wide woodland paths with broad curves to the Szövetény valley creek. We climb between junipers on a path to the Chapel peak, where we already see the elongated village of Szinpetri below. Fruit trees were once grown on the village hillsides, with loosely planted trees assuring winter fodder by mowing, while animals grazed mainly on the ridge. A beautiful view bids farewell as we head toward the church tower and enter the village via a short side street. The bus stop is found on the right, while the paper mill and the Guinness World Record book exhibition are located on the left at the end of the street.