In the most secluded areas of the Bükk center

Itinerary:

• We start from Szilvásvárad on the Z trail.
• In the Tótfalu valley, we turn to the S trail, which leads to the edge of the Bükk plateau.
• We make a short detour on the SL trail to the Gerennavár.
• From near Holló-kő, we continue on the S▲ trail to Szilvási-kő, then on the Z▲ trail touching Istállós-kő back to the Z trail.
• On the Z trail, we descend to the Őserdő, where we follow the K trail.
• From the K trail, we make a few meters detour to the Cserepes-kő cave accommodation on the KΩ trail, and also to Őr-kő on the K▲ trail.
• From Őr-kő-rét, we descend on the P trail to the military graves, from where we reach the Szalajka valley via the Horotna valley on the S trail.
• Alongside Fátyol Waterfall, we turn back along the Z▲ trail to the Gloriette clearing, the end of our route. 

Details of the hike:

From Tótfalu to Gerennavár

We start at the beginning of the Szalajka valley, from the lower terminus of the narrow-gauge railway on the Z trail. The first section must be done on an asphalt road. The inner parts of the valley, rich in sights, have been equipped with a road for easier access; in fact, a passable road to the plateau edge, the Olasz Gate, also runs here, which sees heavy weekend traffic. After the first kilometer, we leave behind the bazaar row and restaurants and at the first major fork, we turn left in the Tótfalu valley, also following the S trail.

The valley got its name from the settlement established here, where Slavic people settled to process forests of the Western Bükk. However, only the name Tótfalu remains today, as does the railway leading here, now just a gentle hillside cut and forestry road. Until the mid-20th century, logs from the Bükk plateau’s forests were hauled down here. At the valley’s end, a cableway operated for decades to lower carts full of timber. This cableway can still be seen in the film “Simon Menyhért születése,” about the forester from Háromkút and his child’s birth.

The valley slowly climbs along alder groves by the stream and meadows nestled between them. After about a kilometer, a developed spring and resting place await at the edge of the meadow by the stream; however, it is still early in the walk for resting. After an S-curve above the meadow, we leave the asphalt road and begin the climb under the rocky, scree-covered slope of Gerennavár on Ivánka-lápa. This steep valley section suffered damage from the April 2017 ice storm that snapped whole forest parts. Pass scarce beech woods we climb increasingly steeply on the western escarpment of the mountain range, and the road then turns out of the rocky valley into the steep southern hillside, winding to lessen the steepness. After several bends and sweat drops, we reach the road leading to the recently left plateau, now two hundred meters higher.

We arrive at the narrowing ridge at a saddle below the Gerennavár massif, where a gravel parking lot from which the SL trail leads to the medieval castle ruins and viewpoint. We have to overcome over fifty meters more altitude with wooden stairs support to reach the strategic mountaintop. The 14th-century castle replaced a more secluded fort standing on a rocky protrusion on the opposite ridge, the Árpád-era Éles-kő castle. Gerennavár existed only a few centuries and was abandoned during Turkish times due to its exposed and remote position.

At the mountaintop, an idyllic environment welcomes us—a spacious clearing on a flat plateau surrounded by steep slopes. Among old trees, steep trenches and rocky sides reveal the former watchtower and castle courtyard. Crossing a rock gate leads to the rocky cliff of the summit, offering great views over the Tótfalu valley below and the ridge band across it that drops dizzyingly deep on the western edge of the Bükk. The ridges to the left mark our path ahead up to Őr-kő, while the cliff wall of Bél-kő, the last bastion of the plateau, towers in inaccessible distance.

We return on the SL trail to the saddle, cross asphalt, and continue climbing on a forestry dozer road through beech woods, following the S trail. We climb the ridge breaking steeply down with cliffs into the Leány valley, reaching the Holló-kő massif where we cross the road to the plateau again, for the last time. On the S▲ trail, we turn into the hanging valley of Kukucsolápa beneath the highest ridges of the plateau edge.

Climbing the western edge of the Bükk plateau

Kukucsolápa is an old valley surface imprint. Elevated today at the edge of the plateau, no stream further deepens it; waters seeping deep from karst surfaces return here as large springs at the bottom of gorge valleys. From here we enter the continuous Triassic high plateau limestone block, which we leave only at the end of our hike at the Horotna valley saddle. This nearly thousand-meter-thick huge limestone block forms the majority of the Bükk plateau, with characteristic doline valleys and peaks of almost equal height. The ridges over us all represent the same height with 10–20 meters difference. We reach about 900 meters elevation at the saddle between Kukucsola Hill and Vörös-sár Hill and maintain this level for a few kilometers. This clearly represents a mountain climate with seasonal shifts extending weeks, and snowless winters recently not yet winning here.

At the Fa-kút neck, we cross a small forest clearing and ascend to the mountains’ highest block. Among the flat ridges, we pass a steep cliff-ringed, shallow, flat bottomed sinkhole called Tányéros-doline. At its bottom lies a small clearing surrounded by dense beech forest with tall, columnar halls, touching the slope of the highest peak of the Bükk. Indeed, it turned out the long-time leader Istállós-kő is a few meters lower than neighboring Szilvási-kő, which took the top spot from the 2010s. A small path leads up to the previously little-visited forested summit, marked with a sign for the new 961 m record holder. The rocky side descends to the old and new col between Istállós-kő and Szilvási-kő, with a small rest area with benches and a table. Istállós-kő is only a few hundred meters detour and worth climbing on the S▲ trail, as it is just a few meters higher than the saddle. Interestingly, a similar doline to Tányéros-doline lies on the summit block, which the trail loops around. On the distinguished Istállós-kő, summit crosses and plaques greet hikers at the forest clearing's edges.

Although returning to the saddle by the same route, remember we must follow the Z▲ trail running with the S▲ from here. This trail leads down the southern side of Istállós-kő massif, winding through majestic beeches to the Z trail, which takes us to the southern side of the plateau.

Through the Primeval Forest and Cserepes-kő; across the Central Bükk wilderness

Heading east, we follow a shallow valley on the left leading to the diminishing pine woods of Káposztás-kert-lápa. Here we cross the old timber railway track, now a forestry road, and continue south in a small valley on a comfortable forest path. In the valley forming clearly between Virágos-sár Hill and Vöröskő Ridge, we touch the venerable beeches of the Primeval Forest. The forest, reserved as a hunting ground in the noble era, was noticed by the forester of Szilvásvárad for its healthy, high average age montane beech wood. Saved from logging, it remains today an almost a century-old untouched forest with 200-year-old matuzsálem beeches and healthy natural seedlings renewing in a continuous cycle.

From the Primeval Forest, we continue descending the increasingly deep Virágos-sár valley on the K trail. Unfortunately, we lose considerable altitude here, which will later affect us. The path descends to the Vörös-kő ridge, although tourists cannot enter the strictly protected area here. The K trail turns back on the rocky mountainside and slowly ascends crossing the cliff. At one section, we cut through alpine meadow on the southern side of Vörös-kő ridge, affording magnificent views of the Southern Bükk. The ridges and valleys under us lead into the broad Felsőtárkány basin. In the distance, the city of Eger nestles below the iconic cones of Vár Hill and Eged Hill, and beyond the colorful roofs stretches the lowlands of the plains.

After the meadow, a slight descent crosses a just-formed valley and on the far side, characteristic karst terrain appears amid the white crested rock heaves of Cserepes-kő. This mountain side is a textbook case of “devil’s ploughing,” where surface rock was dissolved by rainwater through cracks while harder blocks stand out in grass and vegetation. We sidle across this bumpy, rocky terrain to the far side. The path sometimes twists seeking the easiest route between rocks but remains a challenging section, especially in winter. A sign on the far side draws attention to a famous country cave accommodation hidden under the rock protrusion above us. It’s worthwhile to detour these few tens of meters to the Cserepes-kő cave lodging on the KΩ trail. Popular among blue trail hikers, it is equipped with stove, wood beds, shelves, and some emergency reserves.

For nearly two kilometers we continue through the scenic, rocky heart of the Bükk wilderness on the K trail. After the hollow of Cserepes-kő-lápa, we climb again with new energy onto the Pes-kő massif. Unfortunately, the magnificent panorama from Pes-kő is not accessible on marked paths, but via the mountain’s far-side rocky route through the Pes-kő gate, we reach a narrow viewpoint. The southern Bükk lookout stones appear in their characteristic form from the foliage-surrounded viewpoint. This rocky tourist path may be the most atmospheric section of the entire National Blue Trail. On the right appears the rounded clearing of Kocsmáros-rét, which we skirt in the rocky beech forest. Soon we reach the atmospheric, partly wooded clearing of Őr-kő-rét, bidding farewell to the blue trail hikers. Before that, a short detour introduces the impressive representative of Southern Bükk lookout stones, the Őr-köv.

The plateau’s sentry bastion, on Őr-köv

We cross to the far side of the meadow on the trail following the K▲ sign, climbing the rocky beech forest onto a rocky summit block. Through a narrow rock gate, we reach the peak furrowed by “devil’s ploughing.” On the southern side of the mountaintop, a ash tree forest opens with distinct southern Bükk views. The mountain is aptly named Őr-kő: from its southwestern foot to the Felsőtárkány basin, Eger city, and the plains it offers magnificent panoramas. A defining element of the view from Őr-kő is the row of whale back–shaped rocks at the edge of the Bükk plateau, the most distinctive representatives being Tar-kő and Pes-kő to our left. To the west, the wooded backs of Ördög-hegy, Sándor-hegy, and Kerek-hegy undulate. The majestic cliff below us, hemmed with grassy benches, is one of the most beautiful and characteristic limestone grassland formations in the mountains.

We return on the K▲ trail to Őrkő-rét, then descend on the P trail to the junction already touched and a shallow valley north of Őr-kő into the saddle between the plateau and Kelemen széke. Here stand two graves, reminders to German soldiers fallen far from home in the World War. This is truly a strategic pass: six roads and five trails branch here, allowing us to choose the most suitable path. The Z+ trail leads up through the Bronze Age fortress on Kelemen széke to Bácsó valley; the K and P trails navigate to Bálapátfalva opposite, but we follow the S trail now, the clearest and fastest route back to the Szalajka valley.

Descent to Szalajka valley

The S trail cuts sharply right into the just forming Horotna valley. Luckily, we follow a comfortable dozer road almost all the way, as the S trail runs alongside this strategic road on the valley’s right side until meeting the Z trail. Joined by the Z trail, the S trail after a good hundred meters cuts left close to the creek from the wide dozer road, which otherwise leads to the narrow-gauge railway terminus.

The path used by S and Z trails is fairly steep and difficult to walk in places due to fallen trees, but we can reach the forest museum and Fátyol waterfall at the Szalajka valley’s mouth via a pleasant creekside promenade. If the creekside path is overgrown, muddy, or slippery, we can cross the dam and continue comfortably on the forest road descending on the other side. Walking beside the stream we reach an open-air exhibition showing the life and forest work of mountain people. At the small clearing’s cleverly arranged and illustrative forest museum’s end, we reach a large covered resting place where Horotna valley flows into Szalajka valley, and we can once again greet the fast-flowing Szalajka stream as old friends. To our right, above the confluence of the two valleys is the Fátyol Waterfall, Hungary’s most spectacular travertine dam system, cascading down the Szalajka stream in broad, shimmering curtains. Here we join the Z▲ trail that cuts through the Gloriette clearing back to the terminus of the narrow-gauge railway. Taking the train, we can close the route as a loop.

If still enthusiastic and curious, it’s worth walking the last short section from Fátyol Waterfall to Szilvásvárad on the Z trail, as natural sights and vendors alternate along this nearly two-kilometer downhill stretch. The spring water flowing from the rock, the Szikla spring bubbling into a small pond, the trout farm’s lush vegetation-surrounded pools, the spectacular clear lakes of Szalajka stream stocked with trout and green aquatic plants, a wildlife park, forestry museum, narrow-gauge railway, and bazaar all provide many attractions on the way back to the village.