Kis-fennsík panorama tour (PICK Burgundy loop)

Itinerary

• Start from the parking lot on the P marked trail and descend to Szentlélek.
• Continue straight on the connecting K marked trail towards the monastery ruins.
• After touring the monastery ruins, return on the K marked hiking trail and follow it to the Látó-kövek.
• A narrow K▲ marked path leads up to the Látó-kövek.
• From the Látó-kövek, walk on the K marked trail to the next forest junction.
• At the junction, turn right onto the S marked path and follow it to the next junction.
• At the junction, turn left onto the S▲ marked path, take a detour to the Örvény-kő, then descend back to the junction.
• At the familiar junction, turn right onto the K marked hiking trail and follow it to the junction below Buzgó-kő.
• Below Buzgó-kő, turn left onto the K▲ marking, which leads up to the Buzgó-kő.
• From Buzgó-kő, head back on the P marked trail and follow it to the next junction.
• At the next junction, turn left onto the P▲ marked hiking trail, which leads up to Odvas-kő.
• Follow the K▲ marked path from Odvas-kő to Csondró-valley.
• In the Csondró-valley, turn left onto the K+ marking and follow it to the Kis-fennsík paved road.
• On the public road, turn right (an unmarked section) to return to the parking lot.

Detailed description of the hike

Departure from Szentlélek

From the gravel-covered, free parking lot, follow the P signs southwards and soon arrive at the Szentlélek guesthouse. Alongside the former inn complex stretching a street long, we continue on the K marked trail to the famous Pauline monastery ruins, which unfortunately show the effects of time: only a few walls remain standing. It is dangerous and forbidden to enter the area, although there is no local information about this. At this historic site, it is definitely worth making a round, peeking into the former church where you can discover early Gothic architectural elements among the details. Founded at the beginning of the 14th century, the monastery was completely depopulated by the early 17th century and has been decaying ever since. Beyond the walls, remains of the monks’ cells can be seen, and thanks to elevated foundations, the sleeping rooms are also recognizable.

Let's see the rocks!

Next to the monastery ruins, the most important sights of our hike are the rock cliffs called stones, of which we visit four. Their common characteristic is that they all rise steeply from their surroundings but have one sloping side with marked hiking trails leading to their tops, allowing us to marvel at the mostly north-northwest facing views. The first "stone" is the Látó-kövek rock formation, which can be reached in a few minutes from Szentlélek on the K marked trail. Crossing the public road, don’t miss the two beech trees whose trunks have romantically intertwined, forming a giant twin. They are so close to the path there is even a painted marking on them.

The Látó-kövek block, like the other cliffs on the plateau, formed due to the erosion of shale layers supporting the limestone, resulting in the detachment of rock blocks. The stratification of the limestone is clearly visible, and along the layers, one can climb to the top of the rock on a very short marked trail (K▲ marking). Our effort is rewarded by one of the most beautiful panoramas in the entire Bükk: starting with the Aggtelek karst, behind the Uppony Hills and the Heves-Borsod Hills the Karancs mountain is visible, while opposite the Lázbérci reservoir fills its narrow valley behind the rooftops of Dédestapolcsány. On clear days, the mountains of Slovakia can also be seen, and with some luck, one can admire the rocky peaks of the High Tatras. At the end of the hike, we can "repeat", as we also pass the Látó-kövek on the last section. Since there is a 15-20 meter deep abyss beneath us, we need to move with great caution on the rock, especially in wet conditions.

After descending from the Látó-kövek, we continue on a simple forest path through a beautiful beech forest (K marking). The next station, requiring a small detour, is the Örvény-kő. We turn right under old beeches onto the S marking, ascending gently until reaching the S▲ junction. The hiking trail leading to the summit from the southwest passes the highest point and reaches the lookout on the northern escarpment, as well as a characteristic limestone obelisk, a monument to Jókai Mór who hid in Tardon after the defeat of the revolution. The erosion-formed water-carved shapes that once formed deep below the rock can now be seen on the side of the rock in a forest setting, as the rock rose with the Kis-fennsík and its surroundings have been eroded away. Jókai himself wrote about the panorama from here, which has since become relatively narrow: although the distant mountains of the Carpathians are visible, we can only see them through a window between the leaves.

On the way to Buzgó-kő

After taking in the views from Örvény-kő, we turn back towards Szentlélek and descend to the intersection of the K and S marked paths. This time we turn right and follow the mostly forest road marked with K towards Buzgó-kő. We descend nearly 250 meters en route, as Buzgó-kő rises that much below the edge of the Kis-fennsík. From the K path do not miss the left-branching K▲ detour: short but steep, the path almost vertically "lifts" us up from the valley head of Harica Creek to the ridge of Buzgó-kő. The forest here may be the most atmospheric on the entire route; old, tall beeches shade this secluded corner of the mountain range.

The steep path soon merges with the P marked hiking trail starting on the right at a cliff. We turn right on it and shortly exit the forest as the soil here can no longer support large trees and changes to rocky grassland. The looming rock in front of us is Buzgó-kő, which we reach via a well-marked trail, only needing to use our hands on the last meters to the summit. On reaching the top, it is astounding to see the depths on the far side; in damp, slippery weather, we must be very careful on the rock!

Since Buzgó-kő is significantly lower than the previous two viewpoints, the panorama is best oriented towards the wilderness of the Bükk, Kemesnye Hill, Örvény-kő, and Harica Valley. We also see Tardon and Dédestapolcsány. On the rock, we can enjoy an almost full panorama, only occasionally interrupted by the foliage of large trees. To the north, the Lázbérci reservoir and the Uppony Hills dominate the view, and on clear days, the Tatras are visible in the distance.

In the valley below Buzgó-kő, several springs rise, some with large and some with small output. It is presumed that the name of the rock comes from the gushing of these waters.

Our last stone, the hollow one

The P marked trail leading to Kazincbarcika starts at Buzgó-kő. We only walk a little over one and a half kilometers on the almost 22 km hiking trail through the forest on the northern slope before arriving at the junction of the P▲ marked path leading to Odvas-kő. Here, turning left, we shortly meet the K▲ marked path; together these two lead up to Odvas-kő on a rocky, densely shrubby terrain.

Odvas-kő is characterized by a layered, folded limestone structure strongly affected by erosion. In softer layers, small cavities have opened, giving the rock its name. Though the view is limited to a narrow section of North Bükk, the spatial experience is extraordinary: in rainy weather, the raging Csondró creek below can be heard, while above us towers Kemesnye-kő. Looking back towards Szentlélek, the white rocks of Látó-kövek and Örvény-kő are also recognizable.

"Journey home"

From Odvas-kő, we ascend on the already mentioned K▲ marked path to the Csondró valley, where we follow the K+ marking (to the left). We emerge by the creek at Cakó-kő, a large rock among trees but offering no view, surrounded by dense forest. The gorge of Csondró creek leading towards Mályinka is very spectacular and a difficult terrain. Our hike does not include it, but adventurers may find a detour between Cakó-kő and the Ámor spring worthwhile.

Turning left with the creek valley, we climb back up to the Kis-fennsík. At the end of a short but steep section, we arrive at Mária spring, where a resting area with tables and benches awaits, along with a forester's house nearby. The spring has plentiful, reliable water flow, making it suitable for planning purposes. The naming has an interesting story: a forester named the three nearby springs after his three daughters; besides Mária spring, Ágnes and Szilvia springs can also be found along the paved access road of the forester’s house.

Our hike does not lead uphill from here; on the K+ marking, we return to the junction we visited twice before when detouring to Örvény-kő. This time we turn right and walk past Látó-kövek and the twin beeches. Turning right on the (unmarked) public road, we soon return to the parking lot from where we started. (The Turistapark Szentlélek, winner of the 2024 Hiking House of the Year award, is located on the right side of the road.)