Loop route on the eastern slopes of Cserhát

Itinerary

• From Sámsonháza, follow the K mark with a small detour to the geopark study trail, then cross the paved road and pass through Nagybárkány to reach the Garabi saddle.
• Follow the K+ mark through the Hévíz stream gorge to Mátraszőlős. 
• On the ᵯ mark, proceed along Mária street, then passing by the Rákóczi chapel, return to Sámsonháza on the southeastern slopes of the Cserhát.

Detailed description of the route

From Sámsonháza to Nagybárkány

The National Blue Trail K mark runs along the main street of Sámsonháza. At the northern boundary of the village, you reach a quarry that once operated below the southern peak of Vár Hill, which is now one of the exciting geological sights of the Novohrad - Nógrád Geopark. An interesting study trail with explanatory boards runs through the area.

The boards and the towering, eroded vertical slopes behind them vividly tell the story of the former Pannonian Sea that once waved here, the volcanic activity following its sedimentation, tufa formation, the sedimenting sand, the erosion processes shaping it, and the incomprehensible millions of years layered and trodden by our boots. 

The study trail starts north of Sámsonháza, reaching the starting point within an easy walk of about twenty minutes from the quarry at Vár Hill. This route includes 8 stations where you can learn about the different phases of volcanic activity. The formation of volcanics and sedimentary rocks from marine deposits (from the Garabi Slír Formation to the Tinnye Formation) within almost 16 million years was a geologically very active period, which is evident in this landscape as well.

Following the trail, we climb uphill then steeply descend to the asphalt road. We cross it, and after a few hundred meters, we turn left perpendicularly, following the K mark. Walking along a spacious hillside and gently rising meadow on the K mark, looking back, the valley of the Small Zagyva unfolds before us. After one kilometer, we spot the church tower of Nagybárkány, and the dirt road leads down to the village outskirts.

From Nagybárkány to the Garabi saddle

Passing through the village and crossing the bridge over the stream on Szabadság Street, we arrive at the Saint Martin Catholic Church. If time allows, we recommend visiting since the neo-Romanesque church built in 1889 has a richly carved pulpit that is one hundred years older, brought from elsewhere. According to records, a similar building stood here before 1460, though not in the same location. The earlier building was rendered unusable by water rushing down from the hill, so rebuilding began at the current site in 1883. Due to safety concerns, the tower was demolished in 1979 and rebuilt with donations and volunteer work from the faithful.

Leaving the village along the fence of the churchyard, we follow the K mark. Beautiful views open up over the village, the eastern slopes of the Cserhát, and behind them the peaks of the Mátra. Following a vine-covered ridge, we enter a coppice forest, then a dense forest, arriving in the oak-hornbeam forest that gives the name to the Cserhát.

From here continuously ascending through closed mixed and hornbeam forests, we reach the summit at Mátraszőlős, then descend among young trees. Watch carefully as the K mark suddenly branches off perpendicularly right from the forest dirt road. We reach the junction at Kövesbérci through a more or less continuous climb. Along one section, we walk through dense pine forest and notice a tiny refuge dug into the ground on the right. Passing by the 511 m high Köves-bérc and the 541 m high Varjú-bérc, we keep climbing to reach Nagy-kő peak, crowned by a communication tower.

From the Garabi saddle

Passing by the tower, we descend to the Garabi saddle. At the meeting point of the hiking trails, we can decide whether to continue along the K mark and take a longer – a 5.5 km round trip – detour to the Tepke lookout or continue on the K+ mark. Although there are many lookout points in the Cserhát, few can rival the view from Tepke. In clear weather during our visit, we can enjoy an exceptionally varied panorama from the 22-meter-high steel tower. If continuing without the detour, turn left at the saddle and descend further toward Mátraszőlős on the K+ mark.

At the edge of the forest, reaching the edge of a meadow, keep left, then descend through the narrowing gorge of Hévíz stream among large mossy rocks following the K+ mark.

An exciting geological section of our hike is exploring the Függő-kő and its small cave, the most characteristic andesite formation of the Cserhát Mountains. Its formation started 14-16 million years ago as a result of volcanic activity. At that time, a basin consisting of marine sediments stretched where the Cserhát now stands. Although today we can only see remnants of smaller underwater eruptions, continental stratovolcanoes, volcanic bodies, and rock cavities, Függő-kő reveals much about the volcanism that created the mountains: we can observe remnants of underwater activity near the eruption center from the initial phase.

However, the rock's strange shape and hollow grooved surface aren't due to volcanic activity; instead, they're shaped by erosive effects of the creek flowing around it for millennia. In the small cave, prehistoric pottery fragments and worked stone pieces have been found. Passing by Függő-kő and the cliff wall of an abandoned quarry, we reach the dam of Hévíz stream.

Passing through Mátraszőlős back to Sámsonháza

We enter Mátraszőlős village on Forrás Street, named after the Hévíz spring. Despite the Mátra prefix in its name, we are still in the Cserhát. We can refill our water bottles at the pumping well!

The K+ route leads into the village center, but we take the Mária street ᵯ mark, and after Pál Street, continue uphill out of the village on a dirt road. Soon on the right, we spot the Rákóczi chapel. According to legend, the small chapel was named so because Ferenc II Rákóczi allegedly rested here when he was on his way to the Széchényi Diet where he was elected prince.

Crossing the stream, we climb a steep hillside, passing pine forest on the left, then opening gates of several years-old forestry plantations with protective fences, following the ᵯ mark all the way.

While the northern slopes and valleys of the Cserhát are characterized by tall beech woods, the warmer, sunnier southern sides are dominated by the area's namesake oak-hornbeam forests. Foresters evidently try to reinstate native oaks into the flatter forests that had been cleared over centuries—often sold to tanning for bark – and converted to pastures; they try to protect slowly growing tiny oak saplings from game damage and browsing with fences.

On gravel dirt roads, through thorny scrub forests and pastures, we reach a warm spring, and in the valley below, soon spot Sámsonháza. Walking through the village streets, we return to our starting point, the main road.