Newton and the Saints of the Mátra: The big loop Galyatető–Ágasvár

Itinerary

• From the Galyatető Tourist Center, we head northwest on the K trail to the Galya lookout, then follow it all the way to the center of Mátraszentlászló.
• From the village center heading straight, we reach the Vörös-kő lookout on the S trail.
• At the lookout we turn left and continue on the K▲ trail to the edge of the village, where we join the Blue Trail.
• We follow the K trail to the Newton rock.
• At Newton rock, we turn right to the K▲ trail, which leads us to the Ágasvár summit, then down to the tourist house fence.
• We go around the Ágasvár Tourist House to the right on the K trail.
• Along the fence, we immediately turn left to the P trail, which we follow until the junction after Mogyorós spring.
• At the next junction, we turn right onto the Z◼ trail, which leads us to the Vadvirág tourist house (restaurant) building located in Mátraszentimre center.
• In Mátraszentimre, we turn left onto the P trail, which leads us back to the starting point at Galyatető.

About the route in detail

A lookout that also functions as accommodation

We start the loop from the Galyatető Tourist Center on a path with stairs climbing upwards on the route of the National Blue Trail. As we climb the 960-meter-high peak of Péter Hill, we spot the Galya lookout building covered with metal mesh, which has won several architectural awards. A special feature is that the raised tower top houses bivouac accommodations decorated with colorful round windows. You can reach the lookout level with a 200 HUF coin – it’s worth returning after sunset to admire the night lights of the Mátra settlements. The panoramic view includes the rolling Mátra around us, the slopes of Cserhát to the west, the endless plains of the Great Hungarian Plain to the south, the Bükk plateau to the east, and to the north the Heves-Borsod Hills and the Karancs-Medves region – on really clear days, the peaks of the Low and High Tatras are also visible in the distance.

We walk along a gently winding forest path on the K trail. Climbing the pleasant slopes of Piszkés Hill, it’s worth occasionally glancing sideways as several points offer lovely panoramas through the trees.

Peak after peak

A ridge path crossing peak to peak begins: we are on the main western ridge of the Mátra. The gentle ascents and descents sometimes turn into short but steep sections, adding challenges to the route.

The first challenge is the 781-meter-high Vörös-kő, reached from Mátraszentlászló. Heading straight in the village center, we leave the Blue Trail and climb up the ridge summit on the S trail. Since 2005, a new spiral staircase tower awaits at the top for those who want to take in the view above the tree canopy to the north. We can identify our starting point of the hike, the houses of Galyatető, the Gortva-Jójárt lookout on the Nyikom peak, the Karancs and Medves plateaus, the characteristic line of the Bükk plateau, and on clear days, the ranges of the Low and High Tatras. At the top, built of andesite, we encounter the namesake red stone and several memorial plaques and wooden grave markers.

From the north, we bypass the houses of Mátraszentistván and Mátraszentlászló on the K▲ trail, then rejoin the National Blue Trail ascending on the ridge. The K▲ trail, which suddenly turns right and starts with a sturdy climb, first leads us to the andesite rocks of Newton. It’s worth taking a few steps off the path opposite the trail on the stones – partly for the northeast-facing panorama, and partly for the carved namesake quote on the rock.

The path climbs in a wavy line over the rampart of a Bronze Age earth fort (from which the place takes its name), then ascends to the twin peaks of Ágasvár – from the lower one we have a northern panorama. Then a thigh-muscle-straining, intense descent awaits us to the Ágasvár Tourist House, where eight trails meet. Behind the buildings offering snacks and accommodation, the Foton meadow stretches out, famous for its very low light pollution, so amateur astronomers often visit at night in clear weather. If the house is open, the Mátra-bérc hike ʍ trail runs through its garden; if the gate is closed, the K trail, then turning left at the corner onto the P trail, guides around.

Mill and glassworks site among the tinkling stones

Turning south (left) on the P trail, we continue, then it merges with the Z◼ trail after the Mogyorós spring, which descends into the valley of the Csörgő stream and then climbs out to lead us all the way to Mátraszentimre. The water trickling over the small stones in the streambed produces a lovely tinkling sound. Walking in the picturesque valley along the stream, we soon reach a memorial plaque showing a photo of the Csörgő mill that once stood here – now only its ruins remain visible by the water’s edge.

At the confluence of the Csörgő and Narád streams, there is a glassworks site. Glassmaking, which needed clean water and a lot of wood, found an ideal location here, where the then impenetrable, broom-thick forest was used for potash boiling and firing the glass furnaces. The raw glass material melted into an orange-yellow glowing, soft mass, which was then blown into molds or poured onto horizontal surfaces depending on its intended use. Over time, coloring and decoration of the material became widespread. A plaque at the site tells about the history of glassmaking and the work of the people who worked here.

Our path climbs from here to Mátraszentimre, touching a small animal park maintained by the local municipality. At the base of the area showing local domestic animals, we can also climb a lookout – don’t expect a spectacular panorama, but the animal park area and the main ridge curling above the valley are nicely visible.

Nature trail and observatory

In the village center, turning left onto the P trail at the Vadvirág hotel, we first cross the Bőgős meadow, excellent for picnics. Here it’s worth taking a short detour to walk the 600-meter-long Szénégetők útja nature trail, which has 13 stations showing the wildlife of the Mátra, forestry, local sights – even a miniature charcoal burner can be closely inspected.

Our path continues around the peak of Piszkés Hill, where the observatory building hides between the fence and the foliage. The Konkoly Thege Miklós Observatory excels in scientific research, but with prior group arrangement, anyone can get a glimpse into the world of the huge telescopes.

As we approach Galyatető, more and more trails join the route. The P trail finally turns into the village streets, leading back to the starting point. If we still have energy, we can climb again up to the Galya lookout on the K trail to survey the entire hike route with our eyes.