On the adventurous paths of the Uppony ridge – A visit to the grandfather of the Bükk Mountains

Itinerary:

• From the center of Bánhorvát, we follow the K+ mark through the Damasa Gorge to the central part of the Upponyi Mountains.
• On a section without markings, we switch to the K mark. 
• Turning onto the K mark, we go around the Három-kő and the Kőves-mál block and descend to the Kalica-tető turnoff.
• At the cross below Kalica-tető, we change from the K mark to the K▲ mark.
• From Kalica-tető, we descend back to the saddle and continue on the K▲ mark into the Upponyi Gorge.
• With a short detour, we reach Dedevár on the KL mark.
• From the Upponyi Gorge, we continue again on the K mark alongside the Lázbérci Reservoir to Dédestapolcsány.

Details about the hike:

In the area of Bánhorvát

Our hike starts from the center of Bánhorvát on the K+ mark heading north, passing the Catholic and Reformed churches. Both buildings are heritage sites; the Reformed church, which has a wooden gallery-surrounded tower and simple form, has an Árpád-era foundation with a Gothic nave built in the 14th century. Its beautifully painted wooden ceiling, gallery, and pews make it unique in the area.

We leave the village northwest through the broad valley of the Som stream, which is utilized with fields. After barely one kilometer, a sign at the bank draws our attention to the Miklós well, where cool spring water trickles into the stream. The slopes above the fields are dotted with orchards and weekend houses. The gently rolling hills once hosted thriving vineyards until the end of the 19th century. Unfortunately, the phylloxera epidemic that struck many northern border areas at the end of the 19th century also led to the disappearance of vineyards here.

At the Damasa Gorge

After a few kilometers, meadows and scrubby groves replace the fields around the village. The stream valley narrows, and the winding road among the gentle hills squeezes through steeper slopes. This is because above the young marine and river sediments forming the area, volcanic rocks are already present here. We also find representatives of volcanic rocks characteristic of the Northern Medium Mountains here in the Bükk region. Several tens of meters thick volcanic tuff covers the inner parts of the Upponyi Mountains, protecting the surface in patches from serious erosion, while the soft, rapidly eroding sediments around the volcanics have been worn away. The ridge north of us, Damasa Mountain, preserves such a volcanic surface. At the upper end of the Egres valley, we experience firsthand the uniqueness of the meeting of these two different rock types.

In the thickening forest after a larger clearing, the landscape dramatically changes. Huge andesite blocks emerge from the gentle valley floor, between which the hiking trail winds to find the path forward. Behind mossy blocks and leaning towers, at the base of a tens of meters high rock fall, we find one of Hungary's largest and youngest rock fissures, the Damasa Gorge. The volcanic rock mass sitting on soft, erodible sediment lost its support and collapsed from its original position, burying the forest below. The dramatic event in the 19th century created a special false cave in the middle of the detached and split rock block; a barely few meters wide opening descends nearly 100 meters deep into the rock mass. However, due to the unstable, slippery surface and the large debris pile hanging above the fissure, it is life-threatening to crawl inside.

The hiking trail sharply bypasses the collapse at the gorge rim and climbs up to the top of the cliff at its gentler continuation. Be cautious at the newly formed rim, as a loosened block may fall at any time. The valley bottom dark hornbeam-oak-beech forest changes here on the hilltop to light oak forest.

Leaving the Damasa Gorge, we join a forestry road and comfortably traverse sideways up to the flat ridge. We reach the top beside a hunting trail, where an asphalt road crosses the marking. On this road, we continue our hike southeastwards to the left, which after a few hundred meters connects to the K mark at the eastern edge of Köbölic Hill.

The viewpoints of the Upponyi Mountains

We continue on the asphalt road, now on the K mark. After a few hundred meters, we turn onto a path into the forest and make a wide circle around the Három-kő ridge. The marking just avoids the special rock cliffs on the far side of the hill, where the K▲ mark once branched off. Három-kő really consists of three rock outcrops, forming a protruding andesite ridge on the steeply breaking hillside. The view from here is the most striking and complete one over the Upponyi Mountains and the northern part of the Bükk.

We descend from the Három-kő ridge on the K mark, and arrive at the Kalica-tető saddle through the beech forest partly disrupted by clear-cutting on the Köves-mál side. The K mark turns into Uppony here, but we continue on the K▲ mark, which with a small detour leads again to a great viewpoint at the cross of Kalica-tető.

The effort of the climb is definitely worth it, as emerging from the shrub forest of the mountain top, an astonishing sight unfolds. The Csernely stream deeply cuts into the Uppony ridge, winding about two hundred meters below us at the bottom of the rocky gorge. Its water has been dammed on the far side of the gorge, forming the biggest artificial lake of the Bükk region, hugging the feet of the green mountains like a blue ribbon. The view is framed by the continuous mass of the Bükk range towering in the background, where we can recognize its characteristic peaks: Örvény-kő, peaking in the toothless beech forest; Bálvány with its radio tower and lookout; and Bél-kő, disturbed by mining, in the west. If we walk down to the cross below us, we also see the western side and the houses of Uppony directly below.

Besides its special panorama, the uniqueness of Kalica-tető is that here we can glimpse the ancient past of the Bükk. The ancient basement rocks are exposed and uncovered along the stream valley here. We stand on nearly half a billion-year-old crystalline limestone of the Variscan mountain chain, which constitutes Kalica-tető and the opposite Eszkála Hill, while younger sediments, sandstones, and phyllites build the mountains to the east.

Returning to the Kalica-tető saddle, we continue eastward on the K▲ mark, which leads us into the Upponyi Gorge hiding geological values and rare plants. Along the way, with a small detour on the KL mark, we can view the modest remaining wall of Dedevár, although unfortunately there is no view here, even though the reservoir curves directly below us.

The Upponyi Gorge and the Lázbérci Reservoir

Arriving at the bottom of the gorge, we join the country road between Dédestapolcsány and Uppony, where the K mark diverted to Uppony arrives; from here, we continue along it toward Dédestapolcsány. We walk on one of Hungary's most atmospheric country roads until Dédestapolcsány, following the Lázbérci Reservoir, which is formed by the water of the stream. This water body retained for drinking water supply is fed by two streams: the Csernely stream from Uppony and the Bán stream from Dédestapolcsány. The dam and the waterworks are not accessible; they are located at the eastern tip of the 'Y'-shaped reservoir and are responsible for the drinking water supply of the nearby industrial area and the broader region's villages.

The reservoir environment is strictly protected because of the drinking water and the natural values found here. The fish living in the lake feed on amphibians and fish, and the rare black stork also nests in the surrounding forests, while during migration periods, great crested grebe, northern diver, and kingfisher can be seen. The peregrine falcon and Eurasian eagle-owl, Hungary's largest owl species, nest on the cliffs of the gorge. The gorge also contains a few shallow caves where ancient animal bones and finely crafted stone blades from prehistoric humans have been found.

At the beginning of the gorge, the country road crossing alder groves gently climbs toward the forest above the reservoir, so the lake embedded in the forest mouth is increasingly concealed by the thickening foliage. However, on the last stretch, we proceed on the old, pre-dam country road alongside the water surface bordered by reeds and meadows. Benches and tables provide resting opportunities on the shore. It is worthwhile to stop and observe the rich aquatic life and the feeding water birds.

At the far end of the lake, we leave the reservoir alongside alder and willow groves of the Bán stream, and the houses of Bántapolcsány appear before us. Dédestapolcsány resulted from the unification of Déd and Bántapolcsány. It is not necessary to cross the long settlement, as we reach the end point of our hike at the bus stop in the center of Bántapolcsány village.