On the caldera rim of Börzsöny

Itinerary

• We start north from the Perőcsény bus turnaround on the hiking trail marked P◼. This path turns into the forest from the square behind the church, continuing east for a long stretch. After 2.1 km, we reach the intersection with the P hiking trail.
• We turn right onto the P marked trail, heading south. After a 6.5 km walk, we arrive at the saddle beyond Salgóvár, where our path leaves the ridge.
• We go southeast for 500 meters to where the forestry roads meet. Here, we turn right at a right angle to begin the ascent of Magyar-hegy together with the P mark.
• We bypass the peak of Magyar-hegy at its eastern saddle, then head south again, and at the end of the ridge, turn west. After a long descent, we reach an asphalt road. From here, we no longer need to stay on the hillside trail climbing up, but we can choose the asphalt road, which leads to Nagybörzsöny without further elevation gain.

Detailed tour description

We start from Perőcsény towards the 600-700 meter ridge, traversing the uniquely atmospheric forest landscape of Holló-kő and Vár-bérc. Be prepared for the first hour and a half to be a continuous climb. Starting from the bus turnaround, we first tackle the church hill, then enter the forest at the edge of the village. At first, we walk through a nice grassy oak forest, accompanied on the right by a deep stream valley. At a branching forestry road coming from the left, we turn right, effectively starting the ascent to the ridge. The forest around us gradually thickens into beech as we continue climbing, and the two-faced topography becomes noticeable: steep drop-offs on the left, while a long slope descends on the right towards the Ipoly valley.

From the first clearings, such as the top of Jancsi-hegy, we see towards the lowering massif of Magosfa and the gentler northern ridges of Börzsöny. This, along with glimpses of the caldera interior between the trees, is only a brief prelude to what awaits us at Holló-kő. The trail winds along a narrowing ridge, with andesite rocks peeking from beneath the ground cover here and there. At a steep right turn ascending upwards, we reach a rock formation, marking the main attraction of our hike.

Anyone who has been to the 685-meter-high Holló-kő knows every step is worth it when the interior basin of a long-collapsed giant volcano’s crater opens before them. The winding valleys and ridges form the most stunning viewpoint offered by the P mark. It’s a breathtaking spatial experience and a picturesque landscape simultaneously. The heights, the slope steepness, and the vast closed forest together compose a slice of the Carpathian wilderness. Except for the Csóványos tower, there is no sign of human presence.

The highest peaks surround the vast forest in a semicircle, and it’s no coincidence: millions of years ago, a gigantic volcanic mountain smoked here with barren slopes. A violent eruption shed its highest part, causing the collapsing crater interior above the emptying magma chamber to sink lower than its surroundings. Standing on Holló-kő, the bowl-shaped depression lies before us, with the mountain range’s highest peaks lined up on its edge (Magosfa, Csóványos, Nagy-Hideg-hegy). It’s clearly visible how the tributaries of the Fekete stream have radially cut into the interior of the High Börzsöny. This central part of the ridge is decorated by andesite rock formations bearing the traces of volcanic explosions. The original volcano structure’s remains have been heavily reshaped by water flows.

The truly atmospheric part of the path starts here. The hiking trail meandering on the ridge is worth coming for its unique atmosphere even when thick fog covers the landscape, obscuring the spectacular panorama. We wind along a genuine mid-mountain ridge to Vár-bérc, skirt around dark rocks, and descend a natural staircase at one point. We also step across the remains of a fragmented lava flow at the Kövirózsás section.

The path leading to Salgóvár ascends steeply towards the summit, then skirts around it. We pass the last remnants of the former castle, a small ruin, and finally set off from the foot of a huge rock on a root-woven ascent. From Salgóvár summit, we get a limited but equally unforgettable view as from the Holló-kő cliffs. We can also see towards the Visegrád Mountains.

The marking descends from the summit, then at a forestry road junction turns right (near a cosy "gingerbread" hunting lodge where we can rest), crossing the saddle between Magyar-hegy and Vár-bérc. After one last uncomfortable climb, a long descent begins. Our narrow path leads out to the mountain edge, where small rock grasslands interrupt the oak forest. The combination of previous logging, slope steepness, and erosion has created shallow soil here and there that only supports small trees, with some areas inhabited only by herbaceous plants exposed to the sun. From the chain of clearings, there is a great panorama into the interior of High Börzsöny; we can see Csóványos directly below, and deep below stretches the Magyar valley. Finally, we reach the Nagybörzsöny asphalt road. Following this or the adjacent meadow path, we reach the end of our hike in Nagybörzsöny’s landscaped main square.

The village's mining past was replaced during the light railway’s construction by economic opportunities provided by forestry, and today the main roles in everyday life in Nagybörzsöny belong to tourism functions and the related services. By the light railway, which operates in the summer half-year (Friday to Sunday), we can rattle all the way to Szob at the end of our hike if we arrive at the right time.