Őr-trail in the back garden of Bükk

Itinerary

• We leave Felsőtárkány heading north on the P trail, following it to the Őr-kő meadow.
• We climb up to Őr-kő on the K▲ signs.
• From the rock, we descend along the other branch of the K▲ trail to a junction in a clearing.
• We continue straight on the K trail.
• When the S trail joins, we turn left onto it.
• From Bél-kő Neck to Bél-kő, we follow the S▲ trail.
• We return to Bél-kő Neck and turn left at the Z and S trails toward the junction.
• Where the K and S trails turn left, we take a right along the Z trail.
• We follow the Z trail to Felsőtárkány.
• When entering the village, we turn left onto the S trail, which leads back to the Heating House.

Detailed description of the route

Along the Tárkány railway

Felsőtárkány, a long valley-shaped village due to the terrain, lies in a half-basin between paths running down from the Bükki Plateau and the ridges marked by Vár Hill and Nagy-Eged toward Eger. The eastern part of the village, which belongs to the agglomeration of Eger, reflects the proximity of the national park most clearly: here you’ll find the visitors' center, restaurants, the lake, and the narrow-gauge railway terminus.

The railway tracks began to be laid in the middle of World War I, but construction really accelerated after the borders were defined by the Treaty of Trianon, as the wooded areas and quarries of Bükk gained value. At its height, the network length exceeded 40 km, with branches unfolding the valleys around Felsőtárkány, reaching all the way to the border of Eger (to a local logging site). Trains were pulled uphill on the tracks crossing the village (initially by horse, later by locomotive), and gravity worked downhill. Because heavy trains loaded with wood and stone were dangerous, bells were initially attached to warn the brakesmen, later horsemen with horns overtook approaching cars. When in summer 1923 a train killed three cows, locals angrily tore up the tracks overnight. In the following weeks, a bypass track was built around the village, now used as a bike path.

In the 1960s, more efficient road and truck transport gradually replaced the role of narrow-gauge railways. By the 1990s, only the Stimeczháza line remained active in the Felsőtárkány area; it is still operational today. If the train is not running, set out on foot following the P trail!

We walk along side streets accompanied by tracks until we leave the houses. It’s worth taking a detour to the long meadow on the left side because the immense mass of the southwestern edge of the plateau rises opposite: from the right angle eastward, the vast Tar-kő appears, and to its left are the famous Bükk rocks: the smaller Vörös-kő, the huge Pes-kő recognizable by its rock face, next to it the Hegyes-kő emerges, and further back the forehead of Őr-kő appears white. Don’t resist the call of the mountains; return to the concrete road and head towards the Varróház stop, from where you can enter the forest.

At the gateway of the Bükk wilderness

Next to the Varró forester's lodge, a small animal park allows admiring the hooved animals of Bükk, particularly a large number of mouflons inhabit the enclosure. This species introduced from Corsica adapts well to our mid-mountainous regions but can cause significant environmental impact: the flock moves over a small area with a range of only 3-5 km, within which they damage vegetation by grazing and trampling. On our hikes, we have the highest chances of encountering them on rocky, steep terrain, as mouflons typically settle where other big game have more difficulty moving.

We proceed along forest supply paths, passing refreshing pine patches, then cross a regrowth breaking out in a clear-cut area. The last and most outstanding is the Pes-kő valley before us, especially because no logged patches pierce the forest. After a small clearing, our heads come together above the foliage, and within minutes we stand in front of the Napsugár rest house fence. The building once served forestry purposes and can now be used as a key-access mountain hut. On the right hillside, we can still spot the trace of the narrow-gauge railway embankment—the network once stretched to this point and later branched off here.

Following the P signs to the right, we enter the Pes-kő valley. The side slopes approach each other and suddenly their ridges disappear behind the trees. Rainfall on the plateau seeps through the limestone’s fracture network and, following its subterranean route, emerges at the foothills as spring chains. The streams originating here have carved long valleys into the lower terrain, with water behaving differently depending on the alternating rock patches. At the edge of the shale rocks, water is forced to the surface, while on reaching the limestone, it sinks underground (carbonic acid in the water causes karstification, dissolving the calcium carbonate in the limestone and creating cavities and passages).

Up to the plateau

At one point, the cliff of Árgus-kő, prepared by its hardness, breaks through the slope. The pleasantly shady valley can now only be heard by the forest’s sounds; no distant noises penetrate. At the Garasos-kő valley fork, we bid farewell to the traces of the dismantled narrow-gauge railway, and from the unceasing gentle ascent, we can already guess that most of the elevation gain must be conquered in one go, reaching the plateau.

The Gyetra and Pes-kő valleys almost meet; the ridge separating them narrows and descends, and after about one and a half kilometers of winding, we cross the stream and simultaneously face two breathtaking sights: the neat building of Pes-kő House and above it, through the foliage, the immense face of the namesake rock. Standing below the harsh limestone cliff in this closed mountain basin, we feel immense peace from the sound of the spring’s bubbling and the house walls. The spring water is reliable most of the year (only drying up during long drought). The cozy, well-equipped hut has no electricity; evenings spent here are characterized by candlelight, the crackling fire in the stove, and forest silence—also because it lies in a strictly protected area. No authentic data exists about its construction, only that it was built by the Archdiocese of Eger as a workers' lodge and operated for a long time as a hunters' lodge. Today, it is managed by the Eger branch of the Carpathian Association; the key can be collected in Felsőtárkány after prior arrangement.

The valley's head is no longer far. The ascent remains manageable, but the forest grows increasingly sheltering. We dodge numerous rotted trees and muds, then the path disappears as if we stepped into the wilds of the Carpathians: Pes-kő’s massive cliff soars toward the sky among broken trunks. In this primeval-like environment, the hiking trail retreats and climbs via a bend and detour. Decades of strict protection have resulted in a natural forest strip; the steep slopes and difficult access have spared the southern escarpment's woodland from larger-scale logging for a long time. The terrain is periodically rearranged by sweeping winds. Rocks, boulders, and deadwood scatter on the ground; between branches, the white summit of Pes-kő sometimes reveals itself as we tread. Eventually, on a particularly steep stretch, we slowly climb before arriving with a final push along fallen tree elders and rocky debris. A large stone man greets us on the Bükki Plateau—as does the often lively wind.

On the Bükk ridge

We turn inward, bypassing the Hegyes-kő rock; our path leads through clearly untouched, long undisturbed terrain. In winter, watch out for fallen trunks often used by wildcats during movement—it's not uncommon to find footprints in the snow.

Soon, we reach the Őr-kő meadow and set off on the K▲ marked path. Constrained between closing rock gates, we steeply climb toward Őr-kő, whose back has an unpleasant surface called devil's plough (karst, dissolved, grooved limestone surface). The view is breathtaking despite Őr-kő not being a plateau edge but rising in the second line of the Bükk stones “row.” To the left, the mottled Tar-kő and Pes-kő appear, behind them the southeastern mountain range waves. Below, the terrace behind Oltár-kő is visible, and in the distance, Felsőtárkány, Vár Hill, and Eger can be seen—long forested paths slope downwards in this direction. To the right, clear-cuts appear on the Király-szék ridge (where we're heading), and further back, the silhouette of Mátra is blue. The name Őr-kő may refer to a prehistoric function.

We continue on the path and gently descend—reaching a clear-cut pine patch where we join the K trail, turning right. This western termination likely represents the wildest part of the plateau; the narrow plateau is framed by sharp slopes and natural-state forests. Winds roaring over the ridges offer shelter only under mossy rock walls. Immeasurable calm settles over the area; we are guests in a tiny Carpathian wilderness. At the Zöld-rét meadow, we turn right onto the Z trail, bypass the Messzelátó peak, cross over Bél-kő Neck, and emerge densely (S▲) at the western end of the Bükk Plateau.

Above the Bél-kő rock yard

An astonishing view unfolds from the railing-secured terrace: the terrifying size of the Bél-kő’s quarried summit. The mountain top looks as if it were sheared—as indeed it was. We only know its original form from 19th-century prints since the cement factory, founded in 1908, lined it with the especially pure limestone of Bél-kő. After discontinuing the stepped-terrace quarrying for safety reasons, the huge quarry yard at 730 meters began formation in the 1960s, when the asphalt road leading to it was also built.

A total of 7 million cubic meters of limestone was extracted (lowering the summit by 100 meters) before production stopped in the 1990s. Behind the impressive quarry yard, a significant slice of the Northern Medium Mountains reveals itself: the waves of the Heves-Borsod Hills, the well-distinguishable shape of Karancs, and the entire ridge of Mátra attract attention. Unfortunately, rock climbing use (via ferrata, climbing routes, etc.) is currently not allowed for nature conservation reasons, although Bélapátfalva could uniquely feature on the tourism map nationwide. Admittedly, the vast deformity is a relic of a period dominated by usefulness in the human-mountain relationship, lacking protection.

Down from the plateau

We return along the same path to Zöld-rét but now must choose the right direction at the junction: we continue on the Z trail. After a short ascent, we begin descending from the plateau through natural-looking forest, tightly within the embrace of tall beeches. On the left, a wind-battered hollow gapes in the woods; broken trunks rise into the sky. Soon, we reach a forest road, walking left; from a clear-cut patch, we look out over the Southern Bükk. The cliffs of Őr-kő, the curved rib of Hegyes-kő, and the forehead of Pes-kő appear. We step into the forest again; while young beeches grow on the right, on the other side stretches a wild forest belt characteristic of the plateau’s escarpment. Dead standing trees and fallen rotten trunks enrich the rough, mossy rock outcrops on the steep slope.

Wide ridge towards Felsőtárkány

The hiking trail suddenly turns sharply south, and the landscape changes: we walk downward on a wide ridge; the forest gives a more 'groomed' impression, with homogeneous stands alternating. On the slopes of Király-szék, the dense, impenetrable thicket greets us once more—once the site of the Farkas-kunyhó cabin, long demolished. Slowly, logged patches alternate; we can glimpse neighboring ridges; in the distance, endless seeming southern mountain ranges appear. Lower down, the Vak Vince meadow stretches toward the valley—a burial place of the ancient pagan culture living on the mountain. We just bypass the Nagy-Verő peak (which denotes the sunny slope) and descend through a long youthful linden forest. Older stand edges reveal the rolling land of Southern Bükk; otherwise, we tread dusty tire tracks. The monotony breaks with a clearing equipped with a lookout and feeder (Buger meadow), and finally, we reach the forestry road valley leading to Mellér valley (once traveled by narrow-gauge train).

The Z trail calls us into the woods and follows the stream running along the wide valley floor. Because of many fallen trees and vanishing path, it's advisable to stay on the bulldozer road, which reconnects to the hiking trail after crossing a ford where we turn left. We reach a narrow path, which can be very slippery in rainy weather; alongside it, long, lush grassy meadows stretch. Here stood the crowned guardhouse, no longer visible. Beyond the pastures, the forested slope of Vár Hill rises, then disappears behind the trees as we cross the stream and finish the last meters of forest. Leaving a horse riding stable behind, we reach the edge of the village.

The surface of the Tárkány Basin here is made up of wide pastures with riolite tuff and volcanic ejecta, into which the cellars visible on the right were carved—viticulture has centuries-old traditions in the village. Turning left onto the S trail, we return to the Heating House.