The siege of Ágasvár

Itinerary:

• We climb up to the Ágasvár tourist house along the P trail. We cover a short section on an unmarked path beside the Békás Lake.
• From the house, we climb to Ágasvár along the K▲ trail and proceed east along the ridge.
• We return to the tourist house from below Newton Rock via the K trail.
• From the Ágasvár tourist house, we follow the Z trail through the Kétvár-közti valley to the side of Óvár.
• On Óvár, we follow the Z● trail and arrive back at Mátrakeresztes.
• From the village boundary, we reach the starting point along the familiar P trails.

Detailed tour description:

Along the Csörgő Stream

We set off from the lower end of Mátrakeresztes, a single-street village squeezed between forested volcanic cones, along the P trail. The hiking trail soon leaves the settlement, i.e., the Békástói resort; practically, we already spot the last houses from the forest as we circle the Békás Lake from the east - here we follow an unmarked path on the lake's eastern shore for a short section. In fact, only a small marshy reed area remains from the lake, as decaying organic matter slowly fills the basin. The swampy hollow is a favorite habitat for amphibians, as its name suggests. After a small detour, we reconnect with the P trail.

The environment drastically changes as we leave the resort streets behind. The deeply carved valley of the Csörgő Stream is home to a dense, closed deciduous forest. At the valley bottom, the stream with its erratic water flow hides among the rounded andesite blocks. In the dry summer, it barely trickles at the bed, with the stream's creatures enduring the water shortage in bigger pools, while during spring snowmelt or summer cloudbursts, the wild foaming water races down the untamed streambed. The 2005 spring snowmelt high water was topped by a severe thunderstorm, which caused the Csörgő Stream to swell into a roaring flood, joining with the Kövicses Stream to cause massive destruction in Mátrakeresztes. Houses and sheds were destroyed, roads and utilities carried away, and the village's appearance rearranged. A lifetime's work was washed away within hours. The Hasznosi reservoir saved the rest of Pásztó, although the flood already licked the top of the embankment. Had the dam broken, the damage would have been worse than the Kolontár disaster.

The otherwise gentle and cheerful stream is followed by the hiking sign on the forest road running along the valley edge, where we comfortably climb in the mild but steadily ascending valley. A few hundred meters from the village, andesite towers appear first on the opposite side, then above us in the dense forest. Bárány and Csóka-kő are sturdier representatives of the volcanic rock layers forming the mountain range. During the formation of the Mátra, volcanic activity alternately stacked ash, tuff, and lava layers, with the solidified lava flow's dense andesite being the hardest covering rock. When the volcanic mountain shifted along massive faults due to tectonic movements, the hardest andesite rocks broke off and surfaced, further shaped by erosion. Currently, andesite towers stretch for several hundred meters along the mountainside, delighting local rock climbers, as this is the region's largest and most beautiful climbing area.

Taking Ágasvár

After a rocky narrow passage, the valley widens. Crossing the Kétvár-közti Stream, which channels waters between Óvár and Ágasvár, we leave the Csörgő Stream and follow the P trail climbing along the mountainside, representing the shortest and most practical hiking route to Ágasvár. If time and curiosity allow, it is worth making a short detour to the Csörgő Stream gorge, which continues to lead along the tumbling stream amid vertical andesite walls on a short but spectacular section. After the shady stream valley, we ascend through a bright, youthful forest at the foot of Ágasvár. This is a steep but effective path of the ascent. Soon we arrive at the Ágasvár tourist house.

The smaller house at the edge of the forest originally served as a hunting lodge in the 19th century, later donated by its owner, Baron Endre Hatvany, to the Budapest Pannonia Tourist Association on condition that it operates as a tourist house. With the patron's support, a dining room was later built adjoining the house. After World War II, it was nationalized and operated by the Tourist Supply Company. At the beginning of the 1960s, a larger stone building was constructed, providing accommodation for thirty-two people in eight rooms, meeting contemporary standards. In the 1970s, it came under the ownership of the Parádi ÁFÉSZ and, after regime change, the Hungarian Nature Walkers' Association; private operation began in 2005. The meadow behind the house is a favorite observation point for astronomers due to its excellent location and low light pollution. From the clearing called Foton meadow, one can admire one of Hungary's most beautiful night skies. In good weather, chances are high to meet astronomers and astrophotographers, who are generally happy to introduce the world of stars. If time allows, spending a night in the mountain tourist house is recommended.

Even if not sleeping, refreshing and consuming at the house is advisable, as the steepest, rockiest part of our hike follows to the peak enjoying natural protection. Behind the house, we join the K▲ trail, which immediately tackles the steep mountainside. The slope approaches 45 degrees; it is common to use hands and feet to cling to the rocky slope. Fortunately, on the steepest sections, tree roots protrude from the eroded surface, which can be used as steps, gripping the trunks to overcome the protection line. More and more rock surfaces appear in the airy forest until we reach a cliff on the ridge with a magnificent panorama. We can see the western ends of the Mátra, a significant part of the Zagyva valley, the Cserhát hills, and, with some luck, Mátra's volcanic siblings, the Börzsöny and the Visegrád Mountains.

The castle was intentionally built at this height: the mountain itself is a fortification, and although its position is secluded, it enables monitoring a large area from the height. Only the mountain peak name reminds of the medieval fortress; no walls remain. The castle was presumably built after the Tatar invasion, with its first documented mention dating from 1265. The medieval castle occupying the double peak of Ágasvár is surrounded by two large Bronze Age earth trenches, indicating it likely functioned as a fortification even in prehistoric times. Of its numerous owners, the Tari family possessed the castle last in an operative way, preferring the Cserteri (Hasznosi) castle built next to Tar due to its more favorable position. The neglected castle fell into ruin, and it is mentioned as only a castle site among the lands confiscated by King Matthias for treason.

Descent along the ridge

It is worth descending the extremely exposed western ridge of Ágasvár. The spectacular summit area formed during the tilting of the Mátra block and the break-off along the northern faults. To the north, the Mátra-bérc drops into the depths with walls and very steep mountainsides. A few protruding rocks enrich the atmospheric section, such as the tufa and agglomerate block narrowing at the base of Szamár-kő and the excellent viewpoint at Newton Rock. Although slightly hidden at the viewpoint, which is across the bushes lining the path, it is definitely worth visiting the steeply north-eastern falling rock. The inscription on the rock, from which it takes its name, is no coincidence. The phrase "God save us from Newton's faith" warns of the fatal consequences of gravity. The exposure pairs with an outstanding panorama: what we did not see from Ágasvár's summit, we can make up at Newton Rock. We can glimpse the peaks of the High Mátra, the northern forelands of the mountains, the northern forests of Nógrád-Heves-Borsod, and the mountains of the northern Hungary region.

From Newton Rock, a short descent connects us to the National Blue Trail K trail, which comfortably leads back to the tourist house along the gentle mountainside path. Along the way, the forest thins out in a few places, and we can catch a remaining section of the Ágasvár panorama looking south and southeast toward the inner area of the High Mátra. A few hundred meters from the house, the trail passes a peculiar semicircular hollow. In non-karst areas, such rare cavity collapses were colloquially called the dragon’s breath because warm, moist air mysteriously puffs from the crack during winter.

From the tourist house, we now follow the Z trail, gently traversing the western shoulder of Ágasvár and old oaks along a deeply cut cart road, arriving at the saddle between the two castles. This place is a crossroads of many hiking trails. Continuing on the Z trail, we can reach Hasznos via Gombási airfield, or choose an interesting hike following the Mária path and the K+ trail on the Kodály Zoltán hiking route down to Tar, where an arboretum and two service wells can be found along the way. We now opt for the most straightforward alternative and descend back to Mátrakeresztes crossing the Óvár block via the Z● trail.

On the side of Óvár

From the fork, we walk southward through the old, dark beech forest of Óvár with a gentle ascent. A peculiar, ridge-like formation crosses our path with an opening through it. We cross the 5-meter-high ditch of Óvár, entering the castle interior. The ditch surrounds a vast area of 28 hectares on the eastern terraced side of the volcano. Based on found pottery shards, the Kyatice culture inhabited the fortified settlement. At a higher level, we also find a second, smaller ditch, reinforced with stone walls in the 13th century. In size and because the Ágasvár fortress was available for the ruling class, Óvár likely provided suitable shelter for the local population and their cattle. Currently, groves and small meadows remain inside the ditches, probably leftover from grazing still present in the High Mátra in the early 20th century.

In the middle of the grove, the trail sharply bends left into a wild cherry tree, leading out of the castle back into the dense mountainside forest. Outside the ditch, the mountainside steepens as we walk along above Csóka-kő. On the opposite side, the andesite towers of Bárány-kő stand out; meanwhile, we decidedly descend back into the valley. We leave behind the greatest part of our tour elevation here, descending on a path presumably used by locals and their animals for centuries back to the village. We reach the valley again at the resort boundary, where the creek’s water offers a refreshing break. Using the P● trail, we can touch the nearby Böske spring to quench our thirst at the tour's end. Our circular tour closes here: beside the Békás Lake shelter, we step again onto the P trail, descending via the resort streets back to the village and arriving at the stop. While waiting for the bus or preparing for the journey home, we can stop by the Óvár restaurant, open on weekends, for a drink.