Through Hór Valley to Bükkalja

Itinerary:

• From the Hollóstető bus stop, we start on the P trail into the Hór Valley.
• From the split at Hosszú Valley, we follow the K+ signs.
• We climb up to the Suba-lyuk cave along the KΩ signs, then descend back down.
• We arrive at the visitor center marking the end of our route on the K+ trail.

Route Description:

Starting from Hollóstető

Our hike starts at the mountain settlement of Hollóstető, belonging to Bükkszentkereszt. Located on the edge of the Nagy Plateau, in the saddle between the Szinva and Hór Valleys, this outlying inhabited area was built into an important junction. Here meet the roads heading to Miskolc, via Répáshuta to Eger, and via Bükkszentkereszt to Diósgyőr, as well as the upper entrance of Hór Valley leading down towards the Great Plain. Control of this mountain pass was important at the end of 1944 when the front moved through the Bükk; a soldier’s grave at the edge of the forest is a testament to this.

From the Hollóstető bus stop, we set off westward on the P trail markers. Next to the crossroads lies the Hollóstető Tourist House, offering accommodation and meals. The tourist shelter built in the 1930s is connected to the development of nearby Lillafüred, when a 2 km-long bobsled run stretched through the Hollós Valley, and golf courses awaited the upper-class visitors in the saddle above. The campsite under the house has offered lodging to nomadic hikers since the 1960s.

Following the trail, we turn left off the highway and continue hiking in the winding Hór Valley until the end of our route.

Introduction to the Hór Valley

The Hór Valley is the longest valley in the Bükk. The mountain section from Hollóstető to the edge of Cserépfalu is nearly 17 km long, then after the foothill surface of Bükkalja, the waters of the Hór flow under Mezőkövesd into the Kánya Creek, making the total length about 40 km. As a natural traffic corridor considered the southern gate to the Bükk, it has connected inner mountain villages and Diósgyőr with the Great Plain for centuries. Under the mountain peaks, special products from the Bükk (wood, burnt lime, charcoal, glass) were transported through here to flatland markets. In the 20th century, there was even a bus line in operation, but today there is negligible traffic on the valley floor secured with gravel and cobblestones. The source of the Hór stream emerges beside the Tebe meadow, which is why the streambed was formed from that point in the valley floor.

We march beneath the overlapping canopy of trees on both sides, occasionally spotting the roadside old lime kilns’ pits. On the right, a clear-cut opens a view to the sky, and if we detour 130 meters left at the next bend, we can visit the Hollós-tető sinkhole cave. Known locally as the “return flow,” these Bükk sinkholes channel the waters of layered and fissured springs into the lower cave systems. Many operate only seasonally, but this one is permanently active. It is fascinating to see how the trickling stream disappears into the bed’s sediment.

Passing by a pine forest, we reach the large forestry road intersection coming from Bodzás Meadow, then continue descending on the main valley’s P trail toward the Tebe Meadow. Smaller and larger side valleys flow down from the steep mountainsides, bringing water only occasionally from the heights. At a sign indicating increased protection, we arrive at the fork leading to the Szarvaskúti-Csúnya Valley.

The last glassworks in Bükk

A few minutes’ walk brings us to a wooded area marking the border of the former glassworks settlement at Gyertyánvölgy. Climbing up the hill on a path without markings on the left side, we can see the bell tower of the deserted village. Two bells once rang here; after the depopulation, they were moved to the churches of Répáshuta and Bükkszentkereszt.

We cross a bridge over the streambed and reach a clearing where the last Bükk glassworks settlement stood historically at Gyertyánvölgy. Glass production activity in the mountain range has been ongoing since the early 18th century. The first factory opened in Óhuta (today Bükkszentlászló) in 1712. The second came into operation in Újhuta (today Bükkszentkereszt) in 1755, and then Répáshuta hosted the third from 1790. The main reason for relocating these historic glass factories was that their enormous wood demand consumed the local forests in just 2–3 human generations. In 1834, the glass storage building was moved here to Gyertyánvölgy and produced quality products until 1897. After the factory’s closure, the small settlement gradually depopulated, with houses occupied until 1926.

Today, few remains are visible on the surface, but thanks to archaeological excavations, the former buildings and daily life of the inhabitants have been well reconstructed. At the open-air exhibition, visitors can learn about this, and also discover the history of glassmaking in the Bükk. The covered building reconstruction provides an excellent place to rest and absorb the spirit of the place.

Continuing along, a cave opening to the left underground attracts attention: the Koporsós sinkhole. This rare karst feature, a so-called katavoth, or rebound spring, shows that the cavity can act not only as a sinkhole but also as a spring. During heavy rains, floods flowing from side valleys can reach it, but if the karst water level below rises, the system acts as an overflow and spring.

Passing the fence of the Gyertyánvölgy cemetery, we reach the edge of the glassworks settlement. The quiet graves at the base of the trees commemorate the last residents of the Bükk glassworks.

The Tebe Meadow and the Hór spring

We snake further through mixed oak, hornbeam, and beech forest along the valley, with various small and large meadows opening along our path. At places, we see abandoned lime kilns’ pits used by locals for generations.

At the orchard grove stands a whitewashed cave research house, signaling arrival at the largest meadow in Hór Valley, the Tebe Meadow. The occasionally connected, open-water marshy clearing is home to rare species such as the Bánság sedge and the Siberian iris. Nearby is the source of the Hór stream, which is the overflow of an underground storage cavern and thus only releases water when the lower water supply sufficiently increases. The limestone-cut valley sinkholes quickly carry away water from heavy rain and snowmelt, so the valley floor is typically dry.

From here, there is a streambed throughout the valley bottom, but the Hór only carries water temporarily in wetter periods or after melting, as the karstic rock zones’ sinkholes channel it underground like an underground river. Folk observations hold that once every seven years, continuous water flow lasts for one or two weeks.

Crossing the Balla Valley intersection leading to Répáshuta and its covered resting place, we hike on the rocky road at the edge of the Tebe Meadow. In the first half of the 20th century, a narrow-gauge railway track ran here, transporting wood to the Hideg-patak Valley.

In the green corridor

At the meadow’s end, the open area ceases, and we walk for a longer stretch in a "green corridor" under the trees—there will be no meadow opening the forest for some distance. Old roadside kilometer stones regularly appear, allowing us to measure the distance walked accurately. We cross a concrete bridge over the Pazsag Valley joining from the right, followed by the confluence of Hideg-patak Valley. Next to a nearby forester’s lodge was a cableway station, receiving wood transported by narrow-gauge railway from Tebe Meadow, then transferring it over the hills to Oldal Valley above Felsőtárkány. Next to the building is a World War memorial honoring fallen soldiers from the December 1944 battles in the Bükk.

Continuing into the increasingly deeply carved valley, we enter the national park’s strictly protected area, which accompanies us to Suba-lyuk. On the summit of Füzér Hill, the ruins of a small castle built after the Tatar invasion stand quietly, with a scree-covered cliff wall below. Several caves have formed in the sometimes overhanging limestone. Among them, the most significant is the Füzér-kő Pass cave, now inactive but historically carrying a branch of the Hosszú Valley stream on the other side.

After a concrete bridge, we reach the mouth of Hosszú Valley. This tributary valley cuts into shale rock and has a constant flow. Water always diverts from here to the Hór streambed, continuing downstream until reaching the karstic zones, where the sinkholes carry it back underground.

Towards Oszlai Meadow

From the intersection, we switch to the K+ trail. Following the babbling creek, we arrive at the big curve opposite Kis-rét, where a dam was built to mitigate floodwaters after significant rains. We cross another bridge, under which the Hór streambed passes to the other side of the road. At the base of Ódor Hill, carrying a medieval castle ruin, a large rock forces a bend in our path. On the steep trail to the right marked KL, we have an option for a 2 km detour to see the castle remains and the wonderful panorama over Hór Valley.

The forest soon opens, and we reach the open area of Oszlai Meadow. A small wooden bridge leads to the meadow, where the former manor forest ranger's house converted into a local museum stands alongside the national park’s research house. From this open space, we get a magnificent view of the rocky ridge and surrounding area of Ódorvár. Since the Tebe Meadow, we have lacked clearings, seeing only glimpses of sky between tree crowns, but here we enjoy a wide perspective again.

This is worth it, as numerous protected bird species can be observed here, nesting in the Hór Valley area. These include the saker falcon, the imperial and lesser spotted eagles, the goshawk, and the honey buzzard, as well as the black stork nesting in the forests.

Taking leave of the idyllic meadow, we continue along beside rocks and fragmented stone fields, following the streambed. On its banks, we occasionally see traces of the lime-burning craft from the not-so-distant past in the form of kiln pits.

Reaching the Perpác Hill, we can detour left into the yard of an abandoned quarry. The large stone arena dominating the mountain side as a scar formed through the mining of the red clay Triassic limestone.

Suba-lyuk

Just a few minutes away, we stand at the fork of the KΩ trail leading to Suba-lyuk. On the steep side of Kút Hill, steps and railings facilitate climbing to the terrace in front of the cave entrance. The cavity, formed as a spring cave, is an important archaeological site. Excavations have confirmed that Suba-lyuk offered permanent or temporary shelter to our ancestors for over a hundred thousand years. Based on the recovered bone and tool remains, the presence of the Neanderthal man was identified.

Descending back to the valley road, we continue through the narrowing gorge on the K+ signs, passing a small limestone quarry. Asphalt surface indicates when we reach the end of the valley’s mountain section. In the suddenly opening Bükkalja landscape, we walk toward the Bükk Southern Gate Visitor Center complex. Exhibitions display the Bükkalja stone culture and the prehistoric man of Suba-lyuk. Alongside information gathering, meals are also available.

Further travel is possible from the nearby main road bus stops.