True Börzsöny - from narrow-gauge to wilderness

Itinerary

• We start from Kisirtáspuszta on the S+ trail towards the Kollár Valley.
• To the left, we cross the Zálog-bérc on the S◼ trail.
• We descend to the left towards Fagyos-kút on the S● trail.
• On the K◼ trail, we climb up right towards the Gács saddle.
• On the K trail (left), we cross the Nagy-Hideg hill and follow it all the way to the Rakodó.
• On the K+ trail, we turn left and walk towards the Hamuház.
• On the K trail we climb left, southwards to the fork below Pintér-bérc.
• On the P+ trail, we proceed to Salgóvár.
• The P▲ trail winds up to the Salgóvár summit.
• From Salgóvár on the P trail, we cross the Magyar Hill and arrive in Nagybörzsöny.

Detailed description of the route

Start from Kisirtás

The role of Kisirtáspuszta has changed greatly over time. During the heyday of narrow-gauge railways, it was an important transport hub: the repair shop operated here, and it was also the upper terminus of the first narrow-gauge line in western Börzsöny (leading to the Ipolypásztó standard gauge railway). In this pleasantly located mountain basin, 3 accommodations are available next to the narrow-gauge station and switch turntable (though all require prior arrangement).

Starting from Kisirtáspuszta (S+ trail), we follow a beautiful, high Börzsöny atmosphere along a stony creek bed. After one kilometer, we turn left into a short valley (S◼ trail); the presence of beech trees signals a cool microclimate. Higher up, on the southern side, this transitions to an oak forest. (Shortly, an unmarked path starts on the right, leading in 5-10 minutes to a meadow ending in rocks at Zálog-bérc, with a wonderful panorama towards the Nagy-Inóc block and southern peaks.) Our forest road begins to slope downward, then bends left along the S● trail towards Fagyos-kút.

The region of vanished keyhouses

For a long time, a keyhouse stood on a large, free plot, with free mattress accommodation in the loft. In the 2010s, it burned down for unknown reasons – a great loss, as such special tourist shelters are rare in our mountain ranges. We leave Fagyos-kút (also called János spring), which has a small shining pond beneath it, following the trackbed of a long-dismantled narrow-gauge railway.

On the K◼ trail, we start to rise from the valley to the left, passing by the site of the Bőrös keyhouse. Lumberjacks had converted a forest log structure into tourist accommodation, later dismantled by forestry in the ’90s. We climb to a narrow ridge, already assaulting the side of Nagy-Hideg hill. We cross the Kammerhof Carpathian atmosphere, a fabulous whispering pine forest. Börzsöny’s last built narrow-gauge branch climbed up here in the early ’50s with 12 switch turntables to assist transporting over 100-year-old beech forest stocks. At Gács saddle, we turn left onto the K trail, arriving under the summit at a tourist house building under beautiful beeches along a stony forest road.

Nagy-Hideg hill

The massive tourist house opened in 1940 offers refreshment opportunities (mostly only open on weekends). Nearby, from the 865-meter summit marked by a discreet small obelisk, there is a broad panorama towards the Danube Bend, and through the mist curtain, the Gerecse mountain can also be spotted. On the far side, in a beautiful, natural, sheltered beech forest, we descend steeply around the former ski jump. (At the start, take a short detour left along an abandoned dozer road to reach the top of the first ski slope corridor, which offers a great view of the Csóványos side.)

A resurrected wilderness

Turning our back left at the fork adorned with the Rakodó cross, on the K+ trail we enter a magnificent silvery beech wind forest. The abandoned ski slopes’ pastures highlight the lively tourist life at the mountain top, although we have essentially stepped into a wilderness – not primeval forest, but near-natural conditions dominate the Börzsöny center. The steep, sometimes rocky mountain sides, the creek meandering through rock debris, incoming gully-like side streams, and the magical loneliness designate the Black or Csarna valley (the Slavic word means black, referring to the closed, shady valley’s light conditions and the gloomy rocky beds). The upper section suffered huge damage from the 2014 freezing rain, breaking trees under the ice crust, some piled up or removed elsewhere, with dense obstructive thicket now widespread. Long pants are recommended here because of dense nettle fields, where dark woods alternate with sunny, vegetated renewal patches.

The hiking trail from Csóványos joins from the right; the two paths unite and continue along the wild Black creek. Near the High Bridge meadow, we can repeatedly notice traces of the former narrow-gauge railway embankment, with some railway parts still protruding from the soil cover. The longest and highest (wooden) viaduct of the Kemence narrow-gauge network was built nearby over the Oltár creek, which gives the High Bridge meadow its name. On particularly steep mountain sides, surprising solutions occurred: where slope steepness prevented rails joining, wood was simply slid down from higher lines to valley rails. Fortunately, the area now enjoys increased protection, and nature seems to have recovered. This is proven by the presence in the great valley system area of lynx, wildcat, rare birds such as the black stork, the little flycatcher, and the Ural owl; even a mountain golden eagle pair nests here. The creek’s purity is indicated not just by spotted salamanders but also by the vairone fish and stone crayfish.

We cross the Black creek by wading, then the clearing of the Great meadow breaks open the closed, dark forest. From the edge of a small clearing, looking backwards, we see the Hollókő ridge – only here do we realize how the mountains surround us. The valley narrows again, and a mossy rock slide – remains of an old lava flow – makes the shady, frozen section even gloomier. At the Halyagos keyhouse, built by Posta nature walkers (unfortunately in quite poor condition), railway track and ties liked by spotted salamanders hang often above the creek bottom. Parallel to them, shortly, a tiny sunny forest clearing welcomes us.

Following in the footsteps of wood-ash lye production

Next to the neat wooden building of Hamuház, narrow-gauge railway rails hide under the weeds. At its heyday, the Kemence narrow gauge reached even the highest region of the mountains, but fortunately, logging decreased significantly and sometimes stopped entirely. The remaining track is narrower gauge (600 mm) than Börzsöny’s other lines – smaller gauges helped overcome elevation differences by allowing larger curve building. The track is now only a remnant: it reaches from the Halyagos keyhouse to here, though in the lower section of Csarna valley, metal wires and bridge structures often hang in midair. In summer 1999, extreme rainfall flooded the High Börzsöny, and a flash flood washed away the track.

Hamuház is a widespread name: mountainous regions of Hungary (including Börzsöny) were filled with these buildings. Wood ash lye (szalajka) was made and collected in these buildings from beech ash. It was a vital ingredient for glassmaking and soap production, also exported to Western Europe – its downside was massive deforestation, leading to restrictions on its production already in the Middle Ages.

Around Salgóvár

We start another climb on the K trail to ascend from the Csarna valley. Below to the left, the Pintér creek roars in its gorge – we only get higher and higher above it as we move away from the bed. We cross its youthful patch and arrive at the fork below Pintér-bérc via a deep rutted wood haulage road. We head towards the western ridge of Börzsöny, leaving the clear-cuts on the P+ trail.

We arrive at Salgóvár in beautiful wind-beech forest, from the huge rocky-built structure of which only a wall ruin reminds us of the past. Little is known about its origin and prime: it was probably built in the 13th century, taken away from its owner, Miklós Salgói, in the 15th century due to a crime, and then destroyed. The worn, steep trail avoiding roots (P▲) leads to the rock summit. Be careful, as we stand at a considerable steep edge, even if the foliage partially hides it! The panorama, slightly disturbed by tree branches, is impressive nonetheless: the interior, high ridges closed by the Börzsöny caldera forest waves before us, and on the opposite side, the huge Csóványos–Magosfa ridge rises. We are seeing exactly the wilderness we crossed earlier.

Through Magyar Hill to Nagybörzsöny

We descend on the P trail (for a few minutes going back compared to earlier); below, we turn right again towards the ridge. We still have views left towards High Börzsöny, but after a younger forest section, crossing a small saddle on the ridge, we move to the outer slopes. Around the summit, a wind-blown beech forest remains – this section is worth wearing long pants due to the dense nettle patches growing in heaps. Passing the summit, we also touch a moat, possibly the trace of a Bronze Age settlement – the eroded terraces were probably built for former houses (no excavation confirming this was conducted on site). From the 714-meter Magyar Hill, we descend along a long, tiring path, but in return, a pleasant path leads through the oak forest, sometimes broken by beautiful rocky slope steppes on the left. From these, there is a majestic view of the huge forests of High Börzsöny and the neighboring ridges. Viewed from the last, Nagybörzsöny is not far anymore.

We step across a huge valley rich in andesite boulders. The hiking trail leaves the pavement left to cross a recently clear-cut hillside – then later returns to it. Walking on the P trail towards the village, we pass a visitable mill which utilized the Börzsönyi creek, transporting water from the mountain region center. Nagybörzsöny, once a mining settlement in better days, has grown on the mountain edge in a basin between mountains and foothill hills. In its main square, we find the bus stop; from the village center, on the S trail left, we can visit the narrow-gauge railway terminal.