Putnok - Bódvaszilas (OKT-24)

Itinerary

Throughout the route, follow the K marking.

• Walk north from Putnok railway station to the main road.
• In the center of the settlement, turn left, later leaving Putnok to the right on Fancsal street.
• Climb extensively to the Mohos Lakes.
• Descend from the lakes to Kelemér.
• Walk on asphalt under the hills to Gömörszőlős.
• From Gömörszőlős, cross the hill ridges to reach Zádorfalva.
• From the village, again cross hills and follow the border to reach Aggtelek.
• Walk from Aggtelek to Jósvafő.
• From Jósvafő, rise among the mountains to reach Szelcepuszta.
• The Ménes Valley is touched as the Blue Trail leads to Derenk.
• Hiking from the ruins near Szádvár to the remains of the Szabó Pallag Hunting Lodge.
• From the hunting lodge ruins, descend to Bódvaszilas, where the section ends at the railway station.

Detailed description of the route

Putnok – Kelemér

After stamping, leave the railway station on the edge of the settlement. Head towards Putnok’s main square, crossing the Szörnyű valley creek nearby. On the right, the church and the park of the Serényi Castle appear, continue straight along the main road. Soon pass the historic buildings of the Serényi Béla Agricultural Vocational School, then after a gas station, turn right onto Fancsal street. At the end of this street, leave Putnok’s houses behind and walk north along an agricultural road straight towards the distant forests. After a steady ascent, reach a model forest plantation, then at the edge of a meadow turn left onto a forestry road. Upon climbing to the top of Magas-bérc, descend past a built rest area on the elongated ridge.

Initially descend through a sparse young forest, then just before a small clearing that offers a view, suddenly turn right onto a trail. The air gradually becomes heavier as we approach the shore of the Kis-Mohos Lake, a peat bog with dense vegetation and barely visible open water. Not far ahead, we will notice the larger Nagy-Mohos Lake by changes in vegetation, and can approach it via a small path. The two bogs have formed by subsidence (landslide), the smaller one is just 15, and the larger 25 thousand years old. Both are of glacial origin and, due to their special climate conditions, preserve rare plants from that period. The small green hummocks of the peat bog formed slowly from natural debris can be easily spotted among the trees. The near disappearance of open water surface is a development of just recent decades, marking a current phase of the bog's life.

We soon return to the asphalt road leading to Kelemér, following its winding until cutting across a serpentine on an unpleasant, bushy path. A small village’s edge houses the national park's visitor center (Mohos-house), and at the settlement center, next to the church, the Tompa Mihály Memorial Museum awaits visitors – the poet was born here, and his pseudonym (Rém Elek) is the village name read backwards. Stamps are found in the shop, on the memorial house fence, and in the caretaker’s room.

Kelemér – Zádorfalva

We trudge on a concrete road, the landscape changes dramatically: forests disappear, huge treeless slopes surround us, endless meadows and pastures wave in this special, secluded corner of the country. Gémeskút reminds of the livestock once roaming here; today only sparse traffic and tall grass move. Gömörszőlős is a genuine dead-end village, with excellent condition traditional buildings at its northern end. The collections display tools and memories of the region’s former farming, and there is a special exhibition focused on church ceilings. The stamp can be found at the entrance gate of the open-air museum.

After leaving Gömörszőlős, enter a uniquely atmospheric landscape as we face the hills from below for the first time. At first, we follow a valley but soon begin climbing the ridge of a small hill. As we go higher, the horizon widens revealing the small basin of the abandoned village. A picturesque landscape unfolds all around; the wide, gently rounded green slopes are mostly only broken by patches of forest along the ridges. Though it can’t compete with the wildness of mountainous areas, this region will surely become one of many Blue Trail hikers’ most beautiful memories during their travels.

We tread the ridge trail only briefly, as a sign directs right down into the bushes. As idyllic as the previous kilometer was, the next brings as much trouble. For about fifteen minutes we break through the dense undergrowth, finally arriving at the edge of a thinned pine forest. We follow a narrow valley, above us winded subsided slopes frame an abandoned dirt road, and the tower of Zádorfalva’s church indicates the correct direction. The Blue Trail leads into the settlement center; the stamp is located in the pub.

Zádorfalva – Aggtelek

We start the long march to Aggtelek on asphalt. We don’t just watch the beautiful sunlit hills but soon climb one of them. We can enjoy the now familiar picturesque panorama only briefly as soon we enter the forest – but before that, look back to gaze across the long wave series of the Bükk plateau rising above the slopes.

Don’t expect much variety in the next kilometers: besides the beautiful grassy oak forests, the scenery is decorated by growing shrubbery taking over clearings. We wind on the ridge, deeply incised with ditches filling rapidly with rainwater in some places. An oak tree named “Ladon’s tree” is the only notable sight, and within half an hour, the border stones appear. Turning right at the line separating the two countries, the landscape opens to Slovakia, and soon right appears our destination: the Aggtelek limestone cliff, named for its distant white steepness (Baradla in Slovak also means rock wall). We reach an abandoned customs post, and after asphalt and passing through the campsite, arrive at the youth hostel building. Stamping can be done next to the reception door or at the visitor center.

Aggtelek – Jósvafő

Starting from Aggtelek, we venture into the karst, bringing a dramatic change in scenery. The world-famous Baradla cave entrance is atop a cliff, accessible by steps, creating an immediate mountain atmosphere. From the bench or the clearing behind it, the view is fantastic: the hills' background reveals the entire Bükk plateau, and to the right, forested ranges of Slovakia rise. Slightly further right, we turn onto the mountain’s side, crossing a forest tangled with limestone outcrops, approaching the entrance of Mész Valley. Here, on the S marking, we can visit Aggtelek Lake in about 10 minutes; it filled in a blocked sinkhole (don’t expect open water in the summer).

A long chain of clearings leads into the forest: suddenly, wild, beautiful woods envelop us. Moss-covered limestone ridges and dead trees characterize the forest covering steep slopes. We cross another valley, and our trail continues through continuously beautiful nature. Near the hilltop, we cross a small “devil's plough,” then approach Jósvafő with a steady descent. At a sign, the K mark turns left, following a ridge visiting Jósvafő (the view of the village from the cemetery is nice), but it misses the main sights – make a detour and meanwhile stamp at the pond hotel (Z mark).

Spend half a day in Jósvafő: perhaps no other village in the country is so defined by the presence of streams. The cool, sparkling flowing waters remain free of crude artificial channels; their fords are still used for crossing. Among the well-maintained old buildings, no mills work anymore, though they once powered Jósvafő’s ironworks. Below the cave entrance lies Lake Tengerszem, its emerald surface harmonizes beautifully with overhanging trees. Its water is supplied by the nearby Jósva spring, Hungary’s largest cold karst spring. Leaving the village northwards, we find another stamp allowing us to stamp without detours.

Jósvafő – Szelcepuszta

An eventful section lies ahead: the short Tohonya Gorge warns of it. Starting from Jósvafő’s edge street after the Kossuth cave entrance, a dirt road leads along a narrow winding gorge bordered by mossy rocks, not detracting from the wild view. When the creek’s cascades end, we cut across a clearing and then climb a short but strenuous slope to the unforgettable Jósvafő Plateau.

The extensive, basin-like, karst plateau pocked with swallow holes is encircled by mountains on all sides. Wherever you look, continuous forests inhabited by large predators border the landscape, except the highest slope, the Nagy-oldal, with karst shrub forests and devil's plough terrain. The steep surface is easily eroded by precipitation, washing away soil and dissolving limestone, creating furrowed surfaces supporting sparse vegetation. We are in the typical landscape of the Gömör-Torna Karst, one of the Northern Middle Mountains’ most special areas. In summer, the neighing of mostly gray Hucul horses fills the meadow, adding a slight Wild West flavor to the experience.

The Blue Trail crosses the swallow hole meadow and turns into the shade of trees. We climb Szőlő Hill, where a few more meters on the S marking leads to a nice viewpoint: the pine forest on the opposite mountainside creates a Carpathian atmosphere, while looking towards the Szalonna Mountains, we can spot the National Park’s emblem creature, the spotted salamander, carved in stone at the cliff.

Our path continues through pleasant forests, but the charm noticeably fades from earlier parts, as the ridge is poorer in karst phenomena than surrounding heights. Finally, we descend: from Szelcepuszta, we barely glimpse the breathtakingly beautiful wide Szelce Valley, whose bottom’s forest does not connect. Szelcepuszta is an idyllic accommodation, and we can choose comfort levels ranging from rustic hikers’ hostel to castle hotel. Horses graze in the clearing’s pen, and nearby frightened fallow deer observe hikers – interestingly, white variants can also be seen among them. The current forestry station was once the center of Miklós Horthy’s hunting territory. The tragic consequences of this will be soon experienced up-close.

Szelcepuszta – Derenk

A small gap yawns in the forest as we turn downhill on the mountain slope. The upper part of the beautiful Ménes Valley welcomes with babbling creek, fallen trunks, and rock formations – a truly wild introduction to the Alsó Hill plateau and the next kilometers’ Upper-Hungarian hiking atmospheres. At a fork, turn left, then immediately right to climb through a fragrant pine forest on an obstacle-rich gully. The dense forest is opened up by mowing meadows as we approach Derenk. Yet before the ruined village, another pine forest appears, then we emerge from beneath deciduous trees to the Derenk polje edge.

The polje derives from the Slavic word for “field,” and denotes the largest karst depression: visibly bordered by steep cliffs. As it is drainage-less, it is the only place on the karst plateau where water remains (as also felt on a meadow we pass on the Blue Trail), making it suitable for settlement. The former village is now marked only by stakes indicating the location of houses, and besides the crumbling stable, only a newly built school stands – it houses a fine exhibition about the village’s tragic past. The village people, Gorals, Slovaks, and Hungarians, often lived off poaching, which did not please Horthy, who created a bear garden locally and hunted often in the area. Therefore, in 1943, Derenk was practically dismantled, residents relocated, and all buildings demolished. The cemetery lies higher, hidden beneath trees, worthy of a visit. The Blue Trail stamp is attached to the Derenk OKT signpost.

Derenk – Szabó Pallag Hunting Lodge

Leaving Derenk’s main street, we reach another clearing. The ground here is covered by water-impermeable rocks, so rainwater does not seep, and the area is covered by mossy vegetation and shallow water. We cross a partly flooded area on a macadam road and admire the idyllic landscape from the forest edge. Entering the trees, we meander again between mossy rocky mountain sides, crossing the forestry road leading through Alsó Hill to Slovakia.

On a forest road, we arrive at a clearcut’s edge, from whose far side a sign indicates the direction to the clearly visible Szádvár (KL then PL marking). Although the Blue Trail does not visit it, don’t miss the perhaps most beautiful viewpoint of the Aggtelek karst! The hiking trail skirts the rocky mountain first through beech forest, then winding through oak and karst shrub forest patches on the hot southern side. On the summit stands the huge castle ruins with white limestone walls, built after the Tatar invasion. Worth a walk for the atmospheric ruins alone and the various viewpoints offering panoramic views. We can see Szögliget and the Szalonna Mountains, and in the distance, the huge Bükk. The Cserehát hills appear as plains, while the Slovak karst and surrounding area ripple as vast forested mountains toward the north. From the castle’s southwestern corner, the Ménes Valley opens below, and with binoculars, we can spot Szelcepuszta among the trees. Unusually, there is not a single clearcut around; fortunately, continuous forest covers the Aggtelek karst mountains wherever we go.

Continuing the Blue Trail, we first visit the arching meadow of Tábor-rét, then arrive alongside a water erosion area in the forest. Unfortunately, Borz-lyuk spring dries up in summer and cannot quench our thirst, as the trail makes a left turn beginning a long ascent aiming for Alsó Hill’s highest part. Gaps open a way for sunlight into the forest, and after a long climb crossing sometimes beautiful forest sections, we reach a wide forestry road. The numerous shafts and cave pits impress, and everywhere we see swallow holes. We might call it an “inside-out mountain,” as holes replace the summits in the highest region. We reach Szabó Pallag Hunting Lodge by forest road, where a rain shelter, rest area, and OKK board hold the stamp container.

Szabó Pallag Hunting Lodge – Bódvaszilas

The forest soon ends in a pine-framed clearing, somewhat Zemplén in atmosphere, before we return to walking under trees. We walk through a forest reserve, where nature shapes the forest life instead of forestry interventions. The Blue Trail starts a long descent offering views of the wild, rocky Kis-vizes swallow hole, with the entrance of Meteor cave at the bottom. We reach the southeastern edge of Alsó Hill, approaching the Bódva valley on a hot sunlit slope. From a small clearing, a beautiful view opens to Bódvaszilas, with the background of mined Esztramos and the Szalonna Mountains. In the distance, the Zemplén range appears blue.

The landscape opens at the forest border; the really interesting sight is the karst, rocky slope of Alsó Hill, forming an impenetrable wall running along the valley edge. As if the plateau was cut, it drops to the edge of arable fields. In Bódvaszilas, we can closely examine the well-restored Esterházy-Koós Castle building; however, our goal, the stamp, is at the village’s other side at the railway station. From the center, the K◼ marking helps reach the platform; the Blue Trail crosses the tracks and continues toward Cserehát.