Szarvaskő - Putnok (OKT-23)

Itinerary

During the route, we must continuously follow the K sign.

• We walk from Szarvaskő to the Gilitka spring.
• From the spring, our path leads to Bélapátfalva.
• We climb up to the Bükk plateau, passing below the Őr-kő.
• We reach the Tar-kő and then the Zsidó-rét via a scenic path.
• Our next important destination is Bánkút, where there is a tourist house.
• We descend to Mályinka.
• We cross Dédestapolcsány on asphalt.
• After the village, we approach Uppony beside the Lázbérci reservoir.
• We climb up to the Három-kő ridge.
• We end our route at the Putnok train station.

Detailed description of the route

Szarvaskő – Telekessy guesthouse

Szarvaskő is nestled in a narrow "basalt gorge." The dark pillow lava forming the castle hill once flowed out on the seabed of an ocean basin existing millions of years ago and quickly solidified due to cold water. Our path climbs above the cliff by circumventing it. Let's take a detour of just a few meters to the viewpoint: although almost nothing remains of the castle, there is a great view over the Szarvaskő basin, a tiny village nestled between steep mountain slopes. The small fortress was abandoned by its defenders after the fall of Eger but was still in use until the early 18th century.

As the K sign passes to the other side, we experience increasingly special panoramas: below the grassy hillside, the winding of the road and the railroad tunnels creates a lively landscape. In the distance, the Mátra mountains also appear. We start on a low ridge heading towards the Bükk plateau, rarely traversed forests cover the area except for the Blue Trail path. After several kilometers, we descend into the Rocska valley. Before the Szarvaskő gorge was made passable with explosions and serious engineering work, a cart road led to Bélapátfalva here. The small Baroque style Gilitka chapel stands in a wider part of the valley and commemorates Eger’s former bishop (II. Kilit). A tourist rest area is set up next to it.

The path climbs out of the valley, crosses a ridge towards Bélapátfalva, and soon we reach the Telekessy vacation house. This former seminary building operated for a long time as a tourist lodging and now functions as a guesthouse. A stamp can be found on the OKK information board next to the stairs leading to the building.

Telekessy guesthouse – Bélapátfalva

We walk into Bélapátfalva at the base of Bél-kő. Here we get as close as possible to the wild area of the Bükk plateau, with mining-shaped, jagged cliffs drawing our attention. The huge rock formation is impressive and serves as a memento of the human mentality that viewed nature as a resource to be harnessed without consequences, as demonstrated by the now-closed cement plant it once served.

At a left turn, we face the Cistercian Abbey of Bélháromkút. Although late Romanesque in style, it contains Gothic features, as the construction was interrupted by the Tatar invasion. In the early 13th century, Cistercian monks who moved here from Pilis began building a basilica and monastery – the latter was set on fire by the troops of King Ladislaus IV. Restoration in the 18th century added Baroque vaulting.

Attention! Due to renovation works on the abbey, from early 2022 until approximately spring 2024, the route is temporarily modified to avoid the church and its immediate surroundings.

The Blue Trail invites us into the center of Bélapátfalva and then turns outward at the railway crossing, venturing towards the towering mountains of the Bükk ahead. Stamping is possible at the platform. We continue along a narrow road with the jagged cliffs of Bél-kő looming increasingly threateningly over us. Another stamp can be found at the entrance to the Szomjas Csuka restaurant.

Bélapátfalva – Cserepes-kő

From Bélapátfalva, we head deeper into the Bükk National Park. The view of the dismantled cement factory's factory lake is made special by Bél-kő's broken and roofless rocky mass segmented into terraces. From here, it is immediately obvious how high the plateau known as the "Table of Giants," the Bükk plateau, is compared to the neighboring landscapes. Following the Blue Trail, we walk on asphalt past a strangely shaped well – bringing enough water is advised, as there will be no further potable water access until Bánkút! Leaving the road, we climb through the Lak valley surrounded by forest. We tackle steep slopes on hairpin bends and enter the Horotna valley chapter, where World War II military graves rise.

On the steep bend ahead, limestone breaks through the soil as we climb alongside a dry ditch. At a fork, we turn right and pass through beautiful beech forests around Őr-kő. We arrive at a new junction from where a detour to Bél-kő's lookout is possible in about 15-20 minutes. We cross the Zöld-rét meadow and reach the plateau – a particularly undisturbed, especially wild corner. To the left, a rugged limestone cliff towers over the beech forest: this is the limestone face of Őr-kő. A small ranger's hut with a poster about the research program for wolves and lynxes living here stands in the beech forest. The cool microclimate and natural, untreated forest characterize the area.

A path loops from Zöld-rét and the Őr-kő meadow to a fantastic lookout. From here, stone stairs lead to the unpleasant limestone, karst-ridged top. The karst plateau is shaped by water erosion, locally called "the devil's plough" by folklore. The panorama from Őr-kő is unforgettable: we do not stand exactly at the plateau edge, so we only see the edge of the nearby Pes-kő limestone face and the wooded ridge behind, with Tar-kő recognizable beyond. In front of us spreads the vast forest of the Déli-Bükk, and the Mátra is visible towards Eger.

From the Őr-kő meadow, we continue on unpleasant karst terrain through sparse trees. To the left lies the wide Korcsmáros meadow. Then we reach the Pes-kő gate, a steep rock break. After this adventurous path section, we walk on a small path at the Pes-kő side. The impressive-sized rock face, the most spectacular among the stones from the direction of Felsőtárkány, is unfortunately not accessible and strictly protected. Therefore, we continue around a depression closed from all sides in dark wind-beech forest. Soon we climb a rocky hillside and suddenly stand in front of a limestone wall equipped with a door: we have arrived at the Cserepes-kő cave accommodation. A stamp is available here, and in the chamber at about 800 meters altitude, we can spend the night on built-in bunks, gaining one of the Blue Trail's most unique experiences.

Cserepes-kő – Tar-kő

We bypass a small, steep valley head to reach the east side of Cserepes-kő, looking for the path amid a huge devil's plough. The sometimes moss-covered, sharp-edged limestone rocks form an exceptionally beautiful mountainside. After a bend, we reach an equally spectacular spot: a wide rocky grassland stretches along the steep slope. The shallow soil area has not yet been reclaimed by the forest, offering fantastic views from the narrow path to the Vörös-kő valley and the vast forest. This is one of the most atmospheric spots on the Bükk Blue Trail.

Again, we step among trees and soon make a sharp left turn. If we turn right off the path, we reach the small rocky peak of Vörös-kő. The tiny outcrop offers memorable views of the steep valleys originating underneath and the towering rocky ridge of the neighboring Tar-kő. The Blue Trail climbs steeply in a wild valley head, then turns right to guide us to another important area: the edge of the Primeval Forest. It is worth observing the forest to the left: there is no trace of uniform, military-like stands here, but dense, "disordered," i.e., natural conditions. Fallen trees lie on the ground, letting sunlight nurture the undergrowth and regeneration. The approximately 150-year untreated area belongs to the Forest Reserve Program, aiming to observe natural forest processes.

After a few bends, we tackle a steep climb to Tar-kő, the highest natural lookout point of the Bükk. The K sign bypasses the lookout, but hardly anyone would omit the minimal detour. The K▲ path leads to the limestone grass plateau of Tar-kő. From 950 meters, we can observe the entire Southern Bükk, easily recognizing the Hór valley and the towering Ódorvár at the end, the Kőlyuk-Galya, and westward, the Nagy-Eged closing the mountain range above Eger. Beyond the Tárkány Basin rises the Mátra, and as Tar-kő is slightly protruding, we also have some view of other Bükk stones. To the left, the grassy summit of Három-kő breaks through the leaf carpet and is easily identifiable as the southern escarpment of the Bükk plateau. In clear weather, the Tokaji Nagy-hegy also appears westward. Below us, valuable plant communities inhabit the karst shrub forest on the rock, but further down, ugly clear-cut lines cut the green forest. Undoubtedly, the Tar-kő offers one of the widest panoramas in the Bükk.

Tar-kő – Zsidó-rét

We start the last trail section of the plateau edge descending from Tar-kő, walking eastward. We reach the beautiful pasture of Keskeny-rét, and here we can take a right, 10-minute detour to visit the easternmost stone, Három-kő. Another magical panorama opens from the clearing, revealing countless forested mountain peaks of the Southern Bükk. The Blue Trail crosses Keskeny-rét and arrives at the tip of Zsidó-rét.

Zsidó-rét, like most of the Bükk clearings, was formed centuries ago during the logging of large beech forests. Due to mowing and grazing and the shallow soil, the forest has not reclaimed it and today remains one of the national park's highly protected areas. Among the forests, the hummocky, juniper-covered clearing's bumps suggest a much higher mountain region. Numerous rare plant species live in the long clearing, including one of the largest sinkholes, the huge Mohos sinkhole.

Zsidó-rét – Bánkút

Leaving one of the most enchanting points of the Bükk behind, we switch to concrete and continue on in the forest. We soon touch the also pleasant atmosphere of Kis-Sár valley, then turn left at the end of Mély-Sár valley. A narrow, long clearing with many sinkholes runs alongside us as our gravel path cuts through a small pine forest. We reach Faktor meadow, where we must watch the signs carefully due to the dense weave of trails towards Bánkút to avoid going astray. We walk along the beautiful meadow patterns on the northern side of the plateau, with the completely closed, prohibited Ablakos-kő valley starting to the left. We pass the highly protected entrance of Diabáz cave – misleadingly named (porphyrite was mistakenly identified as diabász) – which is the seventh deepest cave in the country with a depth of 153 meters.

Along the asphalt road, we arrive in the small settlement of Bánkút. The tourist house, inaugurated in 1931, was completely ruined during the decades of socialism but reopened in the '90s in its present form as the White Eagle pension. Below, we find the Bánkút Ski Club Ski House, or as most know it, the tourist house. We can spend the night in either, and the stamp waits at the entrance of the building or the restaurant.

Bánkút – Mályinka

From Bánkút, don't miss the detour on the K▲ sign starting from the parking lot to Bálvány! At the end of the beautiful rocky path stands the steel tower of the Petőfi Lookout. Climbing the top ladder rewards us with a breathtaking panorama: often not only a significant part of Northern Hungary but also many mountain ranges of Upper Hungary are visible. The forested area of the Bükk plateau and the deep valleys along the mountain edge, along with the Mátra and Zemplén, stand out sharply, and we can also recognize the Karancs in the distance. With its hills and peaks, the entire northern part of the country looks like a large, frozen wave. On clear days, the peaks of the Low Tatras and High Tatras are also easily identifiable.

The Blue Trail descends from Bánkút. We cross the Mályinka country road, then walking through the dark beech forest of Ördög-oldal, we quickly lose altitude. We reach a saddle point and turn onto a ridge branching off left. We step over the earthworks of a fort, and at a left turn, we overlook westward. The Blue Trail turns down before Kisvár rock wall but it’s worth taking the extra effort to reach the 597 m high Dédestár Castle. These two cliffs form a view similar to the Upper Hungary limestone peaks, with a memorable panorama from above looking towards the plateau. The castle’s history ended tragically: during a long and heroic siege by the Turks, the defenders piled up gunpowder and lit a long fuse. They left under the cover of night, and the invading Turks lost 400 soldiers in the explosion. The bey had the fortress completely destroyed in revenge.

The steep slope marked by the K sign descends to the valley of Baróc creek. We cross the stream and then climb out of the valley to reach the border of Mályinka. The village’s jewel is the wooden belfry, built to complement the Reformed Church, as a former regulation forbade building a tower on the church. In tidy Mályinka, clinging to the mountain's skirt, the stamp awaits us at the door of the Sanyi pub.

Mályinka – Uppony

We walk on asphalt to Dédestapolcsány. Looking back, the Bükk appears ever more enormous – from the far side of the village, the high silhouette of the plateau commands respect. Leaving the village, a beautiful lake welcomes us: the Y-shaped, narrow Lázbérci reservoir framed by forested hills. The lake was created in 1967-68 to supply water to the Sajó valley industrial area and neighboring villages. Today it is a highly protected landscape, primarily used by anglers. Along the asphalt road by the shore, we walk through the uplands older than the Bükk, among the low hills of the Uppony Mountains.

The pleasant lakeside walk takes about 45-60 minutes. At the end, we do not say goodbye to excitement: we enter a narrow rocky wall and wild gorge. The Uppony Gorge has carved a path along the Csernely stream at a lower elevation than the surrounding environment, making it the deepest gorge in the country. Unfortunately, the canyon is also pierced by an asphalt road, so only the walls guard the original condition. Upon arrival in Uppony, we can stamp at two places: at the bistro beside the sports field and at the path signpost at the village edge by the last houses.

Uppony – Putnok

At the edge of Uppony embraced by hills, we enter the forest again, crossing a large pine grove and climbing to the saddle behind Kalica hill. It is worth visiting the wild and beautiful rocky peak adorned with a cross on the right: here not only does the mirror of the Lázbérci reservoir unfold before us, but also a significant part of the Bükk plateau, while the Uppony Gorge winds just below us.

We hike in another splendid forest and can catch sight of the dignified rocks of Három-kő from a clear-cut. We climb stepped paths behind the ridge, after which our way slopes downward on the ridge surrounding the Uppony basin. The paths branching off to the left lead to the Három-kő ridge, from whose dark volcanic rocks we can view the hills around Uppony and the Bükk – it is worth taking this detour. Further ahead on the right, along the K+ sign, we can visit one of the country’s largest and youngest rock gorges, Damasa Gorge, but this is a longer addition to the trip.

Wide valley heads deepen on both sides, then we turn sharply right and follow a long straight road leading to Putnok. The forest road winds through the Határ valley, switching to a road at its end. The discontinued railway line also joins us, and we finish the last kilometers walking on concrete in the Sajó valley until Putnok. Opposite, the wide ridges of the Borsod hills form a backdrop for the small town, where we find the stamp at the train station.