Tölgyes-bérc study trail (Háromhuta)

Itinerary

• Throughout the route, we follow the Tölgyes-bérc study trail sign (white background with green stylized acorn).
• You can step onto the trail on the bridge of the parking lot behind the bus stop.
• Before the end of the route, in the valley we join the S sign, which we follow to the left to return to the village center.

Detailed description of the route

From Huta to village

For practical reasons, we start from the center of Középhuta: here is the bus stop and parking, and right at the start of the route we can shop at the local grocery store if necessary before the otherwise short walk. The section starting from the village center is relatively steep but offers several stops, including a viewpoint barely a few hundred meters away, from where in good weather you can see the Regéc castle and the mountains surrounding the Tolcsva creek valley. Almost immediately at the start of the route, we leave the village houses climbing the hillside bordering the narrow valley. Turning behind the gardens on the slope above the houses, we make a short detour to the viewpoint overlooking the village and an information board. From here we learn about the reason for the village’s founding at the end of the 18th century, the establishment of a glassworks by decree of Francis II Rákóczi, after which the vast forest estate of Regéc was used for wood to produce bottles for Hegyalja wine. We can see the village's single-street church and a few houses well from here: the village scene evokes the Carpathian landscapes from which the original inhabitants of Háromhuta came.

Regéc castle and the land of wildflowers

We continue climbing the hillside through groves and patches of pastures, and after just a few minutes a lookout tower rises above us, with benches, tables and an information board at its base. From here, we have an excellent view of the Regéc castle emerging from the trees, the impressive crown of the fortress sitting as a princely outpost at the end of the valley carved by the Tolcsva and Huta-valley creeks, dominating the volcanic mountain range. From the lookout tower nearly ten meters high, we see a semicircle of mountains around the villages: rounded volcanic cones form a frame for the deeply cut creek valley. Slightly above the lookout, an informational board calls attention to the surrounding variegated trees, as the slope above the village is covered by an abandoned orchard, which is most striking during the late spring blossom and late autumn colors.

Next to a small pine forest, we reach the upper meadows’ resting slope, nearly 100 meters above the village, and we climb hardly any higher. The meadow is full of colorful wildflowers, offering a pleasant walk and many discoveries in late spring and early summer bloom. The healing properties and effects of local wildflowers’ infusions can be learned at the next resting place’s information board. In the shade of a small forest patch stands a covered resting place where we can learn about the animals’ interesting life and medicinal plants. Here we get acquainted with the antlion, a small butterfly whose larvae live in ant nests and feed on ant larvae. The board presenting pictures and many curiosities is a great spot to pause, eat, and gather strength.

Champion sizes

We sit in the neighboring grove clearing, and crossing it, a short but gentle ascent waits for us under the dense forest canopy. An information board explains the structure of the healthy mosaic forest, and looking around, we can see how the different ages, species, and heights of trees strive for light. Around us, rare Douglas fir forms patches in our forests, hosting the tallest trees in our country. (The tallest specimen reaches 55 meters.) This species imported from America resists drought, effectively standing up to the climate change that causes widespread pine dieback across the continent.

At the edge of the pine forest, we find the neat little spring of Lux-well at the head of the valley – outside of drought periods, we can take fresh water from the pipe. Here we reach the highest point of our hike, from where we descend only. Near the spring, we leave the level logged road that continues toward Pockála and Mlaka meadows. Along this paved road, a world champion trophy deer was shot in the early 20th century; tracks around the pine forest and spring indicate that a rich game population still inhabits the area. From the junction before Lux-well, Kotliszka meadow is quickly accessible, where a spectacular row of Scots pines lines the path.

Adventures by the creek

After the junction, avoiding clearcut areas, we pass a meadow edge and covered resting place with benches and tables, where the description of local folk farming and village traditions offers a rich rest again. From here, we suddenly start a steeper descent in the creek’s source area: arriving in the cool creek valley under the dense canopy of old beeches and hornbeams, where the already familiar Lux-well and the nearby hillside’s White-well waters join. The valley path forks, and we can take an adventurous route directly along the creek zigzagging on the valley floor, crossing the water flow several times. In high water or if we are tired, we can also join the parallel descending forestry road. It is worth following the playfully twisting, meandering creek, as exciting crossings, many shallow rapids, and swirling water among alder trees make the final part of our journey a memorable experience.

After the creek adventures, we return to the forestry logging road, and (to the left) we also join the S sign that leads us back to our starting point. The study trail ends in the Tolcsva creek valley, where we cross the creek on a bridge and step onto the asphalt road leading to Középhuta. The last covered rain shelter greets us here before returning to Középhuta. If the rest of the group is tired, it is worth resting here by the creek at this resting place. But the motivational power can be the shop and café at the end point, where we can refresh at the room of a homely farmhouse at the end of our trip.

If we have the strength, mood, and time, it is worth continuing further downstream along the Tolcsva creek on a short detour between Középhuta and Óhuta, where a picturesque old alder grove lines the swift water flow. Above us, a short but steep (study) trail circuit leads to Czárán resting place, from where we can admire one of our country’s most splendid mountain landscapes and Regéc castle from an outlook surrounded by pine forest. At the end of our trip in Középhuta, we can also visit the Slovak country house next to the church, and at nearby Újhuta, a restaurant offers regional dishes.