In the far north-east of Slovakia, in the hills where Slovakia, Poland and Ukraine meet, the beech forests have never been cut. Havešová is one of these primeval forests, a steep slope of giant beech trees, some over forty metres tall and hundreds of years old, with fallen trunks decaying slowly on the forest floor and new trees rising in the gaps. It is part of the UNESCO-listed Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe, inscribed in 2007 and extended since, and it lies within Poloniny National Park, one of the least visited and most remote national parks in Central Europe.
The forest is strictly protected, and access is limited to a marked trail, which climbs steeply from the road. The atmosphere is extraordinary: dim, quiet, cool, with moss, ferns and fungi everywhere, and the sounds of woodpeckers and owls. Wolves, bears, lynx and European bison live in the area, though you are unlikely to see them.
The region is sparsely populated, with small villages, wooden churches and Rusyn culture. Several wooden churches in the area, such as those at Topoľa, Uličské Krivé and Ruský Potok, are worth a visit. The Starina reservoir, built in the 1980s to supply drinking water, flooded several villages, whose inhabitants were resettled.
The roads are narrow and winding, with little traffic, through forests and valleys, and they are a pleasure to ride, though surfaces can be rough. Snina, fourteen kilometres away, is the nearest town, with fuel, shops and services. The border with Ukraine is close but there is no crossing point in the immediate area, and the Polish Bieszczady mountains, across the border to the north, are reached by longer routes. Spring, when the forest is fresh green, and autumn, when the beeches turn gold and copper, are the best times.