Mourne Mountains

The Mournes are granite pushed up as a cluster of intrusions, and they are remarkably compact - about a dozen summits over 600 metres packed into an area you can cross on foot in a day. Slieve Donard, the highest at 850 metres, rises almost directly from the sea at Newcastle, so the ascent starts near zero and the summit view runs from Belfast Lough to the Isle of Man on clear days. The defining human feature is the Mourne Wall, a drystone granite wall about 35 kilometres long built between 1904 and 1922 to enclose the water catchment for Belfast; it runs straight over fifteen summits and doubles as a navigation handrail in poor visibility. Silent Valley holds the reservoir it protects, with landscaped grounds and an easy lakeside walk for those not climbing.

What you actually see

• Slieve Donard - the highest summit, climbed from sea level at Newcastle.
• The Mourne Wall - a drystone wall running straight over fifteen peaks.
• The Silent Valley reservoir - a dammed lake with easy walking grounds.
• Hare's Gap and the Brandy Pad - an old track between the high peaks.

When to go

April to October for the hills. May and June are driest and give the longest daylight. Autumn brings clearer air and better summit views. Winter turns the tops icy and the wall offers little shelter. Weekends see heavy traffic on the Donard path from Newcastle.

Honest expectations

The Donard climb is relentless, about 850 metres of ascent with no flat sections, and the lower path through Donard Forest is badly eroded and often a stream. Cloud sits on the summits frequently and the view is a coin toss. Parking in Newcastle is tight and charged. Weather changes fast on exposed granite with no natural shelter.

Nearby

The County Down coast runs south to Carlingford Lough, and Belfast is 90 minutes north.