Back in July, when the weather was fine and sunny, we set off from Dublin to the small town of Newcastle in Northern Ireland.
Newcastle sits below the Mourne Mountains on the edge of the Irish Sea. In summer it is a holiday town for famlies from Belfast and across the North (of Ireland)
We parked the car in the large car park behind the town and set off for the nearby trail head.
The trail follows the course of a small river which originates high in the Mournes.
The route, by the river , along a fine trail under cover of overhanging trees, was easy. The River is called the Bloody Stream after a massacre back in historical times.
The path comes out of the trees near the Old Ice House which is located up a hill on the left.
At this point you are entering the Bog of Donard. If you go off the track the bog can be wet and you will make little progress. Best to follow the trail.
After following the river for some distance across the bog the river turns off. You continue along the stepping stones to the base of Slieve Donard.
If you were wise you would be wearing walking boots. From here on the route becomes more challenging.
The river as it tumbles down the mountain forms mini waterfalls. After heavy rain these can be torrents.
Walking up the steps, you will come to the saddle between Slieve Donard and Slieve Commedagh. The route is slow but the steps make it a lot easier than wading through bracken and heather.
At the top of the steps you reach the Mourne wall, which circles around 37km of the Mournes.
We walked up Slieve Donard on the inside of the wall. The track seemed better there.
While the track was good, it was very steep and became steeper as we reached the top.
The view on that clear day was stunning. The Mourne Mountains looked beautiful and the coast washed by the Irish Sea looked so tranquil.
The top of Slieve Donard is marked by a cairn. The wall also turns right at this point and there is a small workman’s shelter on the corner.
After having lunch on the mountain top we descended the way we came up.
When we reached the saddle we continued up Slieve Commedagh. The view from there was just as breath taking.
After sometime we headed back down to Newcastle and the car. On the drive back home we stopped and had dinner in Warrenpoint.
Below are some videos and photos of the Mourne Mountains.