Mourne Mountains Travel Guide

Introduction

48km (30 miles) SW of Belfast

South and west from Downpatrick, the rolling foothills of the Mournes make a promise that the mountains beyond fulfill. These are the highest mountains in Northern Ireland and the rocky landscape here is breathtaking -- all gray granite, yellow gorse, purple heather, and white stone cottages. Remote and traversed by few roads, the mountains -- complete with barren, wind-swept moors -- are left to hikers and walkers. The ancestral home of the Brontës is here, in ruins. But it's not desolate. There are forest parks, sandy beaches, lush gardens, and, of course, pubs.

The region is dominated by the massive cold, barren peak of Slieve Donard (839m/2,752 ft.). From the top, the view takes in the full length of Strangford Lough, Lough Neagh, the Isle of Man, and, on a crystalline day, the west coasts of Wales and Scotland. (The recommended ascent of Slieve Donard is from Donard Park on the south side of Newcastle.) If that's too high for you, head...