Sperrin Mountains Travel Guide

Introduction

65km (40 miles) E to W along the Derry-Tyrone border

Southeast of Derry, the Sperrin Mountains rise up out of County Tyrone, reaching their highest point at Sawel, from which you can see as far as the Foyle Estuary and across the Northern Ireland countryside to Lough Neagh and the Mournes. This is splendid, wide-open, walking country, home to golden plover, red grouse, and thousands upon thousands of fluffy white sheep.

In the Sperrins, you won't be likely to find the tallest, oldest, or most famous anything. Even the highest peak in the range -- Sawel, at 661m (2,168 ft.) -- is an easy climb. This is Ireland in a minor key. It is a corner of Ireland largely unsung and unspoiled. You'll see mostly wildflowers here, rather than formal gardens, and cottages rather than castles. All the same, gold has been found in these mountains. Poetry, too. The Nobel-winning poet Seamus Heaney grew up on the edge of the Sperrins and found words to suit their subtle splendor.

Unless you...