Slieve Donard

Highest mountain in Northern Ireland at 850 metres, climbed from Newcastle along the Glen River and the Mourne Wall

Slieve Donard rises 850 metres straight up from the sea behind Newcastle, the highest mountain in Northern Ireland and in all of Ulster. The usual route starts in Donard Forest on the edge of town, follows the Glen River up into the hills, and then climbs beside the Mourne Wall to the summit. Stone paths have been laid on the steepest sections, but the path is badly eroded in places. It is not technical, but it is a long, steady climb from sea level.

At the top are a small stone tower on the Mourne Wall and the remains of two ancient burial cairns, one of them the highest known passage tomb in Ireland. On a clear day you can see Belfast Lough, Dublin Bay and the Isle of Man. The weather changes fast: take layers, water and a map.

things to do sight hiking viewpoint
A story
Saint Donard is said to have lived as a hermit on the summit, and until the 1830s people climbed the mountain each year in pilgrimage, a custom that may go back to the pagan harvest festival of Lughnasadh. In 1826 Royal Engineers camped on the top for four months while surveying Ireland for the Ordnance Survey.