Welcome To My Blog
Hello and thank you for taking your time to visit my Blog. As you probably already knew from the title this blog is dedicated to the Mourne Mountains. Above you can see an image of the majestic Mournes in all their glory.
Firstly, some background on the Mournes, The Mournes is a granite Mountain range located in County Down Northern Ireland which include some of the highest and the highest peak in Northern Ireland. The marvellous Mournes are clear to see as soon as they come into sight as they are a sweeping range of peaks closely situated together. After seeing them It helps you understand better why this area of outstanding Natural Beauty is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful corners of Northern Ireland. Whether you are a seasoned mountain walker or someone who is just looking for a nice dander for the day the Mournes has a something for everyone of all levels of ability which is something I really love about it.
I decided to create this Blog as I am an avid Mountain walker and just happen to have the Mourn Mountains on my doorstep which is essentially a hiker's paradise. I also aim to show as many people as possible the True beauty of the Mournes and hopefully provide some advice and a guidance for people who are wishing to give some of the Mournes excellent hikes a go. I will provide the level of difficulty of different mountains around the Mournes and potential equipment you will need for certain hikes.
Through this blog I am to review all the mountains I have hiked through the Mournes. I will give an overview of my experience, how I enjoyed it, the views encountered and aim to rate the difficulty of each hike by colour coding it either Green, amber or red. The green rating will be for Treks I feel are accessible for all that aren't too steep and won't need any equipment to complete. Amber ratings will be for hikes that I feel are of moderate difficulty and I will recommend any equipment I feel is necessary for this difficulty. A red rating will be for hikes that I feel are of an advanced difficulty level, I will give a recommendation of the level of experience that I feel is necessary to complete this mountain.
Now you know a little about me and my interests I shall get stuck straight into the first trial up the Mourne Mountains I am going to discuss.
Slieve Beg, Devils Coach Road.
The first mountain I am going to discuss is Slieve Beg which can be seen in the image above. For some background Slieve Beg is 595.9m high and is situated on the north end of a ridge of mountains that separates the Annalong Valley from Silent Valley. The image above perfectly sums up how daunting this Trek up the Mournes really is. Not only is it tall but the trek includes going up a very steep path covered in loose stones which makes for Awkard terrain.
In the above image you can see the just how steep the path gets at the top of Slieve Beg. This path has been named by the locals as Devils Coach Road as back in the day they believed the devil would rise from the path and create havoc on the world which is testament to its difficulty.
When I climbed Slieve beg we started off in a carpark in Carrick Little which is located close to the foot of the mountain. Our decision to do the trek on the day we did it was a spare of the moment one and because of that some of the crowd that was accompanying me was prepared and others were not. Me and one of my friends where both wearing our climbing trousers and our Saloman climbing shoes while the two others were wearing flat Nike trainers and shorts. None of us had completed this climb before so didn't know what to expect.
The start of the trek is a fairly tame one as there was about a 40-minute walk from the carpark up to the foot of Slieve beg. Although nothing too strenuous it was a lovely walk up a mountain trail which mountains wrapping around you on either side so the views were incredible. On this mountain path there were certain sections where you have to cross boulder sized rocks, so this was the start of me being grateful that had my climbing shoes on. The others without grippy shoes where able to pass with ease but come to think of it this was the beginning of what was to come for them.
In the bottom left of the above picture you can see the start of the Devils Coach Road Path. This is really where this trek properly starts. The start of the Path although it being steep enough was manageable for all four of us albeit at a slow enough pace. The problems we started encountering almost immediately was the looseness of the rocks on the path. I was able to navigate better at the start due to having more grip. Towards the middle park of this path was only when we realised quite how difficult this was going to be to complete. It was at this stage that all of us had no choice but to scale this section of the walk staying low and using our hands and legs slowly scale up the mountain. I was struggling enough as it was never mind not wearing appropriate footwear which is why I think climbing footwear is essential for anyone attempting this. I did not have one myself but mountain walking sticks would have been very useful in this instance so I would also recommend them, but we managed to get by staying low and using our hands. Climbing trousers are essential for this one in my opinion as you essentially have no choice but to go on hands and knees. The two in or group who went up in shorts had the knees completely grazed and cut the knees off themselves because they were constantly having to go on their hands and knees.
The above picture gives some context on just how steep it gets towards the top of Devils Coach Road. By this point the biggest problem other than our calves being on fire was the loose rocks becoming dislodged under our feet and rolling back down the hill because of the steepness. This was extremely dangerous as the rocks where nearly hitting whoever was behind us on the trail, so we had to be extra cautious in this section.
The Above show the view from the top of Slieve Beg which is quite spectacular. Upon arriving here all four of us where heavily out of breath and sweating in need of a rest and some water but the view easily made it worth it. The sense of accomplishment was swirling around as we had completed such a daunting walk. There were times in the very steep sections where we felt uneasy due to how steep this climb really was but remaining focused and taking it slow was all worth it in the end.
All in this walk took us around 3 hours 10 minutes from the carpark back to the carpark again. I could break this walk into two sections a nice light scenic walk that takes about 40 minutes that can be done by anyone with no equipment. The second being an extreme trek up very difficult very steep terrain that could make even the experienced mountaineer's struggle. With this in mind I have to rate Devils Coach Road a red in terms of difficulty merely down to the steepness and the terrain. Experience in this case would be useful but I do not feel it's necessary as long as you be extra cautious and take it very slow. In terms of equipment there are a few things I feel are necessary which are walking shoes / Boots, walking sticks, walking trousers or any sturdy trousers and then finally food and snacks as it is a long one and you will have to spend some time on certain sections.
For anyone interested in attempting Slieve Beg and Devils Coach Road do not be put off by me awarding it red difficulty. If you do decide to do it just make sure you are appropriately equipped and do some research on the trail itself (so you're not caught out like half our group) to better equip yourself but the most important bit of advice of them all would be TAKE YOUR TIME!!!
Thanks very much for taking your time to read, hope to see Yous all in the Mournes very soon.
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