Slieve Donard is the tallest mountain in Northern Ireland and boasts spectacular views of the County Down coast from its summit.
Sitting near the town of Newcastle, the 2,790 foot peak is part of the Mourne Mountains and both Belfast, 30 miles to the north, and Dublin, 50 miles to the south, can be seen from the top.
A relatively easy climb, Slieve Donard is extremely popular with walkers and climbers and is connected with 15 other mountains by the Mourne Wall. The wall goes up the western slope to a stone tower and descends the southern slope. Local stonemasons worked on the mountain from March to October from 1904 to 1922 to build the remarkable structure.
Situated at the summit of Slieve Donard are two prehistoric cairns. These man-made stacks of stones are an arresting sight and appear parallel to two cairns on nearby Slieve Gullion.
The larger Great Cairn is thought to have been a Neolithic passage tomb and is the highest of its type in Great Britain and Ireland.
Irish mythology identifies the tomb as an entrance to the Otherworld – a realm of the living and the home of deities and other powerful spirits.
Made up mainly of forest and woodland paths, the track to the summit of Slieve Donard follows the Glen River.
With such spectacular and stunning views over such a beautiful part of Northern Ireland, climbing enthusiasts of all abilities will want to scale the summit and take in the breathtaking views for themselves.
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