Slieve Donard
Slieve Donard at 849 metres is the highest peak in Ulster and the highest of the Mourne Mountains, a granite summit with exceptional views that dominate the skyline above Newcastle in County Down and provide one of the finest hill walking challenges in Northern Ireland. The mountain rises steeply from the Irish Sea coast and the combination of its height, the proximity of the sea and the quality of the Mourne granite scenery provides a summit experience of considerable distinction. The standard ascent from Donard Park in Newcastle follows the Glen River upstream through the lower woodland before emerging onto the open granite moorland for the final approach to the summit. The Mourne Wall, the dry-stone boundary built to enclose the Silent Valley water catchment, is followed for part of the ascent and provides orientation in misty conditions. The summit itself has a cairn marking the site of a cell associated with St Domangard, the saint from whom the mountain takes its name, and the ruins of the cell visible in the summit cairn provide a connection to the early Christian tradition of hermitage on prominent summits that was widespread in early medieval Ireland. The views from the summit on clear days are extraordinary, encompassing the entirety of the Mourne range in both directions along the coast, the Isle of Man, the coasts of Scotland, Wales and England, Lough Neagh inland and the full sweep of Dundrum Bay below. The combination of the sea views, the inland views and the mountain scenery visible from the summit provides one of the widest panoramas available from any point in Ireland. The descent via Slieve Commedagh and the Saddle provides a circular route of considerable variety and interest.