High Mournes Scenic Loop

About

The High Mournes Scenic Loop delves into the very heart of the famous Mourne Mountains offering iconic views of Slieve Commedagh, Bernagh, Meelmore, Meelbeg and beyond. Below the summits, the charming village of Bryansford and Tollymore Forest Park are well worth a stop for walks along the Shimna River and among the wonderfully ornate and quirky stone bridges, gates, and follies of this planted demesne. If you are lucky, you might catch a glimpse of a Red Squirrel or two.  

Where forest gives way to open heathland, Trassey Track leading to Hare’s Gap is one of the main walking access routes to the high Mournes. At Spelga Dam, at the ‘junction’ of the Eastern and Western Mournes where people brought cattle for the summer grazing on the high pastures of the Deer’s Meadow, living in the turf built ‘booley huts’ for those months. The River Bann sets off from here on its journey to Lough Neagh and beyond. 

The Silent Valley Mountain Park is home to a reservoir set against a stunning backdrop and offering amenities and a wealth of history to explore. Among the many feats of early engineering and human endeavour, look out for the cut granite Mourne Wall as it winds its way over the twelve highest peaks, seeming at times to defy gravity. Where this loop meets the Mourne Plain, Carrick Little provides access to the beautiful Annalong Valley and is also a perfect vantage point to see the ‘patchwork quilt’ effect of the small fields bounded by dry stone walls, built as the hardy locals cleared the rocky ground to make their farms. Look also to the horizon where, in clear conditions, you can see the twin mountain peaks of the Isle of Man and on occasion, the hills of Cumbria beyond.