Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.
The walk
From Donard Park car park in Newcastle, take the path into Donard Wood and climb beside the Glen River, crossing it at the first stone bridge. Above the trees a stony path runs up the bare granite valley on the river's north side, then climbs steeply to the Saddle between Slieve Commedagh and Slieve Donard, where the Mourne Wall runs across. Turn left and climb south-east beside the wall to the summit cairns, the highest point in Northern Ireland. Return the same way.
It is 9.6 km there and back with 842 m of ascent; allow about 5½ hours. The grade is Hard: a long, sustained climb on rocky, stepped granite path, loose in places and steepest beside the wall.
Donard Park is council land and the lower path runs through Forest Service woodland. Above the trees the path and the summit belong to the National Trust and are open to walkers from dawn to dusk; the trust is repairing paths on the mountain. The Mourne Wall belongs to NI Water. The top is often in cloud and strong wind, and snow and ice lie beside the wall in winter. Keep dogs on leads.
Donard car park is free, with a 12-hour limit. Ulsterbus route 20 runs from Belfast to Newcastle, and buses stop on Central Promenade beside Donard Park.
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- At about 850 m Slieve Donard is the highest mountain in Northern Ireland and in all of Ulster.
- The Glen River path climbs from the Newcastle seafront through old Scots pine, oak and birch, then up a bare granite valley to the Saddle.
- The Mourne Wall, a granite dry-stone wall built between 1904 and 1922 round the Silent Valley water catchment, leads walkers from the Saddle to the top.
- The mountain takes its name from Saint Donard, said to have kept a prayer cell on the summit; two old burial cairns still crown it.
Summits on the way
- Slieve Donard 850 m
Getting there
Start: Newcastle, Donard Park car park · Free parking. 54.20556, -5.89460
Directions to the start
Places to stay nearby
Rooms in and around Newcastle: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →
Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.
Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.