The Mourne Mountains

Book excerpt: The only guidebook for the Mourne Mountains written by a County Down local hiker: 30 handpicked routes. The only guidebook for the Mourne Mountains with Real 1:25,000 Maps: this makes navigation easy and saves you money: no need to carry additional maps. Also includes: - Game of Thrones film locations - Numbered waypoints linking maps to text - Quick Reference Route List: enabling you to plan an itinerary to match your ability and schedule. All difficult calculations of time, distance and altitude gain are done for you - Everything the hiker needs to know to plan routes: route descriptions, difficulty, weather, how to get there, and more - Accommodation section - Information on Wildlife, Plants & Geology - History of the Mourne Wall - List of Irish Place Names - Edge to edge colour: the most modern and beautiful Mournes guidebook The Mourne range comprises the highest mountains in Northern Ireland. It is a stunning wilderness which is popular with local walkers but is relatively unknown to those outside of Ireland. The highest mountain in the range is Slieve Donard (849m), Northern Ireland's highest point, which sweeps majestically down into the Irish Sea at the pretty seaside town of Newcastle. This proximity to the sea is a characteristic of the Mournes, often creating a mysterious atmosphere, as frequently the high peaks can be seen rising dramatically out of a blanket of sea mist. The Mournes have everything you would expect from a mountain region on the Emerald Isle: beautifully long ridges, magnificent summits and vibrant heather and gorse covered slopes. However, there is one key thing which sets it apart: uniquely, the whale-backed slopes of the highest peaks are completely encircled by the lovely dry-stone 'Mourne Wall'.