The Kingdom of Mourne

This unique granite range, known as the “Mountain of the Mourne”, popularized by the traditional Irish ballad, is the highest point in Northern Ireland.  Located 7 miles from the tightly packed Mournes, it is about 50 feet high and a dozen peaks 2,000 feet high.  It resembles a “potato covered with earth” and is so far away (surrounded by a single path, another runs through it) that it is overlooked and uncontrollably chalked up by St. Patrick and the Normans.  However, it is also a site with ancient footprints across open moorlands and highlands, making it a Ramler’s paradise.  Northern Ireland’s best mountaineering takes place here.
Climbing the highest peak here is safe and relatively easy.  Sleeve Donard (2,796 ft) says that if the day is clear you can see all the countries of the British Isles.  The ascent begins near Bloody Bridge, north of Newcastle, on a live beach.  The 22-mile challenging Mourne wall trail runs through 15 locations.  The wall was built in the early 1900s to store water from a livestock-designed reservoir.
    The ornate Sleeve Donard Hotel in the shade of the Mournes and on the shores of the Irish Sea takes its guests to the pinnacle of beach resorts in the early twentieth century.  The Victorian Redbrick Hotel showcases the tradition of Irish cuisine.  Provides well-prepared terrain and climbing trails, allowing guests to view world-class contacts at the Royal County Down Golf Club.  Changing winds, long holes, small greens, and distractions from what many consider to be the most beautiful course in the world can be expected to be a challenge here.
    Oysters can be found at the informal and perpetually busy Mournes Seafood Bar, as well as shellfish beds at a nearby bar called Dundrum.  You can stay at the Glassdrumman Lodge, a converted farm with quiet hosts in the heart of the mountains and hosts at your door with the sea.  The rooms here offer views of the mountains or the sea.  Dinner is served with a mix of ingredients from the gardens.  There is also a comfortable lounge here.