02 ESCAPE TO THE MOUNTAINS OF MOURNE
Slieve Binnian, County Down | 6 miles | 4.5 hours | Challenging Severe weathering during the last Ice Age sculpted Slieve Binnian and its neighbouring peaks into a playground of towering tors and stooping slopes, says Helen Fairbairn
Northern Ireland’s Mourne Mountains were created in the midst of a deep winter. The entire range owes its form to the scouring movements of vast ice sheets, which only began to melt some 13,000 years ago.
Yet not all the peaks were covered by ice; the very highest summits protruded above the frozen wasteland. Slieve Binnian was one such landmark, and the massive, frost-shattered tors that erupt from its tip were once nunataks – lonely towers of rock that withstood the elements above the icy expanse.
INTO NARNIA
The scenic splendour of these mountains is well known. After all, this is the landscape that inspired CS Lewis to create Narnia. The walk that lets you explore this magical realm is just four hours long, but involves 600m of ascent, so demands hillwalking experience and mountain equipment, such as walking poles. Route-finding is not overly tricky but it’s best to wait for a clear day to make the most of the fabulous views. And having completed the route, it’s just a short drive down to the pubs and lodgings in Annalong.
1 DROVING TRACK
Begin at Carrick Little car park,
2.5 miles west of Annalong village. Join the track beside the car park and follow it north towards the mountains. After 350m, an alternative, private car park offers more secure parking for £3. Continue along the track, which originated as an old droving road with cattle driven this way twice a year to access summer pastures in the mountains. After roughly half a mile you arrive at the solid stone structure of the Mourne Wall, cut here by a gate and wooden stile. 2 MOURNE WALL
Cross the wall, then turn left and climb north-west on an informal path. This wall is one of the defining features of the Mournes, running for 22 miles across 15 summits and encircling the water catchment area of the Silent Valley. Building it was such a laborious undertaking that, after work started in 1904, it took some 18 years to complete.
Follow the wall uphill, ignoring several subsidiary walls that cross your path. The ascent is continuous and steepens as you gain height. Improving views across the County Down coastline compensate for the effort. Eventually, the wall runs into the base of a sheer granite outcrop. Veer right and climb through a cleft in the rock to reach the summit plateau.
“THIS IS THE LANDSCAPE THAT INSPIRED CS LEWIS TO CREATE NARNIA”
3 SUMMIT TORS
As you emerge on to the plateau, an expansive view is revealed to the west. The Silent Valley Reservoir lies far below, surrounded by the rough summits of the high Mournes. It’s an incredible 360° vista, extending to Wicklow and the Isle of Man on a clear day. You are still slightly north of Slieve Binnian’s true summit, which lies among the granite tors to your left. These distinctive crags are well worth exploring, though a bit of scrambling is required to reach the summit cairn.
From here, follow a path north along a broad ridge, descending gently towards several smaller tors amid the otherwise featureless terrain. These are known as the
Back Castles, and the path skirts across the rocky base of the largest outcrop. Again, the view across the Mournes is superb from here.
4 NORTH TOR
Beyond the Back Castles, the path descends to a broad col, then contours 400m north-east to North Tor, another looming hulk of granite. Skirt around the western side of this, then begin the main descent.
5 BLUE LOUGH
As you descend, keep to the apex of Binnian’s north ridge, with the ridgeline narrowing as you near the col beneath Slievelamagan. Roughly 250m before the col, a rocky platform on the left provides one of the most spectacular vantage points in the range, with Ben Crom Reservoir directly below.
At the col, turn right on to a path that descends south-east, past Blue Lough. The path becomes a track as you approach Annalong Wood, then turns into a laneway. Continue straight ahead at all junctions to arrive back at Carrick Little car park.