Mourne traverse

Peaks: Slieve Meelmore (704m), Slieve Bearnagh (727m), Slievenaglogh (586m), Slieve Corragh (641m), Slieve Commedagh (767m), Slieve Donard (850m), Slieve Beg (596m)
Area: Mourne Mountains, Northern Ireland
A traverse of the northern Mournes, a very pleasant outing but far removed from the reason we were here! In fact, we were here to do the Mourne Mountain Marathon elite course, long in the planning and obviously requiring some complex logistics. Peter and I had flown in to Belfast on Friday and arrived at the Meelmore lodge late on Friday night. This morning, a bus from Tollymore took us through delightful Ulster countryside to the start of the event at the Fofanny dam. All went well initially, although I always find it takes a while to 'get your eye in' on mountain marathons and we made a few small errors. After a bigger error on the north side of Slieve Meelmore, we slogged over the top of the hill and, when looking for the next checkpoint, Peter let out an agonised shout and keeled over: ankle badly sprained. That was essentially the end of that, a mere two hours into the event. We descended slowly to the col where Peter could hobble down to Meelmore. The day, rather frustratingly, was getting better and better: blue sky with some high cloud drifting in and out, warm but not too hot. The only option for me was a long run in the hills as a consolation prize. As I've never visited the Mournes before (apart from a trip to Newcastle in filthy weather with K and L some years ago) this was an appealing prospect. The northern traverse seemed an obvious continuation from Slieve Meelmore so I jogged up the steep side of Slieve Bearnagh, soon slowing to a striding walk. This is a fine hill, steep and shapely, and from this side even gives some mild scrambling if you look for it. Its summit is crowned with several large tors, reminiscent of Dartmoor granite. In fact, its summit is probably one of the harder summits to reach in the British Isles. I guessed the highpoint, took a route through a notch then along to two mild chimneys which led to the true summit and excellent views over the range: I had the time to really get my bearings, which I wouldn't have done had we been engaged in the intricacies of the mountain marathon! Good running led down to the famous Hare's Gap, a broad col, and the next lower peaks of Slievenaglogh and Slieve Corragh were also fairly gentle and runnable with good paths near the remarkable Mourne Wall, which continues along the entire ridge. I managed to find a water source at the next col and took a short break there. Slieve Commedagh is a steep haul but another fine peak with its summit set back a bit from the main ridge line and good sea and coastal views. I had it to myself, in stark contrast to Slieve Donard, and watched dozens of walkers slogging up to the summit as the mist covered it, then melted away again. I ran to the col, where numbers increased dramatically, perhaps 10 or 15 fold! I suppose Slieve Donard is so dominant, and so accessible from Newcastle, that it inevitably becomes a major day trip target. Its the highest point in Northern Ireland too, which probably adds to the appeal. It is a dull and crowded slog along the wall from the col to the summit, so I jogged where I could, reaching it in around 19 minutes. Mist drifted across the summit, with partial clearances giving views of the sea directly below. I ran down to the Bog of Donard at the top of the Bloody Bridge route, then joined the superb Brandy Pad - which takes a great direct route through the middle of the range, traversing below the peaks I had just done. I broke off to take in the minor summit of Slieve Beg for views of the Annalong Valley, then enjoyed the glorious gentle descent to Hare's Gap. From here, more excellent sunny running led down past some impressive granite crags to Meelmore lodge and our unplanned overnight camp. Very far from the weekend we had planned, and obviously a disappointment, but still an enjoyable traverse in great conditions and a fun weekend in Northern Ireland.