Mountain Tour

IRELAND'S BLUE BOOKCOUNTRY HOUSES, HISTORIC HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS

Many a song has been written about Ireland’s majestic mountains This short tour will give you a little flavour of just a few of Ireland’s favourite mountain haunts.

Day 1

‘Where the mountains of Mourne sweep down to the Sea’. The best place to start your mountain quest - the Mourne Mountains stretch for 15 miles across the northern Ireland countryside in Co. Down. Excellent climbing, walking and cycling countryside with roads that encircle the hills some of which are 2,00 feet high. Towering highest is Slieve Donard nearly 3,000 feet above the sea at Newcastle. Stay a couple of days in Newforge Country House. Newforge is a small traditional country house situated near Craigavon a house that depicts a sense of belonging to a bygone era;.

Day 2

Moving northwards to just south of Belfast drive along the slopes of the White Mountain, just 3 miles from Lisburn and where you will find the remains of Castle Robin, dating from around the 16th century, Nearby Hilden the north’s only ‘real ale’ brewery welcomes visitors. The goal today is to get to the very north of Ireland to overnight at Bushmills Inn, close to the Giant’s Causeway and home to one of the finest Irish whiskey distilleries. The Giant’s Causeway (The Formorian’s Stepping Stones) is a truly magnificent rock formation on the west side of Benbane Head, now a World Heritage Site and is one of the world’s outstanding geological curiosities. Today’s mountain is the prominent isolated mass of Knocklayd (1,695 feet). The circuit of the mountain makes an interesting tour of about 17 miles. On the lower slopes of the hill you will find the ruins of an ancient church known as Gob an Saer’s Castle.

Day 3

The next day’s journey will take you through the Derry countryside with the Sperrin Mountains as background. The Sperrins (with gold in the hills) offer lots of mountains to visit. Driving around the basaltic cliffs of Binevenagh Mountain (1,260 ) near Coleraint, you will find an interesting terrain for the botanist, ornithologist and entomologist.
Further south towrds Maghera you will see the slopes of Carntogher Mountain with its s tone circle called Slaghtneil. Between Carntogher and Glenshane Mountain the road from Maghera to Derry climbs steeply to 1,000 feet to enter the famous Glenshane Pass. Beyond the pass the road descends the Roe valley to Dungiven. Close by is your place of rest tonight – the small but beautiful Ardtara Country House near Upperlands, Co. Derry.

Here you will experience local produce cooked to perfection.

Ireland's Blue Book of Country Houses & Restaurants
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Tel: (+353) 01-6769914 | Fax: (+353) 01-6314990 | Email:enquiry@irelandsbluebook.com