Today's walk in the Mournes has been my best local walk this year to date. I headed westwards to avoid the snow capped eastern peaks. Parking at Rocky river car park my walk would take in three summits: Slievemoughanmore, Slievenamiskan and Hen mountain. I started off on a good track before branching off path up Slievemoughanmore's western slopes. It was a windy day and took me 1.5 hours to reach the summit. I headed towards the Mourne wall for my descent before traversing pathless terrain as I ascended Slievenamiskan. A rain shower greeted me as I approached the summit and the rab bergen jacket came out of the rucksack. Thankfully it was a passing shower as views opened up as I gained the second peak of the day. I descended the western flank in the direction of Hen, the final mountain of the day. These two peaks are little gems in this region, offering great views for minimal effort. I made the straightforward descent back to the car park. Total distance was 12km, taking 4 hours.
Rocky river and Slievemoughanmore:
Hen mountain:
Hen and Slievenamiskan:
Ascending Slievemoughanmore:
Hen, Slievenamiskan and the Butter group of mountains:
Rocky, Hen and Slievenamiskan:
Slievemoughamore views:
Pigeon, Muck and the central Mournes:
From Slievenamiskan to Bernagh:
The clearing of the mist:
Slievenamiskan view:
Spelga Reservoir:
Ott and Slieveloughshannagh zoom-in:
Hen mountain:
Rocky river and Rocky mountain:
The western Mournes from Hen:
The highest three peaks of the western Mournes:
Hen mountain view:
Rocky, Eagle, Shanlieve and Slievemoughanmore: