Newcastle, County Down

in Places by Simon — February 25, 2010 at 5:07 pm | 2 comments

Newcastle, in County Down, has a good claim to be the outdoor capital of Northern Ireland. We aren’t quite talking about the same status of outdoor capital that Fort William is to Scotland, but the parallels are there. Fort William has Ben Nevis, the highest peak in Britain and Newcastle has Slieve Donard, the highest peak in Ulster … OK, there are probably a few of you thinking that’s no comparison at all, and you’d be right.  Let’s face it, Slieve Donard is hardly the most interesting walk in the world, there are far better mountains in the Mournes. It certainly can’t compete with the adrenalin (or the fantastic views) of crossing the Càrn Mòr Dearg arête. But the Mournes isn’t Slieve Donard, it is so much more and that is what Newcastle is a gateway to. There are fantastically interesting peaks such as Slieve Bearnagh and Slieve Binnian, there are gullies like the Devil’s Coachroad and there are the caves like the one on Lower Cove. The rivers provide opportunities for bouldering and kayaking while the very adventurous can go coasteering or climbing. The national outdoor centre is located just outside Newcastle on the edge of Tollymore Forest Park and Kilbroney Forest Park has one of the best downhill mountain bike routes in Ireland. I could go on …

Tags: County Down Mountains of Mourne