The second installment of ‘Are we there yet?’ takes place in the magnificent Mourne Mountains. The Mourne Mountains are located in Co. Down in the south-east of Northern Ireland.
Butter Mountain
If you are looking for a quick mountain fix, Butter is the mountain for you. This simple and short walk is a beautiful way to see the Mournes, located at Spelga Dam it has good parking and easy access onto the trail.
The route is accessed through a small gate just up from the car park at Spelga Dam, the path can be uneven at time so remember to wear decent footwear. The path itself winds up the mountain and is steep at times, but it is nice to stop for a few breaths to take it the landscape around you. There is amazing views over Spelga Dam, Pidgeon Rock, Slievemoughanmore and Eagle Mountain to the south east.
The summit of Butter Mountain sits at 500m, so it does not take long to reach and the view is totally worth it. To the east and northern of Butter Mountain you can see the line of the high Mournes from Slieve Muck to Slieve Meelmore. The summit of Butter mountain really gives you a great scope of the Mourne Mountains and it really is truly magical. The weather can be very changeable within Northern Ireland so making sure you have proper clothing with you when setting off on any walk.
If you are regular hiker this walk is one of the easier within the Mournes, but for people looking to have a go and maybe try some hiking this is a great place to start. Due to the easy path and access to lots of other mountains it can be a short or a long walk.
Whether you have decided to just do Butter Mountain or have a longer walk, afterwards you can head into Newcastle (approximately 20 mins drive) and grab a cup of tea and a bun. This is a great to finish up any day in the Mourne Mountains.
With this super easy and simple walk, there is no time like the present to get out into the Mournes and get exploring. This month for our walk, we were joined by friends Charlene Conway and Jessica Dougal.
Happy Walking!
Information for this walk is on mountainviews.ie