Mourne Way

County	Distance	OS Map
Down	26 miles	Sheet 29

Nearest Town	Route Shape	RouteType
Newcastle, Rostrevor	Linear	Forest, Hill, Mountain

Terrain	Grid Reference (Start)	Grid Reference (Finish)
Mixed mountain terrain	J376311	J185180

This route is almost entirely off road, traversing the foothill of the Mourne Mountains from Newcastle on the Irish Sea to Rostrevor on Carlingford Lough. The Mourne Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is a unique, largely granite landscape shaped by ice and man, with stunning vistas of coast, sea and countryside.

Point of Interest	Mourne landscape, amazing views, wildlife, Mourne Wall
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty	Mournes
Route Description	This is a challenging yet rewarding walk, some of which crosses open hill side with no waymarking so please ensure you are adequatley prepared. There is little accommodation available along the route so please ensure to make arrangements prior to setting off. The walk begins at Newcastle Tourist Information Centre, on Main Street. Cross the road, turn right and then left to enter Castle Park. Proceed past the boating lake and cross the Shimna Road into Islands Park, keeping right at the footbridge over the Shimna River. Follow the path alongside the Shimna up to the Bryansford Road. Turn left over the bridge, then right across the Bryansford Road and onto Tipperary Lane. At the top of the lane, turn right onto the Tullybrannigan Road and continue for about 400m. As the road goes around to the right, take the marked laneway on the left. This ascends into Tollymore Forest Park, and provides excellent views before reaching the trees. The route is way marked through Tollymore Forest Park and emerges through a small beech wood onto hillside, where the path meets the Trassey Road. From here turn uphill along the Trassey Track, part of a once well used smuggler’s route known as the “Brandy Pad”. Once through the kissing gate, follow the dry stone wall as it contours around through heath and heather and provides views across the Dromara Hills. After approximately 2km, the route crosses a mountain stream and continues up the pipe track to Fofanny Dam Reservoir. This site processes 52 million litres of water a day for the city of Belfast. Proceed between the reservoir and the overflow and through the corner of the wood. Then follow the field wall and cross over the stile onto the Slievenaman Road. Turn left and continue up the road until reaching the Blue Quarry Car Park (also known as the Ott Car Park). The trail from Blue Quarry Car Park to Spelga Pass crosses open hillside and is not waymarked. Walkers using this section should carefully plan their route and have the necessary skills to navigate safely using a map and compass. This section of the route is not suitable in poor weather conditions. To follow this route take the stone steps and the wooden stepping stile and proceed to the view point at Butter Mountain. Continue along the top of Butter Mountain to reach the fence line then cross over the boggy saddle between Butter Mountain and Spelga Mountain via the “Ecogrid” path. Approximately 500m further along, the route leaves the fence line and rises onto the top of Spaltha, with views across the Mournes and the Ring of Gullion in Co Armagh. Continue along to pick up the dry stone wall again, following it around to reach the Spelga Pass. An alternative route is available following the road between Blue Quarry Car Park and the footbridge over the River Bann at Spelga Pass. From Spelga Pass go straight over the Hilltown to Kilkeel Road and across the footbridge. The route then contours around Slievenamiskan and Hen Mountain before reaching the New Bog Road. About two miles along the path the route turns over a ford and follows the Rowan Tree River before crossing Rocky River and going through the saddle between Rocky Mountain and Tormarock to reach Castle Bog Road. The route continues past Altataggart Mountain and contours the foot of the Rostrevor Ridge. This leads through the Rostrevor Forest and on to the finishing point in Kilbroney Park, Rostrevor.
Getting to the Start	Newcastle is on the A4. There are several car parks in Newcastle, close to the start of the walk. Bus routes link Newcastle and Rostrevor and in the summer months the Rural Rambler bus from Newcastle stops at Tollymore Forest Park, Trassey and Blue Quarry car parks.
Facilities	Various car parks along the route. Disabled toilets are located in Tollymore Forest Park, Newcastle and in Kilbroney Park, Rostrevor. Please Note the main car park at Kilbroney Park closes at 5 p.m. A wide range of B&B, guesthouse, hotel and hostel accommodation is available in Newcastle at the start of the section. There is an adequate range of Bed and Breakfast accommodation in Rostrevor with a campsite in Kilbroney Park right at the end of the section. There are no significant refreshment stops along the route between Newcastle and Rostrevor but Meelmore Lodge offers hostel accommodation, camping and a coffee shop (Sat and Sun 9a.m - p.m.) approximately 7.5 miles along the route at GR J306307. The Cnocnafeola Centre/ Mourne Hostel based off the route in Attical also offers prearranged transfers to and from Ott Car Park. For further information on accommodation along this route check out http://www.walkni.com/ulsterway/sections/mourne-way/accommodation/
Accessible Toilet Facilities	Yes
Accessible Terrain	The route follows forest paths and mixed mountain terrain. Steep in places.
Accessible Signage	No
Publication	Mourne Way: An Illustrated Guide to Walking the Mourne Way
Publication Availability	Various including - Newcastle TIC 028 4372 2222, Mourne Heritage Trust 028 4372 4059 or CAAN on 028 9030 3930
Links	Virtual Visit