Slieve Donard (via Glen River)
Slieve Donard at 850m (2,789 ft) is the highest of the Mourne Mtns. The views from the summit are extensive and on a clear day the Isle of Man, Wicklow, Donegal, Wales and Scotland may be seen.
| County | Distance | OS Map |
| Down | 5.5 miles | Sheet 29 |
| Nearest Town | Route Shape | RouteType |
| Newcastle | Linear | Forest, Mountain |
| Terrain | Grid Reference (Start) | Grid Reference (Finish) |
| Mainly forest and mountain paths | J375305 | J375305 |
| Point of Interest | Views from summit |
| Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty | Mournes |
| Route Description | Leave the car park in Donard Park heading towards the mountain and follow the Glen River uphill through old woodland of Scots Pine, Oak and Birch. At the first of 3 bridges, cross to the opposite bank. Continue uphill through the forest, above a deep cut riverbed, for about 400m until another bridge is reached. The riverbank overhangs along this section so extra care is needed. At this point cross back to the left hand side and resume journey uphill through the trees. At the next bridge continue across the forest road and onto the rough track heading up towards the mountains, with thick forest on right (fenced), until a gate and stile is reached. Cross the stile and follow the track above the river for about 2kms, heading towards the saddle between Donard and Commedagh. At this point, the path crosses the river and continues uphill to the 'Saddle' where is meets the Mourne Wall. At the Mourne Wall turn left and follow the wall steeply uphill towards the summit. From the summit return by the same route, staying close to the wall until the Saddle is reached again. The cliffs on the north side of Donard known as Eagle Rocks should be avoided by walkers since the approaches are steep. Return to Donard Park following the line of the Glen River. |
| Getting to the Start | Follow the one way system to the south end of Newcastle main street. Donard Car Park has ample parking. |
| Facilities | Toilets and parking in Donard Park. Refreshments in Newcastle. |
| Accessible Toilet Facilities | Yes |
| Accessible Terrain | The terrain is on rough forest and mountain tracks. Steep in places, parts of the steep mountain section have been paved with stone. |
| Accessible Signage | No |
| Publication | 'Your Guide to Walks' A pack of 23 walk cards originally produced by The Kingdoms of Down |
| Publication Availability | Various Tourist Information Centres in Co.Down including Newcastle TIC on Central Promenade. Tel: 028 4372 2222 or email newcastle@nitic.net |
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5 feedback comments have been left by readers about Slieve Donard (via Glen River):
Have walked this once before but went up and over the top to Bloody Bridge and back to Newcastle along the road which all took a VERY long time! Views are immense and worth the climb!! Can anyone give me a rough estimate on how long it should take to get to the top as I want to do it again but would like to set myself a target? Thank you.
reall enjoyed slieve donard walk,lucky we had a guide with us on our group,i just thought there should have been some colour coded sinage along the way
Did this very nice walk on Sunday. Beautiful weather and great scenery. However it's a real pity that there is so much rubbish along the route. Surely something could be done to encourage the walkers to take their rubbish home - a few signs advising walkers of this would be very useful.
Yes you can bring dogs but there are a lot of sheep around so if your dog likes chasing sheep you maybe should think again.
can you bring dogs with you on this route.
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