Glen River Walk - Newcastle
This walk follows a popular route leading to the summit of Slieve Donard (850m), Northern Ireland highest mountain. From Newcastle it ascends through the woods along the Glen River and climbs 3km to the head of the river valley, high on the slopes below Slieve Donard ad Slieve Commedagh (765m). From here the path continues to the Saddle (the col between Donard and Commedagh) from which point either summit can be reached.
A
Down walk
posted on 13/02/23 by Walk NI. Last update : 23/02/23
Description
Start : Donard Car Park which lies at the southern end of the town of Newcastle. (BT33 0HL)
(S/E) Walk to the rear of the car park, keeping to the right of the Glen River to enter Donard Wood (300m). Once in the wood the path ascends for 150m until it meets Donard Bridge.
(1) Cross the bridge onto the rivers left side and turn right (South-West). After 400m arrive a second bridge on your right.
(2) Recross the river into its right hand side and continue left (South-West) upstream.
(3) After a further 400m a third bridge is reached. Please ignore it and remain on the right bank and continue 150m to a stile marking the beginning of the open mountainside. Follow the obvious track above the course of the Glen River for 2 Km. (A)
(4) Cross the river at a narrow point. From here the path climbs more steeply to reach a saddle (and the Mourne Wall) after 500m. This has recently undergone extensive path repair by stone pitching. Please keep to the path.
(5) From the saddle, both Donard and Commedagh can be reached by following the Mourne Wall uphill to either peak.
To reach Slieve Donard (B): turn left (South-East) and walk around 800 m to the summit.
To reach Slieve Commedagh (C) : turn right (West-North-West).
In both cases, come back to the saddle after exploring.
You have now reached the highest point of the walk.
(5) After pausing and enjoying the view, at the saddle, turn and retrace your steps back downhill to Donard Car Park. (S/E)
Waypoints
- S/E : km 0 - alt. 8 m - Donard Car Park
- 1 : km 0.44 - alt. 47 m - Bridge 1
- 2 : km 0.9 - alt. 142 m - Bridge 2
- 3 : km 1.55 - alt. 229 m - Bridge 3
- 4 : km 3.33 - alt. 428 m - Bridge 4 - Narrow point
- 5 : km 7.69 - alt. 577 m - Saddle
- S/E : km 11.56 - alt. 8 m - Donard Car Park
Useful Information
Start & parking : Donard Car Park which lies at the southern end of the town of Newcastle. (BT33 0HL)
Terrain : Off road unsurfaced paths
Public Transport : Translink
Facilities : Car park has toilets. There are a range of places to eat and shop in the town of Newcastle.
Dog Policy : Dogs must be kept on leads
Note : Please remember that much of the land you will cross is private property and access is only available through the goodwill of the landowners.
Find more information and walk ideas at Walk NI here.
Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.
During the walk or to do/see around
(A) Perched on the opposite bank of the river is an igloo-like stone structure. This was an ‘ice house’ built by the Annesley Family (former owners of Donard Park) and functioned as a primitive fridge. Below the ice house a tributary joins the Glen River after cascading down a dark rocky cleft (known as the Black Stairs) on the side of the nearby Thomas’s Mountain.
(B) Slieve Donard : Slieve Donard is the highest mountain in Northern Ireland and the wider province of Ulster, with a height of 850 metres (2,790 ft). The highest of the Mourne Mountains, it is near the town of Newcastle on the eastern coast of County Down, overlooking the Irish Sea. It is also the highest mountain in the northern half of Ireland, and 7th highest on the island.
It dominates the whole of south –east Ulster. On a clear day the view from its summit extends beyond the sweeping arc of Dundrum bay as far as the Mountains of southwest Scotland, northwest England and the Isle of Man and Snowdonia in Wales. The mountain is named after Domangard, a local chieftain who became a disciple of St Patrick and is believed to have built a stone prayer cell on the summit.
(C) Next in stature to Donard, Slieve Commedagh lacks its sister’s peak commanding coastal position, but offers a magnificent view south over the wilderness of the Annalong Valley and a panorama across the entire range of Mourne peaks.
The Mourne Wall – built in the early 20th century – runs up the western and southern slopes of the mountain, joining a small stone tower at the summit. Also on the summit are the remains of two ancient burial cairns, one of which is the remains of the highest known passage tomb in Ireland. In Irish mythology the mountain was associated with the mythical figures Boirche and Slángha. It was later associated with, and named after, Saint Donard, who was said to have made the summit his hermitage. Up until the 1830s, people would climb the mountain as part of a yearly pilgrimage, which may have originally been a Lughnasadh (harvest) ritual. Royal Engineers camped on the summit for four months in 1826 as part of the Ordnance Survey's Principal Triangulation.
Source and more information about Slieve Donard here !
