Trassey Car Park to Spelga Pass - Mourne Way Trek

Start : Trassey Car Park, Trassey Rd, Down, Newcastle (BT33 0QA)

(S) From Trassey Car Park, walk towards Trassey Road then turn immediately left (South) then left again.

(1) Cross the stile and follow the track South, passing two further gates before you reach open mountain terrain. At the final gate, a stone wall can be seen extending West; this is your guide for the next part of the route. (From waypoint (1) to the next one, you walk for 1.1 Km or so).

(2) Turn right (South-West) onto a footpath and follow the wall, passing beneath the steep Northern slopes of Slieve Meelmore. After almost 2 Km you arrive at a stream that drains the Happy Valley between Slieve Meelmore and Slieve Meelbeg. You now climb across a 500m summit on the most mountainous section of the route.

(3) From Happy Valley, continue to follow the path around the northwestern base of Slieve Meelbeg. You soon arrive at Fofanny Reservoir.

(4) Cross a metal footbridge and head along the eastern bank of the reservoir, following a narrow path flanked by gorse bushes. A short section through pine trees then brings you to a road : Slievenaman Road.

(5) Turn left (South-West) here and walk along the tarmac for 900m to reach Blue Quarry car park (also known as Ott Mountain car cark).

(6) Follow the mountain trail climbing the stone steps and cross the stile above the car park. Follow a faint grassy trail directly up the slope to the top of the ridge.

(7) Turn Right Northernly on the summit of Slevenamuck, the first hill you will climb. The 500m-high summit of Butter Mountain, the highest point of the route, lies just to the left, and provides fantastic views over the northwestern Mournes. Now follow the ridge North-East to a fence, which is marked by Mourne Way signs. Turn left and follow the fence for 600m.

(8) Now turn left (South-West) and follow a faint track through boggy tussock grass, past the summit of Spaltha. Continue to the broad col beneath Spelga Mountain, then follow the tracks curving to the right (west) and descend steeply, keeping just south of a stream. Keep descending until you meet a stone wall, where you rejoin the waymarkers. Turn left and contour along the wall to reach the road at Spelga Pass. (E)

Turn left on the road (South-East) in the direction of Spelga Resevoir to join a Bed and Breakfast, a parking and toilets.

Start : Trassey Car Park, Trassey Rd, Down, Newcastle (BT33 0QA)

Arrival : Spelga Pass (Kilkeel Road near to the Spelga Reservoir)

Parking : Trassey Car Park at the start. Spelga Dam Car park at the arrival.

Terrain : Mixed mountain terrain. This is a challenging yet rewarding walk, some of which crosses open hill side with no waymarking so please ensure you are adequatley prepared. Almost all of the distance is off-road, with forest trails and mountain paths predominating.

Public Transport : Translink

Facilities : Bed and Breakfast, toilets and parking available at Spelga Pass (arrival). Mourne Holliday, 91 Kilkeel Rd, Hilltown, Newry (BT34 5XL)
There is little accommodation available along the route so please ensure to make arrangements prior to setting off.

Note : If you wish, you can do several parts of this trek at once. Pay attention to the information given in each part to avoid unpleasant surprises.

Find more information and walk ideas at Walk NI here.

Did You Know?
The Trassey Track is the end of a path known as the Brandy Pad, which crosses the heart of the Mournes and meets the coast just south of Slieve Donard. The route was used in the 18th and 19th centuries by smugglers, who journeyed across the mountains at night with ponies laden with tobacco, wine, spirits and silk.

Spelga Pass takes you past two important mountain reservoirs. First is Fofanny Reservoir, with an underground water treatment works capable of processing 52 million litres of water a day. Second is the larger Spelga Reservoir, which was completed in 1957 and flooded a mountain pasture previously known as Deer’s Meadow.