Friday 10 July 2020

Walking with little ones, Butter Mountain, Mournes, N.Ireland


Butter Mountain, Mournes, N.Ireland

Our guide book said it could be wet underfoot and not to follow the signs for the ‘Ulster Way’...I’m so glad I read the guide AFTER spending the day on Butter Mountain rather than before!!!
Never the less, once we had embraced the wet feet and river hopping, due to not following the guide we had a great time exploring this mountain of spectacular views. At one point we could see right across N.Ireland to Scrabo Tower, Cave Hill, Lough Neagh and Dromara hills to name a few. Then as you turn and head back towards the start, the view of Spelga Dam is incredible.
It was a very quiet route which we started from Spelga Dam car park (which had the toilet facilities open). The climb is medium to gentle to the first summit and after that it stays reasonably flat until the descent. It is possible to let the children wander a distance ahead or behind as the visibility is good.
This has possibly been our longest trek so far but the inclines were more gentle. Again Ezra surprised me by his competency in the hills. I had to carry Calvin a fair bit due to the wet ground and so we could keep up with the other adults in our group.
It is exciting to begin to recognise the other mountains around from climbing them on previous trips. It gives us confidence that we are learning the lay of the Mourne Mountain land.



Spelga Dam from Butter Mountain

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