What do you pack when you're planning to go hiking in Northern Ireland in October? Everything, just to be safe, I decided. I'm feeling the consequences now as I shoulder my travel bag and set off for the airport. Dublin, here I come, followed by Newcastle in the north. My destination: the Mourne Mountains!
From the beach to the mountains
Newcastle is right on the coast. So before heading into the mountains, I make a detour to the beach. I have to. After all, I don't get to see the sea all that often. Waves break in the distance. A strong wind is blowing. And there's that salty scent in the air that you only get by the coast. I take a deep breath, listen to the sounds of the sea and enjoy the moment.
Then I turn towards the barren hills rising nearby: the Mourne Mountains. They shimmer reddish in the sunlight. The highest peaks rise more than 800 metres into the sky. That sounds rather low compared with the Alps. But here you start right at the sea. That means you gain all that elevation from sea level.
Game of Thrones mystique
The closer I get to the mountains, the less they look like mere hills. They become more rugged. Wilder. More unfamiliar. I stand right in the middle of them and look around. It's pure nature here. There are no mountain huts, no ski lifts. Everything feels so untouched and pristine. No wonder some places in this area were used as filming locations for the popular series Game of Thrones . For example, scenes from season 1 were filmed in the neighbouring Tollymore Forest Park .
But even without costumes and a film crew, I feel as though I'm in another world. Hardly any trees grow in the Mourne Mountains. They're not as green overall as I'm used to seeing in the Alps, either. The landscape is more like a steppe, dotted here and there with rocks. All around, there are steep, massive rock faces to marvel at.
By the way:
The 35 km-long Mourne Wall runs through the Mourne Mountains. Built by hand, the wall was meant to keep animals out and protect the two reservoirs in the middle of the Mournes from contamination. Water from the reservoirs is used to supply Belfast. These days, of course, it's treated. But the wall still stands and is a historic landmark.
A super-narrow smugglers' cave
We head straight for one of the rock faces. There's supposed to be a small cave here, one of many in the Mourne Mountains. Standing at the entrance, I'm not sure I really want to explore it. To get inside, I have to make myself really, really small. The entrance only comes up to my thigh.
I crouch down, switch on the torch app on my phone and crawl inside. There's a step ahead of me. I make my way farther in. Then I can stand up. Daylight streams through the opening. But the cave is so narrow that my body blocks the beam of light. I can't see any farther inside. I feel my way forward. It becomes pitch-dark, and even my phone light isn't much help. Apparently, somewhere in here I could climb up and find another exit above.
Caves like this once served as hiding places for smugglers in the Mourne Mountains. Today, I get a little sense of adventure as I explore the darkness. Still, I'd rather turn back towards the daylight. I feel more comfortable there.
Wind gusts vs. Marlene
But outside, things are getting less comfortable too. A storm is brewing. The gusts reach up to 60 km/h. At times, I struggle to keep my balance. Sometimes I have to brace myself against the wind just to move forward. It takes effort, but it's fun too. Luckily, the path isn't exposed or dangerous. So I can take it all with a smile on my face.
At least until the rain comes. That wipes the smile off my face for a moment. Cold, wet drops are now being blown into my face. It's unpleasant. One hits me right in the eye. From then on, I keep my eyes squinted. We're not going to let a little rain defeat us when we're so close to the summit. And as if the weather has realised it can't keep us from our goal, the rain stops as suddenly as it began. That's more like it!
A view of the Irish Sea
Almost at the same time, we finally reach the summit of Slieve Binnian. The wind is still incredibly strong. So strong that we hardly dare climb all the way to the highest point. Apparently, people have even been blown off here before. We opt for the safer choice and stop a little below it. The view is no worse from here. Definitely not. And in a brief moment when the clouds part, I look towards Southern Ireland.
The Irish Sea is also clearly visible from here. You can almost watch the waves rolling onto the beach. And there, way off in the distance, where the sun is still shining, lies Dublin. The rooftops glitter in the sunlight, making them easy to see. It's incredible how far you can see. On the other side, I'm surrounded by mountains. One of them is Slieve Donnard, Northern Ireland's highest mountain at 849 metres.
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Fish & Chips are a must
Even though the Mourne Mountains are so different from the Alps, they do have one thing in common: apparently, it’s customary to have a pint after a hike. Well, I know all about that famous post-hike beer from Germany and Austria. Except that here, instead of a Helles, you get Guiness. Guiness is the typical beer in Northern Ireland too.
And to go with it, at the Harbour Inn right by the harbor, there’s Fish & Chips. I didn’t want to miss out on that either. I have to have this famous, delicious dish at least once. Besides, we’ve earned it today. Walking against the storm must have been twice as exhausting as walking without any wind.