By the end, I did have a few black toenails as keepsakes. As we climbed Donard, I must admit I remember saying to myself, out of all the mountains in the Mournes, this might be the most uninteresting of the lot. Yes, it may be the highest, but I had the feeling the guys agreed as no sooner than we reached the top, took a quick photo, we were on the march down towards the aptly named Bog of Donard.
At this point the sun was out in force and the evening sunlight was welcome. Visibility was perfect, Chimney Rock to our left and Rocky towards the right with the Mourne Wall just stretching out in a perfect straight line towards the Irish Sea. Looking back now, it was probably my favourite part overall. We took our time, enjoying every moment as we walked towards Long Seefin making the sharp turn right into Annalong Wood, finally seeing the end of the seemingly-infinite wall, and into the wood itself.
Instead of heading back to where we started, we ventured out to the main road from the wood taking a right back towards Carrick Little were we had started just over 12 hours ago. Before I started I made the decision that I would collect a stone from every mountain that we crossed. Yes, this might not have been an official challenge. More a spur of the moment adventure for four lads who normally run races rather than walk, but I am thankful now that I did make this decision.
They are only stones, but they will always remind me of a brilliant day with good friends among arguably some of the best scenery this country has to offer. Better than any trophy I have ever won to be honest. So whats next? The four of us are going to do the 5 highest peaks in the UK and Ireland over 4 days. Sure why not?! You can follow Dermot on Instagram or help him fundraise. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
Tags: Mourne Wall Challenge. Runner, hiker, adventure racer with a joy of taking pics. Enjoys anything challenging from 5kms to kms. In broke the Guinness World Record for a hour run on a treadmill. Would you like to sponsor this article? Onwards across Banns Road and towards the most challenging climb of the route. I brought three small treat-size bags of fizzy sour sweets along that day. From my experience of the Seven Sevens in I knew there would come points where a morale boost would be needed to get me through.
I knew I would hit the wall. Trouble was, I was expecting this further ahead, at Bearnagh perhaps, definitely Donard, but not as soon as Slieve Muck. Yet there i was, barely a third of the way into the walk and already desperately fustling at my first packet of emergency sweets. What had gone wrong? Eventually I stood on top of Slieve Muck and contemplated how I could possibly complete the walk.
My confidence rose and fell like the undulations of the wall as it crossed Carn Mountain, Slieveloughshannagh, Meelbeg then Meelmore. The more familiar terrain brought little comfort until I found myself past the halfway mark and somewhat of a mental watershed.
I paused on Meelmore to reflect on this, realising the quickest route back to the car now was to keep going. A fresh pair of dry socks and some food helped too. Before attempting the intimidating west face of Slieve Bearnagh I paused at the small flow of water about halfway down Meelmore to replenish my water bladder.
Having access to enough water could be tricky, especially on a hot day. I could feel the welcome flow of hiking along familiar trails and the distance starting to fall more easily below my feet. A sugar high and ibuprofen may have been something to do with it. I now looked ahead to one of my favourite hikes in the Mournes: the ridgeline along Slieve Corragh to Commedagh. It was also at this point that the weather took a turn for the worse.
Hiking in low cloud is not unpleasant, especially in familiar territory when navigation is of no concern. But add in sustained strong winds and horizontal rain, and it soon becomes a more serious proposition. But I soon found myself joining a flock of sheep in a small quarry pit part way up Commedagh, seeking what shelter I could to batten down the hatches in full waterproof mode then and there.
The hint of a chill in your core is a subtle reminder never to underestimate the risk of hypothermia in the mountains, even in July. I was confident that I could keep going in these conditions so long as I kept fuelled up and hydrated, with the exertion keeping me warm. As predicted, I opened my second packet of emergency sweets mid-way up Slieve Donard. But this time it was more just because I love fizzy sweets and I needed the fuel, and anyway, the mental battle had been won miles ago.
For the first time on the circuit I encountered crowds of people doing the popular climb up Donard, even on a wet miserable afternoon like this. At the summit, happy in the thought that the major climbing of the day was now done, I looked forward to the final few miles of the route back to Carrick Little. September 19, Carolyn Mckinney. September 5, Alan Dawson. Doreen Broadhurst. July 16, June 28, February 8, Danny Mcdonald. March 14, Add photos of this trail Photos help others preview the trail.
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Upload your activity and inspire others. Aoife Daly. July 26, May 19, Josh Peacock. April 23, April 22, Glenn Taylor. April 15, Join the list Use Navigator in the AllTrails app and join the 28 other outdoor explorers who have completed this trail.
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