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Walk. Mourne Mountains. Spelga Pass. Ireland
 

**THE WALK**

Blue Lough Buttress

 Description After a long period of neglect, some recent development has made this crag well worth a day's visit
The number of really good routes is unfortunately not proportionate to the crag's size

which is fairly high and extensive but either marred by large acreages of vegetation,

or formed in such a typically Mourne fashion - very steep to overhanging walls of pretty featureless granite

with the few cracks being either the merest little seams or impossibly flared - that the scope for quality climbing is limited
 

Approach: Follow the Carrick Little Track to the farthest edge of the forest. Follow the left branches

ofthe Track until directly below the crag which overlooks Blue Lough. About one hour's walk.

Facing the hill, the crag is characterised by a steep elongated upper section which starts just to the right of the

Binnian Lough River and which after a few hundred metres merges into the more extensive

but more rambling right-hand section of the crag. Whilst the upper section has been named,

South Buttress on its left and Pinnacle Buttress on its right, the nomenclature is of limited interest or use,

since there is only one good route to tempt those interested in clean rock. It is on the steep or slabby

30m lower wall of the right-hand section of the buttress that all the good climbing is to be found. Unfortunately,

this takes a lot of seepage and in a bad year some of the routes will be persistently damp. Nevertheless a week

of good weather in spring or summer should be enough to dry out most of the routes

Lower Cove

 Description: Set about half way up the Annalong Valley these cliffs are among the steepest and best in the Mournes.
The majority of the routes are south-facing, largely free of vegetation and will dry quickly.

The crags have as a result proven to be popular and offer a large number of quality routes at a wide range of grades.
The cliff consists of four main buttresses, with the left-hand end of each face having a prominent arete.

These "corners" are numbered from 1 to 4, from left to right.

Approaches: The crag is most easily approached by following the Carrick Little Track

which leaves the Head Road at a car park at 345219, and is about one hour's walk from this point

Hen Mountain

 Description: The four tors of Hen Mountain give short routes with many variations and numerous problems.
The rock is generally clean and sound, but there is often a scarcity of belays on the tops.

The routes dry quickly after rain and Hen is exposed to winds from all directions, though it is usually possible to find a sheltered corner.

A popular beginners crag, virtually no piece of rock has been left untouched and new routes in the lower grades will not in future be recorded.

Approaches: From the Bryansford-Hilltown road turn left about 5km from Hilltown at a signpost to Rostrevor.

Continue straight across a crossroads about half a km further on, and after another 3 km stop at a picnic site (233277)

on the right-hand side. Directly opposite this a track leads up between Hen Mountain on the left and Rocky Mountain

on the right with an inappropriate modern bungalow at the road junction. Follow this track to a gate then strike

directly uphill to the tors. About half an hour from the car park. From this direction the tors are (from left to right)

West Tor, The Tower, Summit Tor and South East Tor