Planning a trip to Mourne Mountains

Getting There

Below the Ards Peninsula, the A2 continues south to the Mourne Mountains area, although if you’re going there directly from Belfast, the A24 is a good shortcut. The drive from Belfast directly to Newcastle should take just under an hour. If you’re driving up from Dublin, turn east off the Dublin-Belfast Road at Newry and take A2, following the north shore of Carlingford Lough, between the mountains and the sea. It’s a drive you won’t soon forget.

Visitor Information

For information in the Down District, stop into the St. Patrick Visitor Centre, 53A Market St., Downpatrick, County Down (tel. 028/4461-9000), open October to March, Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm; April to September, Monday to Saturday 9:30am to 6pm and Sunday 1 to 6pm.

There's also the Newcastle Tourist Information Centre, 10-14 Central Promenade, Newcastle, County Down (tel. 028/4372-2222; www.downdc.gov.uk). It's open Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm and Sunday 2 to 6pm, with extended summer hours (daily 9:30am-7pm). A coach tour of the Mournes, offered according to demand, can be booked here. Or get information and maps at the Mourne Heritage Trust Centre, 10-14 Central Promenade, Newcastle, County Down (tel. 028/4372-4059; www.mournelive.com), open all year Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. It offers guided mountain walks Mondays and Saturdays when the weather cooperates.