Rocky Mountain

The route begins at the junction of Quarter Road and Head Road (beside Rourke’s Park) and ascends first Round Seefin and then Rocky Mountain before returning along Dunnywater Track. For the most part it is easy walking with spectacular views over the coastal plain and contrasting landscapes of the Annalong Valley. Everywhere stone walls enclosing small fields are a picturesque feature of Mourne farmland. Besides making field boundaries, granite stone provided ideal building material and local quarries (as on Round Seefin) were active during the early part of the 20th century. The extensive coniferous plantations of the Annalong Valley are of more recent origin. Above 250m tree growth is restricted by strong winds and infertile terrain so that, with increasing altitude man’s influence on the landscape gives way to natural heather vegetation and an unspoilt panorama across the heart of the Mournes.

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