MountainViews: Info on Chimney Rock Mountain Sliabh an Aoire (656m) in area Mourne Mountains

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Mourne Mountains Area

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Maximum height for area: 850 metres

Summits in area: 47

OS Map(s): 20, 29 for all tops

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Chimney Rock Mountain Mountain	Down County
Sliabh an Aoire A name in Irish	(Language)
(Ir. Sliabh an Aoire (?) [PNNI], 'mountain of the shepherd')
Height: 656 metres	OS 1/50k Mapsheet: 29 for top
Grid Ref: J36409 25721	Latitude: 54.162398 Longitude: -5.912407
ITM: 736328 825726	Prominence: 131m Isolation: 1.4km
Granite was quarried on the northern slopes of this mountain. Mourne granite is typically grey and of high quality. Vast quantities used to be exported for construction. The streets and docks of Liverpool were built of Mourne granite. Walter Harris refe Chimney Rock Mountain is the 178th highest summit in Ireland. Chimney Rock Mountain is the second most easterly summit in the Mourne Mountains area. It's also the 4th most easterly summit in Ireland. Our data has reached 100% of the goal for this summit. (Details)

COMMENTS for Chimney Rock Mountain

MountainViews.ie Picture about mountain Chimney Rock Mountain in area Mourne Mountains, County Down, Ireland

Picture: Chimney Rock from Rocky Mountain Expand pics.

Fine views in the NE Mournes

Short Summary created by wicklore 8 Aug 2011 Chimney Rock Mountain sits proudly above the Irish Sea in the north-eastern Mournes. Evidence of extensive mining exists along the side of the mountain at places like Carr’s Face, and the route up from the Bloody Bridge follows a mining track for a lot of its length. Five American airmen died when their B26 Marauder crashed on the mountain during training in 1944. Wreckage remains on the hill, as well as a memorial plaque and cross. Chimney Rock offers amazing views over the Mournes, particularly nearby Donard and across the Annalong Valley to Slieve Beg, Cove Lamagan and Slieve Binnian.

One route up is to follow the Bloody Bridge track starting at J389 270 (Point A). Follow the track for about 4 kms up to the Mourne Wall and turn SE to climb 1.5kms to the summit. Alternatively it can be climbed directly from the Bloody Bridge track by striking out south from the track to tackle the steep northern slopes. Be careful to avoid Carrs Face and other steep areas. Also on this route there is plenty of rocks and mining-related scree in places on the northern slopes to contend with.

Point A: J389 270

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Comment Rating (4.00)

by cstrain 8 May 2006 Sunday 7.5.06
Climbed to the top of Chimney Rock today in Glorious sunshine.
Started at Donard car park and followed the Glen river track. Out into open hillside with forest on right. I deviated from the "Traditional route" once I arrived at a break in the trees. Pretty steep rise but grassy underfoot . Once out of the trees through a gap in the fence I arrived at the summit of Commedagh via a lower summit and ridge past steep gullies to the left. This route is up over open grassland and Heather and is a lot softer underfoot compared to all the boulders and granite steps that have to be negotiated on the usual route. Will try this route on the way down in the future. Followed the wall down to the stile at the Commedagh / Donard Col and then took the Brandy Pad round to the Stile at the Bloody Bridge approach. Followed wall keeping to the left hand side towards Chimney Rock. Veer away from the wall towards the summit once tracks in the Heather become visible. If you try to be smart as I did and veer off too soon across the flat Bog Heather you will end up "scratching your head" in a maze of marshy channels and pools. I initially had to retrace my steps back to the wall.
Once at the top I had lunch and investigated the rocky outcrops.
This is an interesting little mountain for minimal effort with lovely views all round.

(Comment Rating 4.67) Your Score: Very useful << >>Average

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by Bleck Cra 16 Feb 2009 There is something about Spence’s river valley not quite right: unsettling, unnerving. Something bigger than a sad story of a lost pilot ploughing into its East Stand – something age-old; a patient audience perhaps of this and a thousand other sad events.
The weight of melancholy in the place is overpowering – or is it just that dark days simply draw a lone spectator on to its drear stage? I fell under the spell of Chimney Rock Mountain the very first time I saw her. Pretty, little, odd: an outrider on the fringes of the pack proper. The alpha girls, Donard, Commedagh, Meel More, wide Lamagan and diva Bearnagh collude and conspire but Chimneyrock stands alone, silent, unassuming. From Chimney Rock Mountain you see everything we have been and everything we are. On a warm, new Sunday in February, a panorama panning North/South picked out Scotland, the Isle of Man, snow on English tops, a pool of canary yellow sunshine that spilled out from Drogheda dawn ‘til dusk and on its glazed horizon, heartbreaking Howth and memories of dolphins and rainbows. On her South Western edge, leaden feet draw you down into the spinning nothingness of Spence’s Valley. There are no tracks or clues and as you descend into this huge, heathery bowl, the emptiness seems to engulf you. A damp clamber up on to Rocky Mountain and return along the wall or Buttress holds the spectre of Spence’s Valley to heel and Donard Bog (currently Donard Bog Archipelago) soon occupies your attention – and a yomp home to Bloody Bridge (Start/Finish). It was in Spence’s, a blazing Spring, some years back. Invisible water gurgled under hidden holly, holy, hollow trees. Suddenly in my mind, the taste of fuel and French perfume, which might explain why he flew, uncontrollably, into Chimney Rock Mountain.

(Comment Rating 4.38) Your Score: Very useful << >>Average

by janerobbie 26 Jan 2005 Ah, Bleck Cra, like many a man you’ve been taken in by a good looking girl. Look behind that pretty little face and you’ll find a cold hearted woman with a dark and dangerous past. During WW2 an American B-26 decided to take a closer look at this little stunner. She clipped his wings and sent him hurtling in smithereens down her curvaceous sides. If you want to see the result of this woman’s wrath, cross the stile between Rocky and Chimney Rock, turn left towards the Bloody Bridge River and at the first small quarry turn right to cross Spence’s River and head for the summit. Keep the quarry at your back and from the river to the summit, and especially once you cross the quarry track, you’ll find the debris – an engine, lots of leads and aluminum (no, not a spelling mistake – this is an American plane) and other things I didn’t recognise because I’ve never worked in an aircraft factory. There used to be a plaque, on the rock beside the engine, but it’s gone now – a victim of thieves, just like the Northern Bank.

(Comment Rating 4.29) Your Score: Very useful << >>Average

Picture: the perfect spot? Expand pics.

by gerrym 23 Nov 2007 Climbed 29.3.04 parking at Bloody Bridge (388269 (Point B)) and following path along Bloody Bridge River. This makes a welcome change to following the Glen River if you haven't tried it before. A diversion was provided by a group of young people, presumably from the nearby outdoor pursuits centre, taking the plunge into one of the rock pools in the river. When the quarry track becomes visible on the opposite bank (377268 (Point C)) cross the river and follow it. Turn off left and climb the slopes of Slievenagarragh (450m) on firm ground. An hour after starting reached summmit cairn with nice views out to sea. Chimney Rock looms ahead to the west and a further half hour reaches the summit ridge. Aim for the rocky tors to the north where can spend a little time exploring with great views across to Binnian and Lamagan and to Donard. Head for the summit cairn to the south east crossing a couple of little rocky mini summits on the way. There is a delightful stone shelter just below the summit cairn. Will need to backtrack north again and will have to decide on which of the many possible options to take to continue - I dropped down to the Mourne Wall and followed it south to climb Rocky Mountain. Returned along the Bloody Bridge Path to the carpark.

Thought this would be a perfect camping spot this year. Heading up from Donard Park by the Glen River on a summer evening. Met a few people coming down off the hills but we were the only ones heading up this late. Clear blue skies bathed Newcastle in sunshine whilst the Glen River valley hid in the shadow of its imposing guardians. The climb up to the wall is followed by a tramp along the Brandy Pad and up to the rocky tors on the summit of Chimney Rock. We set up camp in the shadow of one of the tors, providing some shelter and offering a magnificent view down over the Irish Sea. As darkness descended the lighthouse at St. Johns Points swept a narrow beam of concentrated light out over the water, lights from houses on the Isle of Man were only a stones throw away. We cooked some hot food and settled in to a great nights sleep, on top of the world in our eyes. Next morning it was a case of packing and heading back down, again in good weather. A fantastic experinence of camping high in the Mournes with no other visible souls, looking down from the darkness to civilisation and brightness far below. An easy ans accessible camping option with fantastic views and far from the madding crowds.

Point B: J388 269

Point C: J377 268

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(Comment Rating 4.08) Your Score: Very useful << >>Average

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by Bleck Cra 26 Oct 2004 Mountains are like women: wild, dramatic; thin and bitter or wide and warm - but all beautiful. (Yes yes … thin and bitter too…). “Pretty” is best - and the prettiest girl in the class is Chimney Rock Mountain: little, curvaceous, undemanding with some delightful nooks and crannies. Sunday I trailed up the entirely Bloody Bridge track. Cloud low; wind aggressive. Hold seawards of the wall to caress Chimney Rock’s ankle. Weave through raised bog into sandy tracks and a stroll to 3 small tops - the last, bearing the strangely melancholy construction that gives her her name. A glimpse of glen and of sea. Magical.
Drop down and up Rocky Mountain. And here he comes. A drip on his nose, face the colour of chewing gum, his hat skewiff and a 1:50 pinned to his chest. “You OK?”. “What?.” “Where you heading ?” “Chimney Rock,” he pointed, in the opposite direction. “Over there”. “No it isn’t”. He dug a shiny compass from the blackness of his sac and walked round it like a dog eyeing a frog “Very magnetic, these hills” he confided. I could feel a drip coming to my own nose. As the mist thickened, it cleared for him - that he was completely Alain Prost. “I came up the Annalong” - yeeees, in a banana boat. “to do some compass work”- yeeees, I’m waiting. “by Carr’s Face” - noooo, because you’re an idiot not a contortionist. Then I hit on it. “I was going to do the Mournes, Mont Blanc and back again but sure I think I’ll just go home.” He took the bait: “Ach, me too.” “You’ll be taking the wall, down there?“ I pronounced flawlesly, pointing like John Travolta, “to the road.” Exactly my plan,” he grinned, backing into his weightless world.

(Comment Rating 4.00) Your Score: Very useful << >>Average

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