We Parked at bloody bridge on Saturday 7th June and headed up the path not really sure what to expect. Through the gate and your on a gently sloping clear path running beside the river with lovely pure clear pools of mourne water every few meters. After about half an hour we reached the quarry and took the right hand side path up over the ridge. Five minutes later and the view hits you right in the face. Slieve binian to the left all the way across the Annalong horseshoe to Donard opens up before you. Perfect pic stop. At this point you also suddenly realise that Donard is going to take your breath away in more ways than one. The Mourne wall ahead rises steeply to the right up the mountainside. I opt for the walking on the wall option and go for it. At this stage it's pretty warm and with the head down it can get quite dizzying to look at the wall as you walk ,so I take plenty of breaks to admire the spectacular view and catch my breath and balance. It takes focus to keep going and seeing the wall rise steeply in front gives mixed feelings of 'oh good God, will it ever end' to 'nearly there, nearly there'...A false peak makes me gasp as I realise there's still some way to go to the top.....When you see the triangulation point appear over the last ridge, your heart leaps and spurns you on for the last few meters. Trust me, it's all worth the effort, the view from the top is one of the best in Ireland. Sandwiches and tea all round go down well while we discussed our shock at how bloody steep the walk from bloody bridge was. I was disappointed to see some rubbish blow across in front of us, there seemed to be a few groups of people who were more interested in shouting conversations and littering than looking at the view around them. Downhill is tough too and after a few attacks of shaky leg syndrome and a dip in an ice cold mountain stream we made it back to bloody bridge, impressed and tired. Overall Donard is a fantastic climb with some of the best views I've seen. It's accessibility has both positives and negatives. Next time I climb Donard it will be a 6am start to beat the crowds and enjoy the views without mars bar wrappers flying past and hearing the latest gossip from Johnny about 'the lass at the bar' at full volume. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/19/comment/3164/