Slievenamiskan, Sliabh Meascáin 444m hill, Mourne Mountains W: Spelga Ireland at MountainViews.ie

Longitude: -6.071634, Latitude: 54.178469 , Easting: 325933, Northing: 327214 Prominence: 39m, Isolation: 0.7km
ITM: 725882 827219, GPS IDs, 6 char: Slvnms, 10 char: Slvnmskn
Bedrock type: Granite granophyre, (Mourne Mountains granite)

Slievenamiskan is the 757th highest place in Ireland.
Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/641/

MountainViews.ie Picture about mountain Slievenamiskan (<i>Sliabh Meascáin</i>) in area Mourne Mountains, Ireland

Picture: View down to a frozen Spelga Dam

A fine view point for Spelga Dam.

Short Summary created by Harry Goodman 24 Oct 2011

Park off the B27, on NE side where the Mourne Way crosses the road J260 280 star

A. There is room for one car to pull off the road. Alternatively if more parking space is required use the Spelga Dam car park J267 273 star

B and walk down the road SW for 1k to the start point J260280 star

A. Cross the road and go down the short rough track to cross a sturdy metal bridge over the infant River Bann. Once across go directly S up the slope for about 750m over heather and some rocky out crops to the top, marked by a cairn of stones, from where there is a splendid view down to Spelga Dam. For a little variety to the outward route descend NE to pick up a fence around J263 273 star

C. Turn left (N) and follow the fence down to the river bank. Turn left and contour along back to the bridge and the start point. This is a hill that would seldom be climbed in its own right. Most walkers would use it as an access route to Cock Mt about 700m to the SW. Indeed a short but rewarding circuit is to start as above, climb Slievenamiskin, then go SW to Cock Mt before going down NW to Hen Mt, From Hen Mt drop down NE to pick up the Mourne Way at around J250 280 star

D. Turn right and follow the way markers back to the bridge and start point. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/641/comment/5400/

Two for the price of one

by hbowman1 10 Apr 2011

I climbed this mountain for the first time recently. I started off at the sand bank road car park, before Leitrim Lodge, walked up the lane opposite car park before coming to a gate. After coming through the gate, I turned left and headed toward Hen mountain. The rocky tors provide a nice frame for a photo of Rocky mountain and also afford good views toward wee Slievemoughan, Slievemoughanmore, Eagle mountain and Shanlieve. Thereafter I crossed pathless terrain toward Cock mountain and Slievenamiskan. The gradient is a bit steep is places but eventually in the middle of the ridge between the two mountains very fine views open up of Spelga Dam and of the mountains from Meelmore to Slieve Muck. Having climbed Slieve Muck, Pigeon Rock, Slievemoughanmore, I think Slievenamiskan is probably the best viewpoint to study the reservoir from given its proximity to the reservoir and views of other mountains. The advantage of taking this route is that it is possible to climb Slievenamiskan and Cock mountain in a very short time span: two for the price of one. Similar to Eagle and Shanlieve. After climbing Cock mountain, I descended toward the valley between Cock mountain and wee Slievemoughan. After lunch I headed up wee Slievemoughan. This was my first time on the mountain. From the summit Spelga Dam is hidden from sight but it is possible to see Butter mountain and Slieveloughshannagh in the distance. Thereafter I joined the path between Hen and Cock on one side and Rocky mountain on the other, heading back toward the car park. The full walk took 2.75 hours. The highlights were the views from Hen toward the western Mournes and the views of Spelga from Slievenamiskan and Cock. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/641/comment/6298/

Picture: Slievnamiskan standing guard over Spelga Dam

paulocon on Slievenamiskan, 2009

by paulocon 23 Jul 2009

Slievenamiskan provided a gentle start to our Spelga Dam circuit. The mountain is accessed by a small footbridge crossing Northern Ireland's longest riber, the River Bann (we hopped the wall just down from the house beside the dam) and it's heathery rock-covered slopes got the heart-rate up during the short walk to the summit. From here, there are good views across to Hen and Cock Mountains. The summit doesn't offer a whole lot but it's an excellent starting point for a circuit of the dam. From Slievenamiskan, we quickly made our way across to nearby Cock Mountain. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/641/comment/3948/

Picture: The view northeast over the reservoir at Spelga.

Slippy slopes!

by csd 25 Oct 2010

I started where the Mourne Way crosses the Spelga Pass road; there isn't really anywhere suitable to park here so it probably wasn't the best idea. There's a handy bridge across the river, and then it's straight up the steep and very slippy northern flanks of Slievenamiskan (careful here, especially if coming down this way). Note that the dam itself is out of bounds, if coming back this way, you must cross downstream of it. My picture is taken looking towards paulocon's vantage point.

There's no trig pillar at the summit, so I took a reading at what I estimated to be the highest point. Even the summit is quite a boggy place, so gaiters are advised! Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/641/comment/6150/

Picture: Spelga Reservoir from summit

Dam fine

by Colin Murphy 5 Jul 2021

Followed Harry Goodman's excellent directions to bag this summit. One minor point - the 'sturdy bridge' is now in a bad state of repair and a large section of the concrete is missing. Still, with the Bann very low in the summer, it would be easy enough to descend to the river and hop cross. The initial bit of the route was very steep, but firm underfoot, the gradient easing a little only at around 370m. The summit itself is fairly well defined and has great views over the Spelga Reservoir & Dam. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/641/comment/23203/

(End of comment section for Slievenamiskan (Sliabh Meascáin).)

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