An attempt at route creativity in the Mournes as it was my turn to lead our-now-regular Sunday morning shleps, under the watchful eye of the man/myth that is Black Cra. It's meant to be training for folks who aspire to do challenge walks, so it falls up those of us who've done a few to create 'appropriate' training itineraries, i.e. walks with several long climbs on them.

And so it was that we marched up the Banns Road before taking a cute little track that leads quite high onto Slievenaglogh...it's on the map but it's semi-tricky to find it on the ground. It ends at the Mourne Wall, and a bit of a clamber up the rocks alongside takes you to the summit.
A rough indeterminate path now led down the south side of the Wall and back to the Banns Road. Now the long flog up Slieve Muck...a slope that is probably the crux of the Mourne Wall Walk, far from well served by paths, very wet in patches and with a couple of quite steep bits to contend with. All good character building stuff.
Top thankfully attained we kept to the inside of the wall, and successfully avoided falling over the little cliff just before the next col. Up and over the two tops of Carn we went, before dropping down to where the Ott Track meets the wall. Here we struck off for Doan.

There's a bit of black squelchy stuff on the way, before the rocks of the final cone call for a bit of route finding and easy scrambling. There was a bit of weather too, with a biting wind making taking cover advisable, and the sheets of cloud playing all manner of visual games with the surrounding summits.

With scran scoffed we dropped back the way we came before turning down the rough peaty slope to the shore of Loughshannagh for the long, easy walk out.