BBC Northern Ireland- Off The Beaten Track

Off The Beaten Track

Bloody Bridge River

bloody_bridge

*Crown Copyright. Route and Distances are approx. Only for guidance.*

Bloody Bridge River/Brandy Pad/Bog of Donard

Within an elliptical area of about 22km by 11km, The Mourne Mountains are among the most famous tourist attractions and perhaps the most popular walking areas in Northern Ireland. The highest point in Northern Ireland, Slieve Donard the other 34 summits and forests, loughs, rivers and bogs attract visitors all year round. There is something for everyone here from casual "stroller" to dedicated rambler and runner and our rich heritage is written all over them.

This walk takes you along part of "The Brandy Pad" a track created by the boots of smugglers and the hooves of heavily laden ponies, particularly during the 18th and 19th centuries. Illicit cargoes of tobacco, wine, spirits, leather, silk and spices would be spirited through the mountains from the east coast to be distributed inland. So popular was the trade that by 1835 in the village of Hilltown, almost half the houses were pubs.

This route also takes in one of the quarries which provided granite for the streets of Belfast and further afield and ends just over part of the famous Mourne Wall made from the same granite.

On average 2m high and 1 metre wide, with virtually no cement to keep it together, it runs for 35km over the tops of 15 mountains and took 18 years between 1904 and 1922 to complete.

Height: 500 metres (1640 feet)

Round trip: 10 Kilometres (6.2 miles)

Time: 2 to 3 hours

Level 3: Moderate

This is a good, slightly more-than-beginners walk for an afternoon.

Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland Discoverer Series 1:50 000

Map 29 The Mournes. or with more detail:

The Mournes Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland Map 1:25 000

Map Coordinates: Start: 388271 Finish: 352275

Refreshments

There are many cafes, shops and restaurants in nearby Newcastle to get meals and sandwiches.

Start and Finish

The walk starts at the Bloody Bridge car park, 3 km (just over 1 mile) south of Newcastle on the A2 to Kilkeel.
Cross over a very busy road and take the National Trust path that leads past a sheep pen over springy ground between granite boulders along the north side of the Bloody Bridge River. On the left is the old bridge, the scene of a massacre of Protestants in 1641 and from which the river gets its name.

Terrain

Initially the path, which is well defined but can be very muddy in wet weather, tracks upwards though gorse and heather before becoming more stony and rocky. Eventually parts of the path travels over bogland. For most of the way and time however, it is solid and stony.

Route

Follow the picturesque river on your left. At different times of the year it can just be a trickle but at others it becomes a raging torrent and there are frequent groups of people, young and old taking part in "wet-bouldering", an activity which is a lot of fun but should be done under proper supervision.
About 1 km up the path, you may want to cross a narrower part of the river over rocks and slabs which are huge and firm and then you can continue upwards along an old quarry road, now disused, but still littered with boulders.
About 2 km of steady ascent later, whichever side of the river you take, you will reach the site of a huge, spectacular former quarry.
Leaving the quarry on a grassy track on the right you continue to climb a broad col.
Eventually you will cross over the Mourne Wall and then the view opens out westwards to the spectacular Annalong Valley immediately beneath you.

Local Walking Contacts and Association

Walk Ni

Ulster Federation of Rambling Clubs

Northern Ireland Tourist Board

National Trust

Environment and Heritage Service

Ordnance Survey Northern Ireland

Tollymore Mountain Centre

Mourne Heritage Trust

Points of Interest

Apart from the beautiful views over the Irish Sea as you look back on your ascent and also the Bloody Bridge River and Quarry, from the flatish area above the Annalong Valley, there are great views opposite of the Devil's Coach Road, a huge gash gully in Slieve Beg. Slightly to the left opposite is Cove Mountain and extreme left in the distance is Slieve Binnian (another walk in the series). To the right of the Devil's Coach Road and further down the valley, along the continuation of the Brandy Pad beneath Slieve Commedagh are impressive weathered columns called The Castles, which actually look as if they have been built.
You can continue to walk along the Brandy Pad to its end at Trassey Track, but it is some distance away and it would be advisable to make sure there is transport waiting there to take you back to your start at Bloody Bridge Car Park, unless you are prepared to return by the same track.

Gallery

The Castles under Slieve Commadagh.

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