Croslieve

The walk up Croslieve isn't long, but it's proper steep in places - the kind of climb that makes your calves burn within ten minutes. You're looking at roughly 45 minutes to the summit from the car park, depending on fitness and how often you stop to catch your breath. The peak itself sits at 539 metres, which puts it firmly in the mid-range for the Mourne Mountains, but what you gain in sweat you make back in views across County Down and into the broader range beyond.

On a clear day - and you'll want to time your visit for clear weather because cloud here means you're essentially climbing into fog - you can pick out the neighbouring peaks and the patchwork farmland spreading out towards Newry. The exposed ridge work is the best bit, properly exhilarating once you're up there. Families with older kids will manage it fine; younger ones might struggle with the gradient. Walkers treating it as a training route or combining it with other Mourne summits will find it satisfying without being exhausting.

There's no entrance fee or facilities at the trailhead - just park sensibly and go. Allow two hours return if you're not rushing. If you're staying at Hilltop Hideaway nearby, you could knock this off before breakfast and still have the rest of the day free. The pods are only 2.4 miles away, so you could be soaking in that private hot tub by afternoon, which rather nicely bookends a morning's hillwalking.