Slieve Muck

The walk up Slieve Muck is proper straightforward - nothing like the harder peaks you'll find elsewhere in the Mourne Mountains, which makes it ideal if you've got mixed fitness levels in your group. It's one of those hills that doesn't mess about: you park up near Newry, head uphill through moorland, and after about an hour you're standing at 674 metres with views across the whole range spreading out below you.

On a clear day it's genuinely worth the effort. The surrounding peaks - Slieve Donard, Slieve Commedagh - frame the horizon properly, and you can see right across into County Armagh on the other side. The path itself is well-worn and cairned, so navigation is straightforward even when the mist rolls in, which it does rather often up here.

Histor buffs won't find much on the summit itself - it's a walker's hill, pure and simple. Families with teenagers will manage it fine; younger kids might find the last push a bit much. Allow two to three hours return if you're not hammering it. The whole experience feels less crowded than tackling Slieve Donard from nearby, which gets rammed on weekends.

If you're staying at Oakwood or Greenview Glamping in the Mournes, this makes a cracking morning's work before lunch. The Rock Caravan and Camping is a bit further out but gives you easy access. Free to climb, obviously - just park sensibly and respect the moorland.