Slieve Bearnagh is a visually striking mountain featuring a well known crown of granite Tors. Situated in the Mourne Mountains, Northern Ireland the famous Mourne Wall guides walkers across the summit east to west. The views from the top the North Tor are stunning taking in the Brandy Pad to Slieve Donard or down over Ben Crom reservoir.
Probably the simplest way to climb the North Tor of Slieve Bernagh is to walk along Trassey track to Hare’s Gap then up the stone steps to the right and embark on the steep summit to the North Tor.
On a clear day you can literally see for miles, Dromara, the Irish Sea, Kilkeel are all visible from Bernagh. Personally though I favour days with light cloud and there is something very therapeutic about sitting and watching the clouds roll over Ben Crom and the Tors of Bernagh. Travelling light I packed the Fujifilm X-T1, the 16mm XF f/1.4 lens and my Lee filters in the brand new over the shoulder filter bag. I arrived at the top quite late in the day and the sun was low in the sky creating a remarkably dramatic vista.
The views were breathtaking, the cloud was thick so the summit was drowned in near total darkness at times and it was stunning to watch the cloud approach and the temperature suddenly dropping and rising again as they cleared. Care has to be taken in low visibility but thankfully Slieve Bernagh comes with its own safety rope in the form of the Mourne wall that directs the way back down to Hare’s Gap.
It is wise to spiral down from the top of Slieve Bernagh, the summit is steep and it’s easy to loose your footing, but the views alone are worth the climb. The Fujifilm 16mm was the perfect field of view and the Lee Filters ND6 Grad (soft) together with the cloud cover were ideal for softening the highlights shooting directly into the sun.
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The Mournes
Landscape Photography
Fujifilm 16mm lens
Fujifilm X-T1
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