Feb 2014 - Ascent from Carrick Little car park. Absolutely fantastic weather today, not a cloud in sight so I was eager to get in and amongst the mountains. As I ascended, the views back to the Irish Sea were fantastic. At the head of the valley were Slieve Donard and Slieve Commedagh, yesterday's mountains. The path climbs alongside the Mourne Wall towards Slieve Binnian. When I reached the rage, there was a short, icy scramble to the summit. The views down to the Silent Valley reservoir were excellent and the craggy Slieve Bernagh stood above. After resting on the summit for a while, I traversed alongside and over the various craggy buttresses and tors on the ridge before dropping to the col. Here I was faced with a significant climb once more to the summit of Slieve Lamagan. I sat on the summit and had my fruit salad. There wasn't a breath of wind and the sun was quite warm. After my snack, it was down and up yet again to the summit of Cove Mountain. Although tired, I couldn't resist one final summit, Slieve Beg so I could look down the infamous 'Devil's Coachroad', a steep scree and rocky scramble that dominates the eastern flank as it cuts through the crags. As soon as I looked at it, my heart started beating and I knew I had to climb down through it. Actually, it wasn't that bad, no real exposure and the rock was dry and free of ice. It was fun though. From the bottom, the path rises and falls as it makes its way along the floor of the Annalong Valley. It was a considerable distance back to the car but the crags of the mountains I'd climbed kept me company as they rose to my right side. A truly memorable walk.