Camping in Mourne Mountains

Camping in the Mournes means pitching within sight of genuine mountain terrain rather than gentle countryside, and the best sites reflect that: several sit directly at trailheads used for the Mourne Wall and the Hare's Gap, with granite peaks filling the view from the tent door. The ground is largely open hill sheep-grazing above the treeline, cut through by forest plantations lower down, and weather can change quickly even when the coast below looks settled, so anyone camping at altitude or heading onto the ridge from a low-level site should pack for wind and rain regardless of the season.

Wild camping is tolerated in parts of the open mountain above the enclosed farmland, particularly around the higher Mourne Wall sections, but land access is a patchwork of private farms and the water authority's gathering grounds around the reservoirs, so it is not a blanket right and campers are expected to pitch discreetly, arrive late and leave early, carry out all litter, and avoid the immediate catchment areas that feed Belfast's water supply. Given that uncertainty, most visitors use one of the established campsites and day-walk into the hills instead, which avoids any question over land access and gives a hot shower at the end of a wet day on the ridge.

May, June and September tend to give the most reliable camping weather, with long daylight for evening walks in early summer and quieter sites once the school holidays finish in September. July and August are busiest, especially around Newcastle and the forest parks, and sites close to the coast fill fastest. Whatever the month, midge activity on still, humid evenings near the forest plantations is worth being ready for, and a pitch with some exposure to a breeze is generally more comfortable than one tucked into thick woodland.