Slieve Meelbeg

About Slieve Meelbeg

Rising steeply above the Ott track, this classic Mourne summit is defined by the iconic Mourne Wall, which crests its rounded, stony dome. While its neighbour Slieve Meelmore is more rugged, Meelbeg offers a cleaner line of ascent and exceptional, close-quarter views across the Silent Valley Reservoir toward the jagged Ben Crom.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is derived from the Irish Sliabh Míol Beag. While Sliabh means mountain and Beag means small, Míol translates to an animal or louse, often used in a landscape context to describe a barren or midge-infested hill.
• •The summit is traversed by the Mourne Wall, a 22-mile dry stone boundary built between 1904 and 1922 to protect the Silent Valley water catchment. The wall serves as an unmistakable, albeit steep, navigational handrail for walkers ascending from the cols on either side.
• •From the summit cairn, the view south-east is dominated by the dramatic 'high' Mournes, including the granite tors of Slieve Bearnagh and the bulky mass of Slieve Binnian, while the deep blue water of Lough Shannagh sits tucked into the hollow below.
• •On the lower slopes near the Ott track, walkers can still see evidence of historic turf cutting, a practice once vital for providing fuel to the nearby farming communities around the village of Hilltown.
• •The col between Meelbeg and Meelmore is notoriously boggy; it is one of the few places in County Down where you can find yourself waist-deep in a 'shortcut' while standing directly next to a perfectly solid stone wall.