Sawel

About Sawel

Dominating the Sperrin Mountains as the range's highest point, this sprawling peak offers a true sense of isolation. Its peat-covered slopes can be challenging underfoot, but the broad summit plateau rewards climbers with an expansive panorama stretching across the Foyle to the Atlantic coast and south toward the Fermanagh lakelands.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is derived from the Irish Sabhall, meaning 'barn'. While it may seem an odd descriptor for a mountain, the name likely refers to the shape of the summit or perhaps an ancient ecclesiastical association, mirroring the name of Saul in County Down.
• •Sawel holds the distinction of being the 'County Top' for two counties; the border between Tyrone and Londonderry bisects the summit, making it the highest point in both.
• •The mountain is the centerpiece of the Sperrin Mountains Special Area of Conservation, protecting one of the best examples of active blanket bog in Northern Ireland, a habitat vital for the red grouse.
• •To the east, the mountain is separated from its neighbour, Dart Mountain, by the high pass of the Sperrin Road; bagging both peaks together is the standard local 'double', though the boggy col between them requires waterproof boots.
• •On an exceptionally clear day, the vista from the summit includes the distinctive silhouette of the Inishowen Peninsula to the north and the distant peaks of the Mourne Mountains to the southeast.
• •Navigating the summit plateau in a typical Sperrins mist usually involves following the rusted wire fence that marks the county line; it is perhaps the only place where a dilapidated fence is treated with the reverence of a mountain guide.