Trostan

About Trostan

Rising above the Glens of Antrim, this broad, peat-covered plateau is the highest point in the county. While the terrain underfoot is notoriously heavy and boggy, the summit offers a sense of vast isolation. The Moyle Way skirts its slopes, providing a gateway to this wild, exposed moorland landscape.

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Did You Know?

• •The name derives from the Irish Trostán, meaning a staff or pole. In a historical context, this often referred to a pilgrim’s staff or a wooden marker, though whether it denoted a specific boundary or a religious association remains a matter of local debate.
• •Standing as the highest point in County Antrim, the summit is a key objective for those completing the Irish county tops. Its prominence grants it the status of a Marilyn and a Hump.
• •On a clear day, the summit provides a strategic vantage point across the North Channel to the Scottish coast, where the Mull of Kintyre and the distinctive Paps of Jura are often visible beyond the nearby peaks of Slieveanorra and Lurigethan.
• •The mountain is a significant source for local waterways, with the headwaters of the River Main rising from the saturated peat bogs on its southern slopes before flowing toward Lough Neagh.
• •Navigating the summit plateau in mist is a lesson in patience, as the 'top' is less a defined peak and more a general suggestion of height amidst a sprawling garden of identical peat hags.