Slieve Croob

About Slieve Croob

Rising as the highest point of the Dromara Hills, this prominent peak offers an expansive perspective over County Down. While the summit is shared with several radio masts, the ancient cairn provides a historical anchor. On a clear day, the granite peaks of the High Mournes to the south appear impressively close.

Key Statistics

Find It

Did You Know?

• •The name is derived from the Irish Sliabh Crúibe, meaning 'mountain of the hoof'. This likely refers to the way the mountain's various ridges splay out from the central summit like the digits of a foot, though local legends occasionally credit the shape to a giant’s footprint.
• •The mountain serves as the birthplace of the River Lagan, which rises on these northern slopes before beginning its journey through Lisburn and eventually reaching the sea at Belfast.
• •On the first Sunday in August, known as 'Blaeberry Sunday' or 'Cairn Sunday', locals traditionally climb the peak to gather wild bilberries and add a stone to the summit cairn, a practice rooted in the ancient harvest festival of Lughnasadh.
• •The summit is topped by the remains of an ancient passage tomb, once far more substantial before stones were moved to create smaller modern cairns, earning the peak the nickname 'The Twelve Cairns'.
• •The view south is dominated by the jagged skyline of the High Mournes, where you can clearly pick out the distinct profiles of Slieve Donard and Slieve Binnian across the undulating farmland of the Lecale area.
• •While the ascent is straightforward, the summit's dense cluster of transmitter stations ensures that even if you lose your way in the mist, you are remarkably unlikely to suffer from a poor mobile phone signal.