Cock Mountain

About Cock Mountain

Sitting in the western Mournes near Spelga Dam, this modest summit offers a rugged, heather-clad escape from the busier central peaks. Characterised by granite outcrops and steep southern slopes, it provides an excellent vantage point overlooking the reservoir and the dramatic, jagged tors of neighbouring Hen Mountain.

Key Statistics

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Did You Know?

• •The name is a translation of the Irish Sliabh na gCoileach, which traditionally refers to the red grouse that inhabit the surrounding heather moorland.
• •It is often bagged as part of a classic Western Mournes circuit, typically approached from the Sandbank Road car park via the rocky spurs of its lower neighbour, Hen Mountain.
• •The summit offers an unusually clear perspective of the Spelga Dam reservoir to the south, framed by the steep northern slopes of Slieve Muck and Pigeon Rock Mountain.
• •While often overshadowed by the high granite peaks of the central range, this hill is a Hump (a hill with a prominence of at least 100 metres), marking it as a significant top in its own right.
• •Finding an actual woodcock here today is a rare treat; you are far more likely to be greeted by the indifferent stare of a local Blackface sheep.