Well, we got through the work we needed to do yesterday and the day before and so today we had a day off! We drove from Portadown to Newcastle, on the coast, and climbed Slieve Donard, the highest mountain in Northern Ireland at 850 m. One of the most fascinating things about the Mournes is the wall. It was built to enclose a catchment area of the Silent Valley Reservoir. The wall is 22 miles long, 1.5m high and 0.8 m thick, and was built to keep livestock from contaminating water supplies. There are three towers, one of which you see here. The wall took almost 20 years to complete (1904 to 1922). You can see the date on this tower near Slieve Dommedagh - 1913. The tower on Slieve Donard is dated 1910. I was absolutely fascinated by this and would love to walk more in the area of this incredible wall.
How smart of them to do that. The livestock would be considered "free range" by today's standards I guess. That's a great stone wall and tower and a lovely vista beyond.
A great shot (what wonderful condition you and your husband must be in with all these fascinating walks) and such an interesting commentary about the area there.
