| With longer evenings it was my first opportunity to get down to the Mournes after work in time to hike up a peak before sunset. I had my gear packed and ready to go the night before so I was able to set off quickly once I reached Trassey track. The walk up toward Hares Gap was pleasant. The weather was clear with a light wind from the north really driving the temperature down. This was welcomed during the slog up. I didn’t ascend to Hares gap and instead I took the route up to the right to the saddle between Bearnagh and Meelmore. I stopped along the way to fill up my water container for the night. Once I had done this I could definitely feel the extra weight on my back for he steep ascent from the saddle to Bearnagh summit. I was chasing the setting sun all the way up and arrived at the summit just on time to enjoy the last of it. To get some shelter from the wind I dropped down to the little dip between the North Tor and the summit to pitch the tent. | |||
 Stunning views as always from Bearnagh summit. |
 I pitched in the little dip for some shelter from the northerly. |
||
| As darkness began to fall so did the temperature. In the northerly wind the temperature was forecast to drop to -3C above 700 metres. It certainly felt like it was dropping fast. Fully wrapped up in my down jacket I prepared some soup on the stove and I was quite content. The wind was quite strong on the other side of the Mourne wall so it did take me some time to settle down into a good sleep due to the noise. I had been hoping that I might wake up to a nice covering of snow the next morning but it was just frosty. The northerly wind still biting hard. There was a small snow shower as I was taking the tent down which I then watched passing down over Ben Crom reservoir as I began to make my way down via the North Tor and Hares Gap. |
|||
 A frosty view from my tent the next morning. |
 Looking back toward my camping spot while starting down. |
||
 I watched the small snow shower pass down over Ben Crom Reservoir |
|||
| From the time I had left the car the previous evening until I returned in the morning I didn’t see a single person. | |||
| Check out my long term plan to camp on all of the Mourne 500’s here | |||