Slieve Bawn

One of the hikers describes Slieve Bawn as a hill rather than a mountain and notes the trip is a family outing.

it's not even a mountain is it - it's a hill

The opening climb is steep enough to get you sweating early, though the terrain is easier going further up.

it's just when you're coming up it's really steep

A large cross on a plinth, the Holy Cross, stands on the central peak of Slieve Bawn and is the hill's main summit feature.

I can feel myself falling off the cross

According to the plaque on the hill, the Holy Cross was erected around 1950-51: money was raised by public contribution, most of the work was done by local people and, because there was no road access, materials such as sand, cement and steel were carried up by donkeys and horses. The finished cross was blessed by the parish priest.

most of the work was done by local people

The hikers found the hill eerie, with traces of an old fire suggesting previous visitors, and agreed it would feel creepy to come up at night.

would you come here at night imagine how creepy it'd be

The waymarked trails at Slieve Bawn begin with an immediate steady climb rather than a gentle warm-up.

I feel like trails should have to start out level just to give you time to warm up

Wind turbines sit on or around the hill and their sound carries clearly onto the trails; one walker finds the windmills' hum calming.

the sound of windmills is honestly one of the most calming sounds to me

Part of the trail runs through closed woodland, forming a 'tree tunnel', before reaching a staircase where a whole section of forest has recently been felled, leaving the climb open and exposed.

they've just cut down this whole section of the forest

The trails were quiet with no one else around; the walker found parts of the woods beautiful, with mushrooms, scenery and birds, but the emptiness made her uneasy.

the trail is just so quiet and there was no one around

A historical Mass Rock is marked on the route; the walker found it something of an anticlimax.

there was this Mass Rock noted on the route to be honest it was a bit of a letdown

Hiking alone, she found the route mentally much harder than a tougher, farther walk the previous week, nearly having panic attacks several times; she still completed the walk.

more mentally challenging than last week

At some map points arrow markings were missing, leaving her unsure which forest path her trail took and worried about getting lost.

if there was no arrows I didn't know where to go