Sights in South Down & The Mourne Mountains
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Silent Valley Reservoir
At the heart of the Mournes is the beautiful Silent Valley Reservoir, where the River Kilkeel was dammed in 1933. There are scenic, waymarked walks around the grounds, a coffee shop and an interesting exhibition on the building of the dam. From the car park, a shuttle bus (adult/child return £1.40/1) will take you another 4km up the valley to the Crom Dam. It runs daily in July and August, weekends only in May, June and September.
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Newry and Mourne Museum
With exhibits on the Newry Canal and local archaeology, culture and folklore, the museum is housed in Bagenal's Castle, the town's oldest surviving building. Recently rediscovered, having been incorporated into more recent buildings, the 16th-century tower house was built for Nicholas Bagenal, grand marshal of the English army in Ireland. The castle also houses the tourist office.
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Murlough National Nature Reserve
Footpaths and boardwalks meander among the grassy dunes, with great views back towards the Mournes.
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Mourne Wall
The dry-stone Mourne Wall was built between 1904 and 1922 to keep livestock out of the catchment area of the Kilkeel and Annalong Rivers, which were to be dammed to provide a water supply for Belfast.(Poor geological conditions meant the Annalong could not be dammed, and its waters were diverted to the Silent Valley Reservoir via a 3.6km-long tunnel beneath Slieve Binnian.) The spectacular wall, 2m high, 1m thick and over 35km long, marches across the summits of 15 of the surrounding peaks including the highest, Slieve Donard (853m).
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Canals
The Newry Canal runs parallel to the river through the town centre, and is a focus for the city's redevelopment. A cycle path runs 30km north to Portadown, following the route of the canal.
Newry Ship Canal runs 6km south towards Carlingford Lough, where the Victoria Lock has been restored to working order as part of a long-term project to reopen the whole canal to leisure traffic. Designed by Sir John Rennie, the civil engineer who designed Waterloo, Southwark and London bridges in London, the ship canal allowed large, sea-going vessels to reach Albert Basin in the centre of Newry.
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