Mullaghcarn

Mullaghcarn

Mullaghcarn rises to 542 m in County Tyrone, at the southwestern end of the Sperrins. Its recorded summit is the trig point at H 51053 80980. Communications masts and Darach, the Guardian sculpture by Thomas Dambo, are prominent landmarks in the summit area. Darach and the trig are separate features.

Walking from Gortin Glen Forest Park

Start at the walking trailhead between the main car park and the amenity building. Follow the purple-arrow Mullaghcarn Trail uphill through the forest and onto the open mountain, using gravel paths and tarmac. The council describes the walk as a linear route of 7.4 km in total, including the return. Its walking guide grades the summit trail as strenuous.

Visit the trig point as well as the sculpture, then retrace the marked trail to the same forest-park trailhead. The shorter Ladies View forest walk does not reach Mullaghcarn's summit. Keep to walking waymarks where the park's bike and horse trails branch away.

Landscape and views

The ascent links conifer woodland with open upland heath and stony summit ground. The Pollan Burn and its waterfall are features of the forest approach. Clear conditions open views across the Sperrins and towards County Donegal.

The hill's mapped bedrock is psammite and semipelite of the Mullaghcarn Formation, part of the Dalradian Southern Highland Group. These are metamorphosed sedimentary rocks. The wider Mullaghcarn Area of Special Scientific Interest also protects peatland, lakes and woodland, alongside glacial landforms. Its Gortin delta complex formed where meltwater carried sediment into an ice-dammed lake towards the end of the last Ice Age.

Access and facilities

Use the main car park at Gortin Glen Forest Park, on Glen Park Road near Gortin. Parking is free. Regular gate hours are 06:30–18:00 from October to March and 06:30–21:00 from April to September. Return before the gates close and follow any temporary forestry or weather notices.

Toilets, picnic facilities and a café are available in the forest park. The official visitor listing describes café operation at weekends in low season and daily in summer. The exposed summit has no visitor facilities.

Ulsterbus 92b serves the Gortin Glen Forest Park stop on the Omagh–Gortin–Plumbridge corridor. Check Translink for the travel-day timetable and a workable return service before relying on the bus.

Safety and conservation

Carry warm waterproof layers and wear sturdy footwear for the uphill walk. High winds or ice can lead to short-notice park closures. Keep dogs on leads on the upper Mullaghcarn Trail because livestock graze beside it. Stay on the marked walking route, respect forest operations and take litter home.

Name and tradition

Mullach Cairn means summit of the cairn. The hill is associated with Cairn Sunday, the traditional ascent on the last Sunday in July. Darach is a contemporary artwork in the Giants of the Sperrins project; its other sculptures stand at separate sites in the region.