The Long Way RoundNotebook No 120May 2026
An hour from Belfast, a different country entirely.
Collected by Deborah. Read her editorial perspective
The drive south from Belfast is among the island's most peaceful hours. You depart the city, the road curves around Dundrum Bay, and then the Mourne Mountains emerge directly from the sea, a sight unlike any other in Ireland.
Slea Head
From the Donard car park in Newcastle, you can walk the first half mile of the Glen River. The forest canopy quickly envelops you within five minutes; while the Slieve Donard summit requires a full day, the river's lower path offers a serene afternoon for those with proper footwear.
Afterward, take tea at the Slieve Donard Hotel. With the sea wall before you, a glass in hand, and the mountains at your back in the soft northern light, this is a fitting reward for your hour-long journey.
The Ireland Edit Way
Cut the itinerary in half, then cut it again. The letter we send before every first visit.
Every hotel change costs you half a day. Luxury, in Ireland, is staying put.
Six questions we apply before booking any room in Ireland. The November test, the dinner-twice test, the landscape-over-room test.
To understand Ireland, stop looking at the castles and start looking at the kitchen table.
From the notebook
Collected notes. A few times each season.