Slieve Gullion

The walk up Slieve Gullion is proper steep - don't let anyone tell you otherwise. But the views from the top make the huffing and puffing worthwhile. From the 573-metre summit you're looking out across County Armagh, down into County Down, and on a clear day the Mourne Mountains rise up to the south like they're painted on the horizon.

It's a two-part climb, really. First you trek through forestry on the lower slopes - a bit mundane, truth be told - then the path opens up and the gradient gets serious. The final push to the trig point takes about two hours from the car park, depending on fitness. Most walkers allow three hours there and back, which gives you time to catch your breath and actually enjoy the panorama.

This is walker territory, no question. Families with young kids might find the steepness frustrating, but teenagers who enjoy a proper hill scramble will get a real kick out of it. The surrounding landscape is wild and green - genuine border country between the north and south.

Newry sits just a few miles north, so it's easily reached from the town. If you're basing yourself at somewhere like Hilltop Hideaway - a mere 3.6 miles away with hot tub access - you could knock this off in a morning and still have the afternoon to recover. The peak is free to climb. Go in dry conditions; the path gets boggy and slippery when wet.