25 Very Interesting Sperrin Mountains Facts You’ll Love to Know
Are you interested to learn about some Sperrin mountains facts? The Sperrin Mountains (from Irish Speirn ‘small pinnacle’) are a series of mountains in Northern Ireland that make up one of the country’s major highland regions. In this article, we will feature some awesome Sperrin mountains facts.
In the counties of Tyrone and Londonderry, the range runs from Strabane eastwards to Slieve Gallion in Desertmartin and northwards to Limavady. The area is a declared Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and has a population of over 150,000 people.
It boasts a glaciated terrain that is unique. The Glenshane Pass, which runs from Belfast to Derry on the A6 route, is located in the highlands and is known for its severe weather in the winter. The highest mountain in the Sperrins is Sawel Mountain, which is also the sixth highest in Northern Ireland. Its peak is 678 meters high (2,224 ft). Carntogher (464 m), another Sperrin, towering over the Glenshane Pass.
The Sperrins are primarily made up of Precambrian metamorphic rocks, with some newer Ordovician igneous rocks on the range’s southern slope. The mountains are sparsely inhabited and are home to a wide variety of birds and animals.
Along with Peregrine Falcons, Buzzards, and Sparrowhawks, red fox, Sika Deer, Pine Marten, and Red Squirrels are regular sightings. Although no breeding population has yet been formed, Golden Eagles from the nearby restored Donegal population have been spotted spanning the area from Strabane to Draperstown. The mountains also provide one of Northern Ireland’s few Red Grouse refuges.
Sperrin mountains facts
Lets find below Sperrin mountains facts
1. The Sperrins were probably at their thickest during the last Ice Age, when the huge ice sheets that blanketed the north of Ireland were at their thickest.
2. After the ice sheet began to recede, this area kept its ice sheet for a period of time, resulting in many of the current characteristics of the Owenkillew Valley and the Glenelly Valley, such as eskers.
3. The Sperrin Mountains, which run along the Tyrone-Derry border, are best described as untamed, unspoiled, and magnificent.
4. The Sperrins mountain range is Ireland’s biggest, stretching over 40 kilometers.
5. The Sperrin Mountains (from Irish Speirn, ‘small pinnacle’) are a series of mountains in Northern Ireland that make up one of the country’s biggest highland regions.
6. Sawel Mountain is a moderately difficult 3.1-mile out-and-back path in Derry, Londonderry, Northern Ireland that features lovely wildflowers. Hiking, jogging, nature tours, and bird viewing are all popular activities on the trail. After the dry weather, it feels good underfoot.
7. Valleys were briefly blocked by ice sheets as the ice receded in the area. As a result, valleys began to fill with water, which fled onto adjacent lowland. This frequently resulted in glacial overflow channels, which are erosional landforms.
8. It’s a strenuous 17-kilometer hike that takes an average of 5 hours to complete through occasionally muddy land during and after rain.
9. In the Sperrin Mountains of Ireland, there are 69 mountains included in the mountain guide.
10. The Dalradian Supergroup is a Precambrian rock formation that dates from 650 to 600 million years ago.
11. The Sperrin Mountains are made up of the Province’s oldest rocks, which are metamorphic rocks ranging in age from 650 to 570 million years old, formed by the modification of sedimentary and volcanic rocks.
12. The metamorphic rocks that make up the Sperrin Mountains were deposited between 700 and 600 million years ago.
13. The Sperrin Mountains, or Sliabh Speirn in Irish, are a mountain range located about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Sawel, Mullaclogher, and Mullaghaneany, the highest peaks, all surpass 2,000 feet (608 meters) and are topped with crystalline limestone.
14. Sawel Mountain, with its Irish name Samhail Phite Méabha (“likeness of Méabh’s vulva”), is the tallest of the Sperrin Mountains, with a height of 678 meters (2,224 feet) and a prominence of 657 meters (2,156 feet).
15. Translink operates a Sperrins Rambler bus service from Monday to Saturday all year. This route goes from Omagh to Magherafelt, passing through the Sperrin Mountains and stopping in Gortin, a good starting place for many of the region’s circular treks.
16. The veins, which range in width from a few millimeters to several meters, were produced by later earth movements, known as tectonism, which provided room for high-temperature mineralizing fluids to fill.
17. There are ten peaks above 500 meters, with Sawel Mountain, at 678 meters, being the highest (2,224ft).
18. The sedimentary strata formed in an ancient ocean as layers of sandstone, mudstone, and some limestone.
19. You’ll probably spend your time exploring the dark-russet blanket bogs and purple heathland, the gorse-covered slopes, and the woodland parks unless you’ve come to farm or fish the Foyle’s abundant salmon.
20. Be sure to visit the Glenshane Pass, which runs between Mullaghmore (545m/1,788 feet) and Carntogher (455m/1,492 feet), as well as the Sawel Mountain Drive, which runs along the mountain’s east slope.
21. The Sperrin Mountains, located southeast of Derry in County Tyrone, provide lovely hikes, national parks, and breathtaking vistas, as well as one must-see attraction: the Ulster American Folk Park.
22. Every year, the Sperrins and Killeter Walking Festival take place. The event allows hikers to experience some of Ireland’s best walking and rambling over the undulating hills of the Sperrins, which are set against some of the country’s most beautiful scenery.
23. The Sperrins feature around 90 stone circles, the best known of which are the Beaghmore Stone Circles in the southeast of the range.
24. Despite its diminutive size, the Beaghmore Stone Circles’ alignments precisely correspond to the motions of the sun, moon, and stars.
25. The views along these roads across the Sperrins will remind you why you came all the way to Tyrone in the first place.
List of mountains in the Sperrin
| Rank | Name | Irish name | Height | Prominence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sawel Mountain | Samhail Phite Méabha (“likeness of Méabh’s vulva”) | 678 m (2,224 ft) | 657 m (2,156 ft) |
| 2 | Mullaghclogha | Mullach Clocha (“summit of the stone”) | 635 m (2,083 ft) | 207 m (679 ft) |
| 3 | Mullaghaneany | Mullach an Ionaidh (“summit of the wonder”) | 627 m (2,057 ft) | 302 m (991 ft) |
| 4 | Meenard | Mín Ard (“high mountain pasture”) | 620 m (2,030 ft) | 85 m (279 ft) |
| 5 | Dart Mountain | An Dairt (“the lump”) | 619 m (2,031 ft) | 89 m (292 ft) |
| 6 | Mullaghasturrakeen | Mullach an Starraicín (“summit of the steeple”) | 581 m (1,906 ft) | 46 m (151 ft) |
| 7 | Mullaghclogher | Mullach Clochair (“summit of the stony patch”) | 572 m (1,877 ft) | 127 m (417 ft) |
| 8 | Oughtmore | Ucht Mór (“big mountain breast”) | 569 m (1,867 ft) | 104 m (341 ft) |
| 9 | Spelhoagh | Speilg Chuach (“cuckoo rock”) | 568 m (1,864 ft) | 20 m (66 ft) |
| 10 | Mullaghdoo | Mullach Dubh (“black summit”) | 568 m (1,864 ft) | 20 m (66 ft) |
| 11 | Carnanelly | Carnán Aichle (“little cairn of the lookout”) | 562 m (1,844 ft) | 307 m (1,007 ft) |
| 12 | Mullaghmore | Mullach Mór (“big summit”) | 550 m (1,800 ft) | 235 m (771 ft) |
| 13 | Mullaghcarn | Mullach Cairn (“summit of the cairn”) | 542 m (1,778 ft) | 377 m (1,237 ft) |
| 14 | White Mountain | Sliabh Bán (“white mountain”) | 537 m (1,762 ft) | 42 m (138 ft) |
| 15 | Slieve Gallion | Sliabh gCallann (“mountain of the heights”) | 528 m (1,732 ft) | 333 m (1,093 ft) |
| 16 | Crockbrack | Cnoc Breac (“speckled hill”) | 526 m (1,726 ft) | 151 m (495 ft) |
| 17 | Mullaghcarbatagh | Mullach Carbadach (“boulder-strewn summit”) | 517 m (1,696 ft) | 32 m (105 ft) |
Source: Wikipedia
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