Mourne Mountain Adventures — Booked guided hikes in the Mournes, with family days out for ages 8-14.
What you do: Guided hill walking and hiking, navigation and orienteering, plus camping and challenge events in the Mourne Mountains.
Difficulty: Adult hikes graded 1 to 5, from easy 2-5hr half-days to challenging 8-14hr routes; mountainous, remote, often exposed, with steep ground and some scrambling on harder grades.
Age / height: Most guided hikes 18+; Family Adventure weekend and orienteering days are for ages 8-14 with an adult. Contact them to check suitability before booking under-18s onto other hikes.
Booking: Required. Book via their online calendar or contact them directly; for under-18s on standard hikes, contact first.
Come ready: Hiking boots or trail shoes, waterproof jacket and leggings, hat, buff, gloves (no jeans), food, water, head torch.
Weather: Led by qualified Mountain Leaders who are certified first aiders and insured; hikes can be rescheduled in adverse weather.
Plan your visit
A guided hike, not a guess on the map
Every group goes out with a qualified Mountain Leader, with one leader to a maximum of twelve people. Adult guided hikes are graded across five fitness levels, from an easy 2 to 5 hour walk of 5 to 12km with 250 to 500m of climbing, up to challenging 8 to 14 hour routes covering 20 to 25km and well over 1,500m of ascent. The terrain is genuine mountain ground, remote and often exposed, with steep ascents, descents and some scrambling on the harder grades. For families, the orienteering days and Family Adventure weekend teach kids aged 8 to 14 to read a map and navigate, which is a brilliant skill to take home. The reward on any of them is the views: the Mourne summits, the Mourne Wall, and the Irish Sea below.
Booking requiredPaid, guidedFamily days age 8-14Adult hikes 18+Weather-dependentReal summit views
Good to know before you go:
Adventure centres and trail guides run seasonal guided sessions, family events and holiday activities; the booked attractions have their own seasons. Mourne Mountain Adventures lists guided hikes, family and orienteering days, camping trips and challenge events through its online calendar, so check listings for dates.
Before you set off
What to bring
👟Clothes you can trashOld kit and trainers you do not mind getting muddy or wet.
🎒A full change & a towelEspecially for anything on the water — you will be glad of dry clothes after.
💧Water and a snackYou will have earned it once the adventure is done.
🎫Your bookingAlmost everything here needs booking ahead — have the confirmation ready.
Good to know
Everything before you go
Cost
Paid. Varies by trip; recent examples from their calendar include a roughly 6-hour Mourne guided hike around GBP 39pp, a Mourne wall challenge from about GBP 65, and a Mourne wild-camping adventure around GBP 240 for two sharing. They also run a 3-day Snowdonia camping expedition (in Wales, not the Mournes) around GBP 495 to 595pp. Prices change, so check the calendar before you book.
Booking
Required. Book via their online calendar or contact them directly; for under-18s on standard hikes, contact first.
Activity
Guided hill walking and hiking, navigation and orienteering, plus camping and challenge events in the Mourne Mountains.
Difficulty
Adult hikes graded 1 to 5, from easy 2-5hr half-days to challenging 8-14hr routes; mountainous, remote, often exposed, with steep ground and some scrambling on harder grades.
Age / height limits
Most guided hikes 18+; Family Adventure weekend and orienteering days are for ages 8-14 with an adult. Contact them to check suitability before booking under-18s onto other hikes.
Best for
Families with kids 8-14 (family/orienteering days) and fit adults wanting a guided mountain day.
What to wear / bring
Hiking boots or trail shoes, waterproof jacket and leggings, hat, buff, gloves (no jeans), food, water, head torch.
Safety / weather
Led by qualified Mountain Leaders who are certified first aiders and insured; hikes can be rescheduled in adverse weather.
Parking
No fixed car park; meeting point confirmed when you book.
How long to allow
From a 2-3 hour easy hike up to full-day and multi-day trips, depending on the grade you book.
Address
Mourne Mountain Adventures, based near Kilkeel, Co Down, serving the Mourne Mountains; meeting points vary by hike. Phone 07873 904 206.
Questions
Before you go
Do I need to book?
Required. Book via their online calendar or contact them directly; for under-18s on standard hikes, contact first.
How much is it?
Paid. Varies by trip; recent examples from their calendar include a roughly 6-hour Mourne guided hike around GBP 39pp, a Mourne wall challenge from about GBP 65, and a Mourne wild-camping adventure around GBP 240 for two sharing. They also run a 3-day Snowdonia camping expedition (in Wales, not the Mournes) around GBP 495 to 595pp. Prices change, so check the calendar before you book.
Is there an age or height limit?
Most guided hikes 18+; Family Adventure weekend and orienteering days are for ages 8-14 with an adult. Contact them to check suitability before booking under-18s onto other hikes.
What should we wear or bring?
Hiking boots or trail shoes, waterproof jacket and leggings, hat, buff, gloves (no jeans), food, water, head torch.
What if the weather is bad?
Led by qualified Mountain Leaders who are certified first aiders and insured; hikes can be rescheduled in adverse weather.
Getting there
Mourne Mountain Adventures is at Mourne Mountain Adventures, based near Kilkeel, Co Down, serving the Mourne Mountains; meeting points vary by hike. Phone 07873 904 206.. No fixed car park; meeting point confirmed when you book. Tap below for directions.
Mourne Mountain Adventures is an independent, family-run guiding company set up by Robbie Marsh, who swapped a corporate Quality and Health-and-Safety career for full-time mountain guiding. He runs it with his wife Evelyn and their children, Dylan and Lauren, from the Kilkeel side of the Mournes.
Robbie is a qualified Mountain Leader, first aider and Leave No Trace certified, with an endurance-racing background that includes Ironman, the World Marathon Majors and the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc. Evelyn is also a certified first aider working toward her own Mountain Leader assessment.
The family has a personal link to the range itself: they keep a 1911 payslip belonging to Evelyn's grandfather, a stonemason who helped build the historic Mourne Wall that still threads across these summits.