⚘The Loughcrew Cairns are approximately 100 miles from Belfast, roughly a 2 hour drive split via the motorway and through some small villages.

⚘There is a small car park at the foot of the hill, and the site is free to access all year round, 24/7.

⚘I would say the site is dog friendly, as long as your dog is leashed! Only other drawback is the lack of bins for dog mess.

⚘There is a visitor’s centre just past the car park, however it wasn’t open during our particular visit. In case the same thing happens on yours, we recommend you make a quick pit stop in the town of Kells or the village of Ballinlough as there are no other toilets on site.

⚘Some parts of the hill are quite steep, so wear appropriate footwear and don’t push yourself too much! Especially if you’re easily out of breath, or just unfit like myself!

⚘The cairns were discovered in 1863 by Eugene Conwell whilst on a picnic, and are estimated to be around 5,200 years old.

⚘On a clear day, from the top of the hill you can see the Cooley mountains, the Mourne mountains, and Slieve Gullion in the north-east; the Dublin & Wicklow mountains in the south-east; the Slieve Bloom mountains in the south; the mountains in Leitrim, Roscommon, and Sligo in the west.

⚘The site is also known as 'Sliabh na Callaighe', which translates to ‘Mountain of the Witch’.

⚘The story behind the name is that in order to rule over all of Ireland, a witch had to perform a feat of enormous strength - she had to jump from hill to hill with an apron full of stones. As she jumped from one hill to another, a handful of stones fell from the apron (these stones would eventually become the Loughcrew Cairns). Before she could complete the task, however, on her final jump she fell and broke her neck. Legend says she was buried beneath her stones at the side of the hill.