Standing on top of Mullaghasturrakeen, I was now ready for the third part of my Sperrin walk, an ascent of Mullaghclogha. At 635m it was my highest peak of the day, and the highest peak in my native Co. Tyrone, although not its highest point, which lies on Sawel. The haze had cleared further by now, improving the distant views.

Here, looking to the north, Meeny Hill can be seen, with the village of Park in the distance.

I began to drop down onto the shoulder linking the two mountains, which was on lower ground, and involved negotiating a boggy area of peat hags on the eastern slopes of MUllaghasturrakeen.

Reaching the lowest point I found a small stony area where I could sit down and remain dry while eating lunch, and looking up at Mullaghclogha.

A look back at Mullaghasturrakeen.

Gaining height on Mullaclogha and looking back at Mullaghasturrakeen, with Mullaghclogher behind.

Reaching the broad summit area. It is not marked by any cairns or trig pillar. The views here are towards Dart and Sawel mountains, and other Sperrins beyond.

Looking South.

Looking North.

Earlier in the day, I had missed my first intended summit, Mullaghcarbatagh, by entering the mountains too far to the east. I had chosen to continue east along the line of mountains, rather than backtracking west to reach it. It was my intention to descend from here on Mullaghclogha, to the south, and take a different route back to the starting point, close to or along the Glenelly Valley. However, it was a beautiful day, which can be hard to come by in the Sperrins, and I still felt full of energy. I could see Mullaghcarbatagh in the distance and it was calling me strongly. Despite the fact that it would mean a long walk, climbing and descending two mountains I’d already done, I decided to keep my options open by returning via the same route. That way, I could see how my legs were coping, and push on for Mullaghcarbatagh if I still felt up to it later. I’ll describe this final part of the walk in Part 4.