Enjoying the splendour of Northern Ireland’s Mourne Mountains is a year-round activity.

On a fine day, even in wintertime, the mountains can be an exhilarating place to be.

However, even on a good day, a sense of jeopardy remains as the weather can change within a few steps.

But now walkers will be able to take to the hills having studied a new website introduced by the Met Office.

The Mournes now have their own dedicated five-day weather forecast with details on weather conditions and advice.

Alan McFarland, of the Ulster Federation of Rambling Clubs, said it was “fantastic news” for local walkers and tourists.

The federation has had to do its own data crunching up until now.

“We’ve been doing it ad-hoc using some of the local weather stations. It’ll take some of the guesswork out of it,” he said.

Experienced hill walkers from Northern Ireland are well used to similar Met Office forecasts in their forays to the Lake District or Scotland, and Mr McFarland says they were always a bit jealous of them.

“You can have four seasons in one day on the Mournes,” he says, but with the right weather advice you can be sure to have the correct equipment for the conditions.

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