Overview
Loughermore rises to 396 metres (1,299 ft) in the Loughermore Hills, at the northern edge of the Sperrin Mountains in County Londonderry – not, as the name sometimes gets filed, in Antrim, where a separate townland happens to share it. It’s a Marilyn, meaning a hill with at least 150 metres of prominence (Loughermore has 270), and the 847th-highest summit in Ireland: numbers that undersell how little-visited it is.
The draw isn’t the height. It’s the rock underfoot – some of the oldest in this part of Ulster – and the view from the trig point on top. One thing to know before you go: there are no rights of way or waymarked paths across the open mountain, so getting up means using minor roads, lanes and the edge of the forest plantation.
Name & local heritage
The name Loughermore comes from the Irish Luachair Mhór, ‘big rushy area’ – a fair description of the wet, boggy ground in the hollows around the ridge. Drainage and grazing later turned much of the lower land to pasture, but the upland core keeps its wilder, moorland feel.
The mountain gives its name to the wider Loughermore Hills, bounded by the Rivers Faughan and Foreglen to the west and south and the River Roe to the east. The area’s history is one of seasonal grazing and turf-cutting rather than any single landmark, and its rhythms have long been rural and quiet.
Geology: ancient rocks & scientific interest
Loughermore’s real distinction is beneath the surface. The mountain is designated an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) for its Earth Science value. The rocks are Precambrian – roughly 600 million years old, far older than the basalt columns of the Antrim coast – laid down as sand and mud on the floor of an ancient sea, then caught up in the Caledonian orogeny, the mountain-building event that raised a range on the scale of the modern Himalayas.
Those stresses folded and stretched the rock, and the best exposures are in the faces and spoil of an old quarry, where you can pick out quartz grains pulled visibly out of shape and the layering that records the folding. The site is managed to keep vegetation from swallowing the exposures that make it scientifically important.
Walking the slopes
The signed Loughermore Mountain Walk is a 7.8 km loop, graded Medium, and the most straightforward way up. It follows minor roads and field boundaries before climbing steadily – not steeply – to the summit plateau. At the top, a trig point marks the high ground, and on a clear day the view is broad: Binevenagh and Benbradagh close by, Sawel and the main Sperrin tops to the south, and further off the Derryveagh hills, Inishowen and Slieve Snaght across in Donegal.
A short detour leads into Loughermore Forest, known locally as Fairview, which also hides some older history – an ancient stone circle and a chambered grave known as the Giant’s Grave. Be warned, though: the forest took heavy damage in Storm Éowyn in February 2025, and with no official paths on the open mountain, expect rough, sometimes blocked going rather than a groomed trail.
Wildlife & moorland flora
The open habitat supports a range of upland birds. Meadow pipits flit across the heather, wheatears and skylarks nest on the grassy slopes, and on clear days buzzards ride the thermals above the ridge. The scrubby lower slopes shelter blackbirds, robins and other small birds, while the farmland edges attract the usual field species.
The plants are those of thin, acidic soil and exposed ground: heather, gorse and moorland grasses on the upper slopes, with wild thyme adding a little colour in summer. The balance between open heath and managed scrub is what gives the site its ecological value, and it needs ongoing stewardship to hold.
Practical information
Loughermore is free to visit and open year-round – no fees, ticket office or visitor centre. Parking is informal roadside only, so use lay-bys, keep field gates clear, and leave the place as you found it.
There are no facilities on the hill: bring water, snacks and a windproof layer, because the summit is fully exposed. The ground is firm enough in dry weather but soft after rain, so wear proper boots. Access is over minor roads and forest tracks, not open-access hillside, so stick to lanes and plantation edges rather than striking out across farmland.
Exploring further
Loughermore sits within easy reach of the main County Londonderry towns. Dungiven is the nearest, with Limavady and the Roe Valley Country Park a short drive north and the walled city of Derry beyond. For more hill-walking, Benbradagh above Dungiven and the flat-topped Binevenagh over the coast make natural companions, both a reminder of how much older this landscape is than the volcanic north coast.
Go on a dry, clear day and aim for mid-morning: you want firm ground underfoot and the visibility to pick Donegal out from the trig point – and you’ll likely have the top to yourself.