Desertmartin is a small village on the B40 between Magherafelt and Draperstown, four miles from each, at the foot of the easternmost Sperrin. Most people drive through it on their way somewhere else. That is fine; the village does not require otherwise.
The name is the thing worth stopping for. Díseart Mhártain means Martin's hermitage — a díseart was an early-Christian hermit's cell, the kind of place a monk went to be alone with God and the weather. Tradition has it that Columba founded one here in the 6th century and named it for St Martin of Tours. The village that grew up around the site kept the name for fourteen hundred years. Few places in Ireland wear their founding story so plainly on the postmark.
What is here now: a chapel, a few houses around the crossroads, the road out to Iniscarn Forest, and the long shoulder of Slieve Gallion rising behind. If you walk up that mountain on a clear day you can see Lough Neagh shining to the east. If you walk up it in cloud you see the inside of the cloud. Either way you have done what people came to this parish to do for a long time, which is climb the hill and think about it.
Three things every local will eventually mention. Read these and you've already understood more than most day-trippers do.
Díseart Mhártain — a díseart is a hermit's retreat. The story says Columba built one here in the 6th century and dedicated it to St Martin of Tours. That's the village.
Stories & lore → 02 The mountain528 metres, the easternmost of the Sperrins, looking out over Lough Neagh on a clear day. The mast on the lower summit is the landmark you see for miles.
Walks & outings → 03 The forestIniscarn Forest sits at the foot of Slieve Gallion two miles out the Iniscarn Road. A gravel track climbs through conifers to a stile, then the open hill begins.
Walks & outings →The reason to come back. The things every local will eventually tell you about, usually after the second pint.
Wear waterproofs. Bring a sandwich. Tell someone where you're going if it's the mountain.
If a local was sitting beside you, this is the bit where they'd lean in.
There isn't one to speak of. A chapel, a few houses, a crossroads. For a coffee, drive to Magherafelt or Draperstown — both four miles, both have proper towns.
The summit plateau is featureless moorland with a mast you can sometimes see and sometimes can't. People get turned around up there. Pick a clear day or know what you are doing with a compass.
On the B40 between Magherafelt (4 miles east) and Draperstown (4 miles west). From Belfast, allow 50 minutes via the M2 and Magherafelt. From Derry, 45 minutes via Dungiven and the Glenshane Pass.
Translink Ulsterbus 110 runs Magherafelt–Draperstown via Desertmartin a few times a day. Limited service on Sundays.
No station. Nearest is Antrim or Ballymena, both about 40 minutes by road.
Belfast International (BFS) is 35 minutes. City of Derry (LDY) is an hour.