Binevenagh Binevenagh Make to Combine That Features Distinctive

Home , Bellarena, Benone, Binevenagh, Broighter, Broighter Gold, Castlerock

Lough Foyle ©Graham McElwaine ©Graham Foyle Lough Whooper swans ©Geo Campbell ©Geo swans Whooper (cc-by-sa/2.0) Matthews ©Christine Otters other opportunities other

photography, golf, horse-riding and many many and horse-riding golf, photography,

Mussenden Temple ©Tourism NI ©Tourism Temple Mussenden

- - • surfing, fishing, fishing, surfing, new something Try

can record can gold hoard in Ireland.’ in hoard gold

different species of plants and animals you you animals and plants of species different

complete with oars. It has been described as ‘…the greatest greatest ‘…the as described been has It oars. with complete

including Allis shad, Twaite shad, Smelt and the Sea lamprey. lamprey. Sea the and Smelt shad, Twaite shad, Allis including

Nature Reserve and see how many many how see and Reserve Nature consisting of necklaces, a torc, a collar and miniature boat boat miniature and collar a torc, a necklaces, of consisting

Lough Foyle are home to many important ﬁsh species, species, ﬁsh important many to home are Foyle Lough

•

Stroll through the dune system at Benone Benone at system dune the through Stroll its present position. present its other ways too. In 1896, it yielded the Broighter Gold Hoard Hoard Gold Broighter the yielded it 1896, In too. ways other

RAMSAR site and Special Protection Area. The waters of of waters The Area. Protection Special and site RAMSAR

nothing to support the basalt above and slumped down to to down slumped and above basalt the support to nothing farmland in Northern Ireland. This land has proven rich in in rich proven has land This Ireland. Northern in farmland

to birds, Lough Foyle’s mudﬂats have been designated a a designated been have mudﬂats Foyle’s Lough birds, to

birds along Lough Foyle Foyle Lough along birds

and when the ice melted around 12,000 years ago there was was there ago years 12,000 around melted ice the when and to the shore creates some of the most productive arable arable productive most the of some creates shore the to spot an Otter. In recognition of its international importance importance international its of recognition In Otter. an spot •

Check out the thousands of w intering intering w of thousands the out Check

The soer clays and chalk below the basalt were cut away away cut were basalt the below chalk and clays soer The

The ﬂat plain which stretches from the foot of the mountain mountain the of foot the from stretches which plain ﬂat The favoured by the Brent geese. If you are lucky, you may may you lucky, are you If geese. Brent the by favoured

caused by ice action towards the end of the last glaciation. glaciation. last the of end the towards action ice by caused

Demesne or Hezlett House Hezlett or Demesne and Oystercatchers. There are also large areas of eel grass grass eel of areas large also are There Oystercatchers. and

and Bar-tailed godwits. godwits. Bar-tailed and

of slippage at the western end of the clis. These were were These clis. the of end western the at slippage of

• and periwinkles for birds such as Bar-tailed godwits, Curlews Curlews godwits, Bar-tailed as such birds for periwinkles and

Visit historic sites such as Downhill Downhill as such sites historic Visit internationally important populations of Whooper swans swans Whooper of populations important internationally

be seen as distinct bands in the rock. There are huge areas areas huge are There rock. the in bands distinct as seen be

small intertidal animals such as lugworm, shrimps, ragworm ragworm shrimps, lugworm, as such animals intertidal small

include around 3,000 Brent geese from Arctic Canada and and Canada Arctic from geese Brent 3,000 around include

lava gradually cooled in a series of ﬂows. These can clearly clearly can These ﬂows. of series a in cooled gradually lava from the air air the from

birds. At low tide the vast mud ﬂats provide a banquet of of banquet a provide ﬂats mud vast the tide low At birds.

graze on extensive turf lawns and ﬂat agricultural land. These These land. agricultural ﬂat and lawns turf extensive on graze well as Little egrets and Greenshank. Greenshank. and egrets Little as well

Giant’s Causeway. Massive outpourings of molten rock called called rock molten of outpourings Massive Causeway. Giant’s

offers you the chance to view the AONB AONB the view to chance the you offers

polder, Lough Foyle is a magnet for many overwintering overwintering many for magnet a is Foyle Lough polder,

and eelgrass of the mudflats, plentiful fish in the Lough and and Lough the in fish plentiful mudflats, the of eelgrass and

the farmland are a wonderful place to spot rare waders, as as waders, rare spot to place wonderful a are farmland the down some 60-65 million years ago, the same time as the the as time same the ago, years million 60-65 some down - - •

the gliding club near Bellarena Bellarena near club gliding the Gliding

Wide and shallow, bordered by mudﬂat, saltwater marsh and and marsh saltwater mudﬂat, by bordered shallow, and Wide

feeding on the wealth of food available - worms, shellﬁsh shellﬁsh worms, - available food of wealth the on feeding

sea. The network of open drainage ditches that criss-cross criss-cross that ditches drainage open of network The sea. The layers of basalt rock that form Binevenagh were laid laid were Binevenagh form that rock basalt of layers The

birds arrive from the Arctic region and spend the winter winter the spend and region Arctic the from arrive birds fertile farmland as more ground was reclaimed from the the from reclaimed was ground more as farmland fertile Mud glorious mud glorious Mud and watersports and

Foundations of Binevenagh of Foundations support a profusion of wildlife. In autumn, over 35,000 35,000 over autumn, In wildlife. of profusion a support

farming techniques and machinery, and the expansion of of expansion the and machinery, and techniques farming a popular spot for all who love swimming swimming love who all for spot popular a

The mudﬂats and agricultural hinterland of Lough Foyle Foyle Lough of hinterland agricultural and mudﬂats The the nineteenth century, facilitated by the spread of new new of spread the by facilitated century, nineteenth the

from Downhill to Magilligan Strand and is is and Strand Magilligan to Downhill from

Common lizard. Common

Agriculture expanded rapidly in this region throughout throughout region this in rapidly expanded Agriculture

evergreen, Juniper. Juniper. evergreen,

County Donegal. County kilometres of golden sands, stretching stretching sands, golden of kilometres support a population of Ireland’s only native reptile, the the reptile, native only Ireland’s of population a support

plants, such as Purpler saxifrage, Moss campion and the the and campion Moss saxifrage, Purpler as such plants, - - • distance, across Lough Foyle, lies the Inishowen Peninsula of of Peninsula Inishowen the lies Foyle, Lough across distance, summer. And be careful where you walk - the sand dunes dunes sand the - walk you where careful be And summer. Benone Strand has over 11 11 over has Strand Benone Swimming

Agriculture and wildlife and Agriculture

habitats on Binevenagh support a range of rare Arctic-alpine Arctic-alpine rare of range a support Binevenagh on habitats this to Ball’s Point at the mouth of the River Roe. In the the In Roe. River the of mouth the at Point Ball’s to this its prey. Peregrines nest on the clis in spring/early spring/early in clis the on nest Peregrines prey. its

the yellow star like ﬂowers of Bog asphodel. The special special The asphodel. Bog of ﬂowers like star yellow the revealing hidden delights and lovely sights lovely and delights hidden revealing

Portstewart to Lough Foyle. The AONB stretches beyond beyond stretches AONB The Foyle. Lough to Portstewart

You may even be lucky and see a Peregrine falcon hunting hunting falcon Peregrine a see and lucky be even may You

present and future generations. generations. future and present

one winter at sea. sea. at winter one

Bog cotton, the distinct purple blooms of Bell heather and and heather Bell of blooms purple distinct the cotton, Bog

Netw ork traverses the Binevenagh AONB, AONB, Binevenagh the traverses ork Netw a superb system of dunes and beaches that stretch from from stretch that beaches and dunes of system superb a

enhance this wonderful area so that it can be enjoyed by by enjoyed be can it that so area wonderful this enhance

head up towards their spawning beds having spent at least least at spent having beds spawning their towards up head Oystercatchers. and Dunlin Sanderlings, - - • summer the mountain is swathed in the pure white of of white pure the in swathed is mountain the summer

western extremity of the Antrim Plateau and below lies lies below and Plateau Antrim the of extremity western the SUSTRANS National Cycle Cycle National SUSTRANS the Cycling

The award of AONB status is designed to preserve and and preserve to designed is status AONB of award The

for both species. October sees the run of salmon as they they as salmon of run the sees October species. both for by joined oen are they winter in and shingle the amongst and diverse range of grasses, rushes and sedges and in in and sedges and rushes grasses, of range diverse and the skies. Binevenagh Mountain’s dramatic clis mark the the mark clis dramatic Mountain’s Binevenagh skies. the

and its upper headlands are important spawning grounds grounds spawning important are headlands upper its and shores sandy the on nest plovers Ringed scrub. of patches North Sperrins Way? Sperrins North

The wet ﬂanks of the mountain are home to an important important an to home are mountain the of ﬂanks wet The the North Derry AONB, designated in 1966. 1966. in designated AONB, Derry North the woods, while Buzzards, Kestrels and Hen harriers patrol patrol harriers Hen and Kestrels Buzzards, while woods,

The River Roe is noted for its Atlantic salmon and Sea trout, trout, Sea and salmon Atlantic its for noted is Roe River The in nest Whitethroats and Stonechats while tussocks grassy

of Binevenagh AONB, why not walk the the walk not why AONB, Binevenagh of

Natural Beauty. This was a re-designation and extension of of extension and re-designation a was This Beauty. Natural wildlife. Feral goats and Irish stoats roam these crags and and crags these roam stoats Irish and goats Feral wildlife.

. imbricatum Sphagnum and mosses, such as as such mosses, and

wide variety of birds. Meadow pipits and Skylarks nest in in nest Skylarks and pipits Meadow birds. of variety wide

and in 2006 it was recognised as an Area of Outstanding Outstanding of Area an as recognised was it 2006 in and walks through the glorious countryside countryside glorious the through walks

and heath - environments which support a diversity of of diversity a support which environments - heath and

winter such as Goldeneye and Red-breasted mergansers. mergansers. Red-breasted and Goldeneye as such winter important raised bog which supports many rare bog plants plants bog rare many supports which bog raised important

The many dierent habitats in the sand dunes support a a support dunes sand the in habitats dierent many The - - •

The landscapes of Binevenagh are of national importance importance national of are Binevenagh of landscapes The of forestry plantations, deciduous woodland, grassland grassland woodland, deciduous plantations, forestry of there are many w onderful onderful w many are there Walking rich fish life of the Bann Estuary supports diving birds in in birds diving supports Estuary Bann the of life fish rich Scientific Interest. Some areas on its upper surface form an an form surface upper its on areas Some Interest. Scientific

covered by rocky crags, scree slopes and a patch work work patch a and slopes scree crags, rocky by covered

Lough Neagh, where they spend the next 11 to 14 years. The The years. 14 to 11 next the spend they where Neagh, Lough dunes. the through access providing boardwalks with both a Special Area of Conservation and an Area of Special Special of Area an and Conservation of Area Special a both

AONB’s unique character. character. unique AONB’s

dominant escarpment of Binevenagh. Its steep sides are are sides steep Its Binevenagh. of escarpment dominant and around Binevenagh AONB: Binevenagh around and

Sea. They then make the hazardous journey up stream to to stream up journey hazardous the make then They Sea. Reserve, Nature Local maintained well a contains Benone at dominates the landscape here. It has been designated as as designated been has It here. landscape the dominates

distinctive features that combine to make Binevenagh Binevenagh make to combine that features distinctive

and landscapes in Northern Ireland. At its centre is the the is centre its At Ireland. Northern in landscapes and

You can take part in a wide range of activities in in activities of range wide a in part take can You

almost 5,000km of the Atlantic Ocean from the Sargasso Sargasso the from Ocean Atlantic the of 5,000km almost dunes of section Council-owned The Ireland. and Kingdom Rising to 385 metres, the table-top plateau of Binevenagh Binevenagh of plateau table-top the metres, 385 to Rising

cultural and built heritage, you will discover the many many the discover will you heritage, built and cultural

area encompasses some of the most stunning scenery scenery stunning most the of some encompasses area as small transparent elvers, or glass eels, having crossed crossed having eels, glass or elvers, transparent small as United the in systems dune conserved best and largest the

and long, sweeping beaches. By exploring its rich natural, natural, rich its exploring By beaches. sweeping long, and

Get out and about and out Get

High and mighty and High

This leaﬂet will help you to explore Binevenagh AONB. The The AONB. Binevenagh explore to you help will leaﬂet This

The Lower Bann is especially important for eels - they arrive arrive they - eels for important especially is Bann Lower The of one contains area beautiful This (SAC). Conservation high upland plateau, dramatic clis, pristine dune systems systems dune pristine clis, dramatic plateau, upland high

The rivers Lower Bann, Curly and Roe traverse this region. region. this traverse Roe and Curly Bann, Lower rivers The of Area Special a designated been has Magilligan

most beautiful and varied scenery in Northern Ireland – a a – Ireland Northern in scenery varied and beautiful most

So much to see and do and see to much So

NATURAL HERITAGE NATURAL Welcome to Binevenagh AONB. This region has some of the the of some has region This AONB. Binevenagh to Welcome

SEE AND DO AND SEE Down to the river the to Down sea and Sand

Binevenagh AONB Binevenagh beauty pristine of place A

Scarce crimson & gold ©Geo Campbell ©Geo gold & crimson Scarce

Bann Estuary ©Richard Donaghey ©Richard Estuary Bann Fjeld ©Hans-Petter salmon Atlantic Primrose ©Richard Donaghey ©Richard Primrose Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Beauty Natural Outstanding of Area

Binevenagh Binevenagh Bog asphodel ©Geo Campbell ©Geo asphodel Bog Benone Strand ©Aerial Vision NI Binevenagh Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Downhill House ©Jean Smith Martello Tower ©Tourism NI Broighter Gold Hoard ©Ardfern FURTHER INFORMATION PEOPLE AND PLACES Martello Tower HISTORY AND MYSTERY Saints and scholars Walking through the dynamic sand dunes at Magilligan Point For more information on the One of the greatest Saints to emerge aer the death of St. one feature stands out in this otherwise natural environment. Downhill Demesne and Mussenden Temple Patrick in the middle of the 5th century was St. Colmcille. He Binevenagh Area of Outstanding The Martello Tower is a lasting reminder of the Napoleonic Mesolithic lifestyle Sitting atop the clis at Downhill, overlooking the ocean and was a member of a high-born clan from Gartan in Donegal Wars of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Binevenagh AONB has been settled since Mesolithic times Natural Beauty contact: flanked by Castlerock village on one side and Downhill on and had strong ties with the Binevenagh area. In his youth This excellent example from 1812 is one of 74 built in Ireland with the oldest settlement in Ireland, Mountsandel, lying the other, is Downhill House. It was designed and built by Colmcille was a frequent visitor to St. Patrick’s church at towards the end of the wars. Designed to house an ocer just outside the area, dating from 9,000-10,000 years ago. Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust an eighteenth-century eccentric, Frederick Hervey, Earl of Duncrun near Magilligan. He later exiled himself from and 12 men, it originally had a 24-pounder cannon mounted There have been numerous archaeological excavations The Old Bank Bristol and Bishop of Derry. What started o as his holiday Ireland vowing never to set foot there again and established on top to protect the entrance to Lough Foyle from a around the Foyle and Bann estuaries. Finds at Grangemore 27 Main Street home grew over the years as he sent back ever more art a monastic settlement on the Scottish island of Iona. French naval attack. The tower was built over a spring to include a dug-out canoe, beads and bronze age pins. Other Armoy and artefacts from his journeys to continental Europe. At its ensure a supply of fresh water in case of a siege. A similar places of note include Ballywildrick standing stone and St. Aidan’s Church, near Bellarena, occupies a site of historic Co. Antrim peak in the 1790s, Downhill contained works by Rembrandt, tower stands derelict in Greencastle, on the other side of Bronze Age cairns on Binevenagh and at Ballyhanna. interest as a place of Druidic worship. St. Aidan rose to fame BT53 8SL Rafael, Titian, Durer and Caravaggio, artists whose work can Lough Foyle. as a great Saint of Lindisfarne and when he died, St. Colman T: (028) 2075 2100 only be seen in major galleries today. brought some of his remains back and deposited them in a Magilligan has always held strategic significance. During E: [email protected] Bronze Age stone cairn. The cairn was near the site of a holy well of the Much of the building was destroyed by fire in 1851 before the Second World War, the level land around Lough Foyle Visit our website - www.ccght.org or Druids which is believed to be capable of curing illnesses, if being rebuilt in the 1870s. It fell into disrepair aer the was ideal for air force bases and the Lough’s well-sheltered Near Largantea, along the Windyhill Road, is a Bronze Age find us on Facebook and Twitter certain procedures are followed. Second World War and today only its ruins remain. Beautiful natural harbour formed a vital base for convoys and escort wedge tomb known as the Well Glass Spring Cairn dating Northern Ireland Environment Agency walks past them take you to Mussenden Temple, a perfect ships waiting to cross the Atlantic. Lough Foyle became from around 2,500 to 2,000 BC. First excavated in 1936, it Klondyke Building, Cromac Ave, classical rotunda perched perilously close to the cli edge; the major focus for waging the Battle of the Atlantic, a fact was found to contain three chambers. The first contained Murder and mayhem inspired by the Temple of Vesta in Rome. It is said that emphasised by the selection of Lisahally, at the mouth of sherds of Beaker pottery and a flint scraper; the second had Gasworks Business Park, In the past the inland route from Coleraine to Limavady Hervey wanted to transport the original back from Rome, the River Foyle, as the point to which the German U-boat more pottery and the remains of six adults, a child of about Lower Ormeau Road, Belfast, BT7 2JA went via the ominously named Murder Hole Road and three but the Pope refused to sell. Once ornately decorated fleet reported to surrender in 1945. 12 years and an infant; the third chamber had some pottery T: 0300 200 7856 hundred years ago it was the haunt of highwaymen. Many inside, Hervey used it as a cli-top library. A strong sherds, charcoal and some bones. Visit our website - www.daera-ni.gov.uk travellers simply disappeared, victims of the highwaymen, believer in religious tolerance and equality he had a room Castlerock Also nearby is the ‘Giant’s Sconce’ at Sconce Hill. This was and their unmarked graves are said to lie along the lonely Front cover image - built underneath the Temple where Catholic priests could an Iron Age hilltop enclosure with uninterrupted views mountain top. The most infamous robber on this mountain Roe Estuary ©Aerial Vision NI say Mass. The Belfast and Ulster Towns Directory for 1910 describes over much of the local landscape. It is reputed to be Dun was Cushy Glen who operated here from 1798 to 1804. Castlerock as ‘…a pretty little seaside village with a population The site of Downhill Demesne and Mussenden Temple is Cethern, the fortress of Cethern, the son of Finton, one of Small, heavy set, his face disfigured by smallpox scars, Cushy of 145’. Over a century later it is still a pretty place, although owned by the National Trust and is open to visitors. the Red Branch Knights and a friend of the ancient Ulster would lie in wait for his victims as they made their way over its population has grown considerably. The village owes hero, Cuchullain. In its heyday the walls of this citadel were the lonely mountain road and attack them from behind with its existence largely to the development of the railways. CCGHT is grateful for support from: 5-8 metres thick with passages inside. a knife. Hezlett House In 1853 the Derry/Londonderry and Coleraine Railway Company opened a line between these two towns. It was a Hezlett House outside Castlerock, is a beautiful thatched major engineering achievement, requiring tunnels to be cut cottage dating from around 1691. Not only is it Northern through two headlands on the route between Castlerock Ireland’s oldest surviving thatched cottage, its roughcast and Downhill – they are still the longest railway tunnels in walls hide a fascinating early frame of curved timbers called Ireland, measuring 610 and 280 metres respectively. Travel ‘crucks’. The cottage was probably built as a parsonage for writer Michael Palin described the train journey between the rector of Dunboe and was taken over by a Presbyterian Londonderry and Coleraine as “one of the most beautiful farmer, Isaac Hezlett, in 1761. His family lived there until the rail journeys in the world”. National Trust acquired the property in 1976. Magilligan Point ©Tourism NI