Binevenagh | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Highest point | |
Elevation | 385 m (1,263 ft) |
Prominence | 170 m (560 ft) |
Listing | Marilyn |
Coordinates | 55°07′N6°55′W / 55.11°N 6.92°W |
Naming | |
Native name | Binn Fhoibhne (Irish) |
English translation | 'Foibhne's peak' |
Pronunciation | Irish: [ˌbʲiːn̠ʲˈɛvʲnʲə] |
Geography | |
Location | County Londonderry, Northern Ireland |
Parent range | Antrim Plateau |
OSI/OSNI grid | C692302 |
Topo map | OSNI Discoverer Series 04 Coleraine (1:50000) |
Binevenagh (from Irish Binn Fhoibhne, meaning 'Foibhne's peak') [1] is a large, steep-sided hill in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is part of the Keenaght Hills, [2] which mark the western edge of the Antrim Plateau, formed around 60 million years ago by molten lava. Binevenagh and its cliffs overlook the Magilligan peninsula and dominate the skyline over the villages of Bellarena, Downhill, Castlerock and Benone beach. The area has been classified as both an Area of Special Scientific Interest [3] and as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). [4] The total area of the AONB is 138 km2.
The Bishop's Road, named after the Bishop of Derry, extends across the plateau. Notable features include the Mussenden Temple and a cliff top viewing area on the Bishop's Road giving good views over Lough Foyle and across Inishowen in County Donegal.
The trains on the Belfast-Derry railway line, run by NI Railways (NIR), call at Bellarena railway station between Waterside railway station, in Derry, and Castlerock railway station. Trains continue from Castlerock to Coleraine railway station and other stations to Belfast Lanyon Place and Belfast Grand Central.[ citation needed ]
On 24 June 1944 a Royal Air Force Consolidated B-24 Liberator (FL977) of No. 5 Squadron RAF was returning to RAF Ballykelly after a combat mission over Iceland. The aircraft crashed into Binevenagh during its third attempt to land, killing all nine crewmembers onboard. [8] [9] [10]
County Londonderry, also known as County Derry, is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulster. Before the partition of Ireland, it was one of the counties of the Kingdom of Ireland from 1613 onward and then of the United Kingdom after the Acts of Union 1800. Adjoining the north-west shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,118 km2 (818 sq mi) and today has a population of about 252,231.
Limavady is a market town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, with Binevenagh as a backdrop. Lying 17 miles (27 km) east of Derry and 14 miles (23 km) southwest of Coleraine, Limavady had a population of 11,279 people at the 2021 Census. In the 40 years between 1971 and 2011, Limavady's population nearly doubled. Limavady is within Causeway Coast and Glens Borough.
Coleraine is a town and civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is 55 miles (89 km) northwest of Belfast and 30 miles (48 km) east of Derry, both of which are linked by major roads and railway connections. It is part of Causeway Coast and Glens district.
Portstewart is a small town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 7,854 people in the 2021 Census. It is a seaside resort neighbouring Portrush. Its harbour and scenic coastal paths form an Atlantic promenade leading to a two-miles beach, popular with holidaymakers in summer and surfers year-round.
The Mourne Mountains, also called the Mournes or the Mountains of Mourne, are a granite mountain range in County Down in the south-east of Northern Ireland. They include the highest mountains in all of Ulster, the highest of which is Slieve Donard at 850 m (2,790 ft). The Mournes are designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and it has been proposed to make the area Northern Ireland's first national park. The area is partly owned by the National Trust and sees many visitors every year. The Mourne Wall crosses fifteen of the summits and was built to enclose the catchment basin of the Silent Valley and Ben Crom reservoirs. The wall, and the area inside it, are owned by Northern Ireland Water.
Lough Foyle, sometimes Loch Foyle, is the estuary of the River Foyle, on the north coast of Ireland. It lies between County Londonderry in Northern Ireland and County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. Sovereignty over the waters has been in dispute since the Partition of Ireland.
Mussenden Temple is a small circular building located on cliffs near Castlerock in County Londonderry, high above the Atlantic Ocean on the north-western coast of Northern Ireland.
Castlerock is a seaside village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is five miles west of Coleraine, and part of Causeway Coast and Glens district. It is very popular with summer tourists, with numerous apartment blocks and two caravan sites. Castlerock Golf Club has both 9-hole and 18-hole links courses bounded by the beach, the River Bann and the Belfast to Derry railway line. The village had a population of 1,155 people at the 2021 census, and is where near by village Articlave F.C play their home games.
Derry ~ Londonderry railway station, also known as North West Transport Hub or Waterside railway station, is a railway terminus in Derry, Northern Ireland, on the east bank of the River Foyle, operated by Northern Ireland Railways and its 7th busiest station across the network with 952,126 passengers boarding or alighting at the station in the 2023/24 financial year. It is on the Belfast–Derry railway line, terminating at Belfast Lanyon Place. Derry/Londonderry has the longest platforms on the NIR Network, at 258.3 metres in length.
The Belfast–Derry line is an intercity railway line, running from Belfast to Derry in Northern Ireland.
The Coleraine–Portrush line is a short branch railway line in Northern Ireland between the town of Coleraine in County Londonderry and the seaside resort of Portrush in County Antrim. The line, which is operated by Northern Ireland Railways, has two intermediate halts and connects to the main Belfast–Derry line at Coleraine.
Bellarena railway station serves the village of Bellarena and the broader Limavady area in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The current two-platform station was opened in 2016, replacing the original single-platform 1853 station located on the opposite side of the nearby level crossing.
Castlerock railway station serves the villages of Castlerock, Articlave and their surrounding hamlets in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Walkers use the station to reach Mussenden Temple, Downhill Strand and Benone.
Portrush railway station is the terminus of the Coleraine-Portrush railway line and serves the seaside town of Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Bellarena is a small village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is on the A2 coastal road between Limavady and Coleraine, 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Limavady. The land was settled in the mid-17th century by a Northamptonshire gentleman, William Gage, who bought the lease of the estate – then called Ballymargy from the Irish meaning "town of the market" – from the Lord Bishop of Derry. In the 2001 census the population was 291. The village lies within Causeway Coast and Glens District Council area and the Binevenagh Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with open views eastwards to the scarp slope of Binevenagh. The village gets its name from the Earl Bishop of Derry.
Benone is a popular tourist destination in the Causeway Coast and Glens district, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
Shanvey is a small village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) north of Limavady on Aghanloo Road, the A2 coastal route between Limavady and Coleraine. It is designated as a hamlet and is situated within Causeway Coast and Glens district and in the former North Londonderry Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, now redesignated as the Binevenagh Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
The Antrim Coast and Glens is an area of County Antrim in Northern Ireland, designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1988.
Causeway Coast and Glens is a local government district covering most of the northern part of Northern Ireland. It was created on 1 April 2015 by merging the Borough of Ballymoney, the Borough of Coleraine, the Borough of Limavady and the District of Moyle. The local authority is Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.
The Londonderry & Coleraine Railway is a railway line between the cities of Derry and Coleraine in County Londonderry, built by the Londonderry & Coleraine Railway Company (L&CR). The company operated the line independently for seven years before being absorbed into the Belfast & Northern Counties Railway. The line is still in use today by NI Railways and forms part of the Belfast to Derry-Londonderry rail line.