Binevenagh, Northern Ireland: Lava-hewn crags and cliffs at the end of one of the planet's great railway journeys
Our Secret Britain piece today takes a look at the view from the top of Binevenagh in Co Londonderry.


Hop on the Coleraine train at Londonderry and you’re in for ‘one of the most beautiful rail journeys in the world’, according to Michael Palin. By the time you’ve reached the Binevenagh AONB, you may agree.
The mountain is the westernmost outcrop of the Antrim Plateau, with lava-hewn crags and cliffs that have dominated the skyline for 60 million years.
The summit of Binevenagh, where rare alpine birds soar over forested slopes (there’s easy access from Binevenagh Lake, full of rainbow trout), affords views stretching beyond the golden sands of Benone Strand as far as Scotland.
Across the plateau is Mussenden Temple, which also overlooks the Atlantic and was built by an 18th-century earl in honour of his niece, of whom some say he was suspiciously fond.
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Annunciata is director of contemporary art gallery TIN MAN ART and an award-winning journalist specialising in art, culture and property. Previously, she was Country Life’s News & Property Editor. Before that, she worked at The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, researched for a historical biographer and co-founded a literary, art and music festival in Oxfordshire. Lancashire-born, she lives in Hampshire with a husband, two daughters and a mischievous pug.
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