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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