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 peak of Binevenagh at sunset is a sight you’ll not quickly forget.
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.
See more of Secret Britain
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Carn Euny, Cornwall: The baffling ruin with a tunnel dating back to the Iron Age
Annie Elwes investigates the ruins of Carn Euny.
Grey Mare’s Tail waterfall, Dumfriesshire: ‘Mesmerising even to the peregrine falcons that nest in the crags around’
Annie Elwes recommends the waterfall and surrounding wild countryside of the Grey Mare's Tail Nature Reserve.
