Binevenagh

About Binevenagh

Marking the western edge of the Antrim Plateau, this dramatic basalt escarpment drops vertically toward the Magilligan peninsula. The walk across its flat, grassy summit offers an airy perspective, where the cliff edge provides an abrupt transition from high moorland to the coastal levels of Lough Foyle and the North Atlantic.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is derived from the Irish Binn Fhoibhne, meaning 'Foibhne’s Peak'. According to local lore, Foibhne was a legendary figure from the Keenaght territory who was killed on the slopes of the hill.
• •The hill's striking profile is the result of volcanic activity roughly 60 million years ago. Its steep cliffs are composed of basalt, part of the same massive lava flows that formed the Giant’s Causeway further east.
• •The summit offers a specific, far-reaching perspective over the flat sands of Benone Beach and the mouth of Lough Foyle. Beyond the water, the jagged profile of the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal is clearly visible.
• •The approach via the Bishop’s Road follows an 18th-century route commissioned by Frederick Hervey, the Earl Bishop of Derry. He designed the road to link his residences at Downhill and Ballyscullion, specifically to take advantage of the dramatic plateau views.
• •Binevenagh reached a global audience as a filming location for Game of Thrones, where the high plateau doubled as the Dothraki Grasslands in the Essos continent.
• •While the summit sits at a modest 385 metres, the sheer verticality of the western cliffs is usually enough to convince your legs—and your vertigo—that you have climbed a much larger mountain.