NORTHERN IRELAND

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This route - 51 miles. 82 kilometres

This corner of the county boasts Benone Strand, one of Europe’s longest and loveliest beaches and some of the best biking roads around. The 14 miles from Limavady through Magilligan to Downhill is exciting no matter how many times it is done.

Assuming a start in Coleraine, the road opens up after Articlave to sweep past the National Trust properties: Hezlett House and Mussenden Temple.

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The A2 drop into Downhill gives a potentially distracting but glorious view of the North Atlantic. There are three roads into Downhill. Two of them are downhill, including this road from Coleraine. On reaching the village, at sea level, look out for and take the steep road rising to the left. This is known as the Bishop’s Road - made by Bishop of Derry and 4th Earl of Bristol, Frederick Augustus Hervey.

This is a steep climb with a few hairpins that take the road through a deep gorge in the mountain before opening out into a largely straight, open road that goes all the way to Limavady – where the Bishop, presumably, sent his carriage on Wednesdays to collect his 18th century edition of MCN news . The viewpoint at the Gortmore picnic site is somewhere to enjoy views over Donegal, Lough Foyle, the Atlantic towards the North Pole and Scotland. Visibility on the road towards Limavady is excellent – you can see the road for a long way ahead and if it is really busy you might see a couple of cars. All the sheep were behind bars.

The road descends into the Limavady area and a T-junction. A left turn takes the Windyhill Road back to Coleraine. An alternative way back to Coleraine is to take a right at that junction and follow signs to the town centre before following signposts to Coleraine on the A37 mountain road.

Or, after turning right at the T-junction, continue until there is a signpost for Magilligan, and take the A2 back along the flat, twisty coast road. On this route you are never far away from Ballymoney and the Joey Dunlop Memorial Garden and Joey’s Pub.