The Coleraine Farmland landscape character area extends along the north coast from Castlerock to Portrush and southwards along the River Bann valley as far as Milltown. A series of broad ridges and valleys are aligned north-south, including the valley of the Bann itself, but this pattern breaks down to the east of the Bann, where there is a broader basin which extends to the higher land of Carnsheen and Moyle Hill to the east.
The River Bann flows within a relatively narrow, wooded valley which widens to an attractive estuary landscape at the north coast. The estuary is enclosed by the striking sand spit of Portstewart Strand and by ridges of rugged sand dunes with a distinctive, wild character. The area is underlain by the basalts of the Antrim Plateau, and the underlying structure of the basalt plateau is revealed where it breaks away to form rocky, indented cliffs at the coast between Portstewart and Portrush. The dark brown cliffs are cracking and eroding to leave rocky peninsulas jutting out into the sea. The ridges are open and quite windswept, but there are also more secluded 'pockets' of enclosed farmland, such as the area around Bush Hill and the landscape immediately to the south of Portrush. Many of the farms are quite small in scale, with fields enclosed by a mixture of bushy hedgerows and wire fences. Conical stone gateposts, with pointed capstones are a feature of the area.
The landscape is relatively open, but the River Bann is enclosed by mature stands of beech and Somerset Forest, a conifer plantation to the south west of Coleraine, providing a sharp contrast. The university campus on the northern fringes of Coleraine is well-planted with a mixture of woodland trees and shrubs; it provides enclosure and a backdrop to new development on this side of the town. Some of the ridgetops are capped by outcrops of rocks and gorse, particularly to the south of Portstewart, where the historic estate of Cromore, has a varied landscape of woodland, pasture and rocky outcrops. The pastures close to the north coast tend to be small in scale and many are enclosed by grey stone walls. Settlement is concentrated at Coleraine, Portrush and Portstewart, with a very dispersed pattern of farmsteads elsewhere. The grey basalt stone is traditionally used for building construction and gives a unified appearance to the historic core of local towns and villages.
Landscape Condition and Sensitivity to ChangeThe coastline and the Bann estuary are particularly sensitive and the sand dune landscapes at the mouth of the Bann are designated as SPA and ASSI, as they are of particular importance for birds. The clifftops between Portstewart and Portrush are dominated by golf courses, which are well-established and integrated within this windswept setting, but exposed caravan parks and recent housing developments are often intrusive, particularly where they are sited on local skylines. There are long, sweeping views to the Causeway Coast from the lowlands to the east of Coleraine and the farmland in these areas is particularly vulnerable to the impact of rural development.
Principles for Landscape Management