Bellarena (derived from

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

''belle'' "beautiful" + Latin ''arena'' "sand, strand"; is a small village and townland in

County Londonderry County Londonderry ( Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry ( ga, Contae Dhoire), is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulster. B ...

, Northern Ireland. It is on the A2 coastal road between

Limavady Limavady (; ) is a market town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, with Binevenagh as a backdrop. Lying east of Derry and southwest of Coleraine, Limavady had a population of 12,032 people at the United Kingdom census, 2011, 2011 Census ...

and

Coleraine Coleraine ( ; from ga, Cúil Rathain , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern I ...

, north of Limavady. The land was settled in the mid-17th century by a Northamptonshire gentleman, William Gage, who bought the lease of the estate – then called Ballymargy from the Irish meaning "town of the market" – from the Lord Bishop of Derry. In the 2001 census the population was 291. The village lies within

Causeway Coast and Glens District Council Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council is a local authority in Northern Ireland that was established on 1 April 2015. It covers most of the northern coast of Northern Ireland and replaced Ballymoney Borough Council, Coleraine Borough Council ...

area and the Binevenagh Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with open views eastwards to the

scarp Scarp may refer to: Landforms and geology * Cliff, a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure * Escarpment, a steep slope or long rock that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevatio ...

slope of Binevenagh. The village gets its name from the Earl Bishop of Derry.

Features

The village is a minor service centre providing retail, community and recreational facilities for the local rural population. There was a primary school, which was opened in 1861 by the landowner for his workers but closed in 2018, due to the dwindling number of pupils. The local police station in the 1960s is now used as a field centre. It has had considerable growth in recent years, with new private housing development and improved commercial facilities. The main concentration of development is the large Drumavalley and Oughtymoyle public housing estates and the recently completed private development of 18 semi-detached 3 and 4 bedroom houses at Carriage Court.

Tourism

Bellarena has benefited from being close to a range of important tourism facilities including the recreational facilities, Blue Flag beach and caravan parks at

Benone Benone is a popular tourist destination in the Causeway Coast and Glens district, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Benone has several caravan sites, such as Golden Sands, Deighans' and a leisure complex with excellent facilities, incl ...

, the Magilligan to Greencastle ( County Donegal) ferry and the nearby long-established Ulster Gliding Club at

Bellarena Airfield Bellarena (derived from French ''belle'' "beautiful" + Latin ''arena'' "sand, strand"; is a small village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is on the A2 coastal road between Limavady and Coleraine, north of Limavady ...

Transport

Bellarena is located close to the main railway line between Belfast and

Derry/Londonderry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

and is served by Bellarena railway station, which was opened on 18 July 1853 by the Londonderry and Coleraine Railway (later part of the

Northern Counties Committee The Northern Counties Committee (NCC) was a railway that served the north-east of Ireland. It was built to Irish gauge () but later acquired a number of narrow gauge lines. It had its origins in the Belfast and Ballymena Railway that opened to ...

). It was closed for goods traffic from 4 January 1965.

Education

*Bellarena Primary School - now closed *Magilligan Field Centre

References

{{authority control Villages in County Londonderry Causeway Coast and Glens district