A grand classical mansion, 30 acres of historic gardens, and a thousand acres of parkland rolling toward Binevenagh — Drenagh has been the McCausland family's home since the 1720s, and it's thought to be the first great house designed by Charles Lanyon.
What you'll find — the striking white Moon Garden with its circular stone gate, the Italian garden (said to be the only garden structure in Ireland designed by Lanyon), a four-square walled garden, the glen, arboretum and river walks — and the Orangery café tucked among old greenhouses.
How to visit — the gardens open to the public most of the week, and the estate hosts exclusive-use weddings and events with self-catering holiday cottages to stay in. The mansion itself is a private home — you'll see it across the lawns rather than tour inside.
How long — allow a half day for the gardens and a wander of the parkland, with a stop at the Orangery.
Cost — this is a private estate, so rates vary and it's best to enquire. Gardens run a membership scheme (roughly £35 individual, £60 a couple, £75 a family per year); weddings, events and cottage stays are quoted on request.
It's a private estate and events venue. The gardens open on set days (typically Wednesday to Sunday), and the Moon Garden is by appointment or guided tour — always check what's open before you travel.
Enquire ahead. Opening days, garden tours, weddings and cottage stays are all arranged directly with the estate — a quick call or email before you set off saves a wasted trip.
Plan your visit
A private estate — so check what's open, then go
Drenagh is a private, family-owned estate, not a turn-up-any-day attraction — so it pays to know how it works. The gardens open to the public on set days, typically Wednesday to Sunday, and the Orangery café keeps its own hours across the week. The Moon Garden is by appointment or guided tour, usually with a charge. The mansion is an exclusive-use wedding and events venue — a home you'll admire from the gardens, not a house tour. Because days and prices change with the season and the diary, always confirm opening days, tours and rates with the estate before you travel.
Orangery caféDogs on leadsParking on siteWeddings & eventsHoliday cottages
Before you set off:
This is a working private estate, so opening days for the gardens can change and some areas (the glen, parts under restoration) may be closed. The house isn't open for tours, and the Moon Garden is by appointment. Check the estate's current opening days — and book any garden tour, wedding enquiry or cottage stay — before you travel.
Before you set off
What to wear & bring
👟Comfy shoes or welliesGarden paths, gravel and grass — grand in trainers, softer underfoot after rain.
🧥A coat or a layerYou're in open parkland under Binevenagh — a breeze and a shower are never far off.
📷A cameraThe mansion, the Moon Garden's circular gate and the terrace views are made for a photo.
📞The estate's numberHandy for confirming opening days on the day, or asking about a Moon Garden tour.
Good to know
Everything before you go
Opening
Drenagh is a private estate. The gardens open to the public on set days — typically Wednesday to Sunday, roughly 10am–4pm — with the Orangery café keeping its own hours across the week. Days and hours change with the season, so confirm before you travel.
Getting in
As a private estate, rates vary — it's best to enquire. The gardens run a membership scheme (around £35 individual, £60 a couple, £75 a family per year); the Moon Garden is by appointment or guided tour, usually with a charge. Confirm current prices with the estate.
The house
The mansion is a private family home and an exclusive-use wedding and events venue — it isn't open for public house tours. You'll enjoy it across the gardens and parkland.
The gardens
Over 30 acres, including the white Moon Garden, the Italian garden (said to be the only garden structure in Ireland by Charles Lanyon), a walled kitchen garden, the glen, a conifer arboretum and river walks. Some areas are under restoration and may be closed.
Food
The Orangery café, built among the old greenhouses, serves coffee and light bites — some of the produce comes straight from the walled garden.
Weddings & events
Exclusive-use hire with a one-wedding-a-day policy, from Georgian house weddings to garden ceremonies at the Moon Garden and marquee events in the walled garden. Enquire directly with the estate.
Staying over
Self-catering cottages on the estate — The Bothy (sleeps up to 6, overlooking the English garden) and Harry's Cottage (a one-bed annexe, sleeps up to 4, with views to Binevenagh and across to Donegal) — plus B&B nearby for wedding parties. Book directly.
Dogs
Welcome in the gardens on leads.
Parking
On the estate.
How long
A half day for the gardens, the parkland and a stop at the Orangery.
Questions
Before you go
Can I just turn up and visit?
It's a private estate, so it's not open every day. The gardens open to the public on set days — usually Wednesday to Sunday — and the Moon Garden is by appointment or guided tour. Always check the estate's current opening days before you travel.
Can I go inside the mansion?
No — the house is a private family home and an exclusive-use wedding and events venue, so there are no public house tours. You'll admire it from the gardens and parkland, which is a lovely view in its own right.
What's the Moon Garden?
A walled white garden created by Lady Margaret McCausland, with a striking circular stone "moon gate" you look through into the garden beyond — famously photogenic and a favourite for garden ceremonies. It's usually visited by appointment or on a guided tour, so ask the estate.
How much does it cost?
As a private estate, rates vary and it's best to enquire. The gardens run a yearly membership (roughly £35 individual, £60 a couple, £75 a family), and weddings, events and cottage stays are quoted on request. Confirm the current prices with the estate.
Is there anywhere to eat?
Yes — the Orangery café, built among the old greenhouses, does coffee and light bites, with some produce from the walled garden. It keeps its own hours through the week, so check before you go.
Can we stay on the estate?
Yes — there are self-catering cottages: The Bothy (sleeps up to 6) and Harry's Cottage (a one-bed annexe, sleeps up to 4), with B&B nearby for wedding parties. Book directly with the estate.
Getting there
Drenagh Estate, just outside Limavady, Co. Londonderry — set in a thousand acres of parkland under Binevenagh, a short drive from the town. Parking is on the estate.
The McCauslands have called Drenagh home since 1729 — one of the longer unbroken lines of any family seat in the north. For its first century they lived in an older house on the land, tending the demesne and the earliest of the gardens.
The mansion you see today was built in 1835, and it's thought to be the first major commission of Sir Charles Lanyon — the architect who would go on to shape so much of Victorian Belfast. He gave Drenagh a calm, classical stone front, and he's said to have designed the estate's Italian garden too, believed to be the only garden structure of his in Ireland.
The gardens grew with the family. Lady Margaret McCausland — daughter of the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe — is credited with the estate's most romantic corners, among them a pink-and-blue English garden and the all-white Moon Garden with its circular stone gate. Later generations added more, and much of it is being carefully restored today: the glen, the arboretum, the river walks, the old walled kitchen garden feeding the Orangery.
It's still a working family home, so the doors of the house stay shut to tours — but the estate opens its gardens, welcomes weddings, and lets out its cottages, so you can walk the same parkland the McCauslands have looked out over for the best part of three centuries. Check what's open, and go and enjoy it.