
Derrie Danders: A Riverside and South City Ramble
Walking Tour
About the Tour
Welcome to the historic city of Derry / Londonderry, and to this walking tour focused on the city’s maritime and industrial heritage. We’ll ramble along the River Foyle from the Peace Bridge to the Craigavon Bridge, before returning to our starting point with a stroll through the city. You’ll see the spot where Scottish settlers left for America and, a little further up the river, the spot where the city’s patron saint Columba left for Scotland. Along the way, you’ll learn how bridges, railways and shirt factories were built as the city came into the industrial age, the role of the city in World War II, and where divided communities still live on either side of the walls that are now called peace lines.
On this tour you’ll also see:
• HMS Ferret, the port where the WWII naval ships that protected convoys and hunted German U-boats were berthed
• The parts of the city that were industrialised first, including what were the world’s largest ship factories in the 1800s
• Some of the city’s most important churches
• The iconic “Hands Across the Divide” sculpture on Craigavon Bridge
• The location of the world’s first independent department store
• The Masonic Hall, the courthouse and the War Memorial
• The former residences of Mrs Cecil Francis Alexander, a famous 19th century hymn writer, and Phil Coulter, a modern songwriter
Tour Producer

David Douglas
Major Landmarks
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Visitors Information Centre
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Walls of Derry
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Guildhall
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Peace Bridge
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Craigavon Bridge
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Fountain
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Abercorn Place
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Peace Wall
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Long Tower Church
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Bishops Gate
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St Columb's Cathedral
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Austins Building
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War Memorial
Directions to Starting Point
The start place for the tour is the Visit Derry Visitor Information Centre on Waterloo Place.
The easiest way to find the starting place is to go to the major landmark of the Guildhall, which is close by and visible from the Peace Bridge and the Bus Station. Keep the Guildhall on your right and the City Walls on your left, and walk through Shipquay Place to Waterloo Place. The Visitor Information Centre is a modern tower building on your left just past the end of the Walls (Cowards Bastion/Magazine Gate) and is opposite the Northern Counties Building on your right.
Tips
Places to stop along the way
Visit Derry Information Centre, the Guildhall, the Peace Bridge, the River Foyle, the Craigavon Bridge,the Fountain, Long Tower Church and St Columba Heritage Centre, St Columb's Cathedral.
Best time of day
Although tour can be done anytime, it would be best to do during daylight hours to appreciate fully some of the views.
Precautions
Please be careful crossing any roads and always follow the directions to use traffic crossings as some roads can be very busy.
Great quality tour as always! Good to see other aspects of the city covered through these tours.
An interesting blend of the maritime and other history of the city . Even though I have lived here for many years, I saw some aspects of the city I had never noticed before.