TWO Award winning local companies have teamed up to offer the public a unique four wheeled tour around the centre of Derry.
‘Boom Board Tours’ are being jointly hosted by adventure company Far and Wild in partnership with restauranteurs the Walled City Brewery in Ebrington Square who will take groups around the historic streets of the city on longboards.
Longboards are a type of sports equipment similar to skateboards that will allow users to weave their way around the city centre, taking in local landmarks, before finishing off with refreshments at the Walled City Brewery.
The innovative project is being hosted with the support of Derry City and Strabane District Council through the Slow Adventure in the Northern Territories Programme (SAINT) that aims to promote slow immersive holidays in six different areas around northern Europe.
Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Alderman Hilary McClintock, welcomed the latest addition to the local tourism offering.
“I’d like to congratulate Far and Wild and the Walled City Brewery for creating this unique activity experience that will allow the public to easily take in the sights of our historic city centre before winding down behind our stunning cityscape at Ebrington Square,” she said.
“The SAINT Programme is a three year initiative in conjunction with districts in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, the Highlands of Scotland and Leitrim to offer small to medium tourism businesses in the Derry City and Strabane District support in developing slow adventure experiences.”
Darragh Graham, guide at Far and Wild, noted that the streets of Derry lend themselves well to longboarding.
“One of our slow adventure offerings, longboarding is both a chilled and a cool way to see the city that anyone can do,” he said.
“I began longboarding in Hawaii when I lived there. It started when there were no waves in the ocean so surfers took to the streets on boards with wheels and other locals got involved too.
“When I moved to Derry I realised how smooth the streets were and that they’d be perfect for longboarding, some street surfaces like Ebrington, the Peace Bridge and Guildhall Square provide ideal places to longboard.
“They provide a smooth and stable experience and lots of fun no matter what level you are at. This is not only immensely fulfilling but a street-based skill that mimics surfing a wave.”
The Boom Board Tours are two hours long and begin with a lesson in St Columb’s Park to get users comfortable on the longboard before coming through Ebrington Square over the Peace Bridge and around the city centre.
The tour finishes with a visit to the Walled City Brewery restaurant and the opportunity to sample the newest local brews and bites from their microbrewery where Head Brewer James Huey has worked wonders with his latest ‘Boom’ pale ale that gives the Tour its refreshing name.
A Boom Board Tour can be booked now at www.farandwild.org or by calling +447775911198.
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