Derrie Danders: Wander around the Waterside on a self-guided GPS audio tour

The most interesting part of this self-guided Derry walking tour is its change of scene. You begin in the city center, cross the Peace Bridge, then follow the River Foyle toward Ebrington Square, St Columb’s Park, Bonds Street, and the old Victorian railway station. It is a useful way to see the less visited east bank without joining a fixed group.

I like the strong local focus, especially the stories tied to the military barracks, the Battle of the Atlantic, and the neighborhood around Bonds Street. I also like the price: at $7.99, this is an inexpensive way to add about an hour of structured sightseeing to your time in Derry.

The main consideration is that you must manage the tour yourself. You need a charged smartphone, headphones, and the VoiceMap app, and the non-refundable booking gives you little room to change plans if the weather turns poor or your schedule shifts.

Key points to know before you go

• The route crosses the Peace Bridge: You get a clear connection between central Derry and the Waterside district.
• Ebrington Square brings military history into view: The former barracks area helps explain Derry’s strategic role over several centuries.
• St Columb’s Park adds breathing room: The route moves from urban streets into park grounds and passes St Columb’s Park House and the Foyle Arena.
• The tour reaches beyond headline sights: Bonds Street, local churches, old railway routes, and the Peace Tree give the walk a neighborhood feel.
• The tour ends at a historic railway station: The finish is at the old Victorian BNCR Railway Station, not back at the starting point.
• Offline access is included: You can download the audio, maps, and geodata through VoiceMap before setting out.

Why the Waterside makes a good walking subject

Many first visits to Derry focus on the walled city and the landmarks close to the western bank of the River Foyle. This tour takes you in another direction. It starts at Visit Derry in Waterloo Place, passes the Guildhall, and then heads across the Peace Bridge into the Waterside.

That route gives the walk a clear shape. You are not simply circling a cluster of monuments. You move from the civic center to a major modern bridge, then into a former military site, a public park, a working-class neighborhood, and a railway setting.

The result is a one-hour to one-hour-and-fifteen-minute walk that feels more like a small journey through Derry’s development. The commentary covers saints, sieges, barracks, naval history, wartime activity, churches, railways, and public art. The subjects are varied, but the route keeps them connected by geography.

Because the tour is GPS-guided, the audio is intended to play as you reach different points. That makes it easier to understand why each place matters, rather than hearing a long general talk before you begin walking.

Starting at Visit Derry and passing the Guildhall

The meeting point is the Visit Derry information centre at 1 Waterloo Place, in the city center. This is a practical starting point because it puts you close to the Guildhall and the approach to the Peace Bridge.

The first part of the route introduces the city’s religious beginnings. You hear about St Columba, who established a monastery here in 542 AD, and St Brecan’s Church, identified as the city’s oldest building. These details give the tour an early historical anchor before it moves toward later military and industrial subjects.

The tour passes by the Guildhall rather than including a museum visit or an indoor entry. That matters for planning. You are paying for the audio walk itself, not for admission to attractions along the route, so you should not expect a guided visit inside the Guildhall or any other building.

For a short walk, this opening section does useful work. It connects Derry’s religious foundation with its later civic identity, then points you toward the river crossing that defines the next part of the route.

Crossing the Peace Bridge into the Waterside

The Peace Bridge is the most recognizable modern feature on the walk. Crossing it is also the moment when the tour shifts from the central city to the Waterside district on the east bank of the Foyle.

The bridge gives the route a strong visual break. You leave the older center behind and gain a different view of the river and the city’s two banks. The audio places the crossing in the wider story of Derry, while the walk itself shows how the Peace Bridge links areas that once felt more separate.

This is likely to be one of the easiest parts of the tour to follow because the route is visually obvious. Still, the GPS format means you should keep your phone accessible and pay attention to the app’s prompts rather than treating the walk as a fully marked path.

The bridge is also a good reminder of the tour’s balance. It includes a modern symbol of connection, but it does not ignore the difficult political and military past that shaped the Waterside and the city as a whole.

Ebrington Square and Derry’s military past

After crossing the river, the route continues around Ebrington Square. This is one of the most substantial sections of the walk because the area carries several layers of military history.

The commentary explains the military and naval barracks at Ebrington and the role the area played during the Second World War and the Battle of the Atlantic from 1939 to 1945. You also hear about the Siege of Derry, including events near Stronge’s Orchard in 1688 and 1689.

The date range in the supplied tour information identifies the siege as taking place in 1688 and 1699, but the well-known historical event is generally associated with 1688 and 1689. The tour’s stated focus is clear: it connects the area near Stronge’s Orchard with the siege period and places Ebrington within Derry’s long military story.

Ebrington Square is now described as a lovely open space, which makes the history easier to consider without the feel of a formal battlefield visit. You are walking through an area that has changed use, but the audio helps you picture the barracks, naval presence, and wartime activity that once gave it a very different character.

The drawback is simple: this is an outdoor interpretation, not a museum tour. If you want displays, artifacts, or indoor exhibits about the siege and the Battle of the Atlantic, you would need to arrange those separately.

Stables Inn and the Walled City Brewery

The route passes the Stables Inn and the Walled City Brewery after Ebrington Square. These stops help show the Waterside as a living district rather than just a collection of historic sites.

The Stables Inn adds another point of orientation along the route, while the Walled City Brewery brings the tour into present-day local life. The brewery is part of the walk as a passing landmark, and food and drinks are not included in the $7.99 price.

That distinction is useful. You can treat these places as visual markers and continue with the audio, or pause on your own if you want a break. The tour does not promise a tasting, meal, or reserved table, so any stop for refreshments is your responsibility and would add time to the advertised hour-long route.

This stretch also shows why the audio format works well here. A live guide would need to keep a group moving through several different settings. With VoiceMap, you can pause, look around, or take a short break without holding up anyone else.

St Columb’s Park and St Columb’s Park House

The route then enters the grounds of St Columb’s Park, giving you a change from streets and civic spaces. The park is tied to the city’s saint, St Columba, whose monastery was established here in 542 AD, and the audio continues the historical thread in a greener setting.

The tour passes St Columb’s Park House and the Foyle Arena. These are useful points for understanding how the Waterside combines public recreation, open space, and older buildings. The park section is also likely to feel calmer than the bridge and square, particularly if you want a short break from traffic and hard surfaces.

One strong feature of this part is the contrast. Ebrington deals with barracks and wartime strategy. The park gives the walk a more relaxed pace while still carrying the city’s religious and civic story.

You should not assume that the tour includes entry to St Columb’s Park House or the Foyle Arena. The route passes by them, and tickets or entrance fees to museums and attractions are not included. If you want to go inside anything along the way, plan that separately and allow extra time.

Bonds Street and the local side of Derry

Near the end, the walk goes through Bonds Street, described as a working-class area connected with the narrator’s childhood home. This is where the tour becomes especially personal in tone and moves away from the standard list of major city sights.

You hear about the churches in the area and get a sense of how local communities shaped the Waterside. That neighborhood focus is valuable because it gives you a view of Derry that is not limited to walls, bridges, sieges, and official buildings.

The route may appeal most to you if you enjoy places through their everyday connections. Bonds Street is not presented as a major visitor attraction. Instead, it helps explain how people lived around the churches, railway, and streets of the district.

This is also the point where the tour’s personal perspective matters most. The information describes the area through memories of childhood, giving the audio a local connection without requiring you to join a group or follow a guide in person.

Railways and the Peace Tree

The final section turns toward Derry’s railway story, covering both old and new railways before reaching the old Victorian BNCR Railway Station. The station is the official endpoint, on the Waterside side of the city at Londonderry BT47 6AH.

Ending here gives the walk a strong sense of completion. You begin near the city center and finish at a historic transport site, having crossed the river and passed through districts shaped by religion, war, industry, recreation, and housing.

The route also includes the modern sculpture known as the Peace Tree. This adds a piece of public art to the closing section and returns the tour to the idea of peace and connection introduced by the bridge.

Because the tour ends away from Visit Derry, think about what comes next before you begin. The route is not circular, and transportation back to your starting point is not included. The tour information confirms that the route is near public transportation, but it does not specify a particular bus, taxi, or return service.

What $7.99 gets you

At $7.99 per person, this is a low-cost way to add a focused walking route to a Derry visit. The value comes from the amount of structure packed into roughly an hour: a city-center start, the Peace Bridge, Ebrington Square, St Columb’s Park, Bonds Street, railway history, and the Peace Tree.

You also receive lifetime access to the English-language tour through the VoiceMap app. Audio, maps, and geodata are available offline, which is useful if you want to avoid relying on a mobile connection while walking.

The price does not include food, drinks, a smartphone, headphones, transport, or admission to attractions. Those exclusions are reasonable for an audio walk, but you should bring your own phone and headphones and download what you need before setting out.

The private format is another advantage. Only your group participates, so you are not tied to the pace or interests of strangers. The tradeoff is that there is no live guide to answer questions, adjust the route, or explain something that catches your attention.

How to prepare for the GPS audio walk

You receive confirmation when booking, and the tour is available every day at all hours in the booking information. That broad schedule gives you flexibility, although the route itself lasts about one hour to one hour and fifteen minutes.

Install the VoiceMap app for Android or iOS and make sure the audio, map, and route data are available offline. Bring a charged smartphone and headphones, since neither is included.

The tour is suitable for most people, and it is close to public transportation. You should still remember that this is a walking activity with an open-air route, a bridge crossing, parks, streets, and a one-way finish.

The booking is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. I would avoid booking far ahead if your plans are uncertain, even though the tour is commonly booked about eight days in advance.

Who will get the most from this tour

I would choose this walk if you have already seen the main sights in central Derry and want to understand the Waterside. It is also a good first introduction if you prefer a quiet, self-paced route over a scheduled group tour.

The tour suits you particularly well if you enjoy:

• Local neighborhood stories rather than only famous monuments
• Military and railway history
• Short walking routes with a clear beginning and end
• Audio tours that allow you to pause and continue
• Independent sightseeing at a modest price
• Outdoor interpretation instead of indoor museum visits

You may want something else if you need a live guide, a circular route, extensive time inside attractions, or a tour with meals and transport included. The commentary is the main product, so the quality of your experience depends on listening carefully and following the GPS instructions.

Should you book the Waterside audio tour?

Book it if you want a low-cost, well-planned way to cross the Peace Bridge and explore the Waterside’s military, religious, railway, and neighborhood stories. The route offers more than a quick look at the bridge and Ebrington Square, especially once it reaches St Columb’s Park and Bonds Street.

Skip it if your schedule cannot handle a one-way walk, if you do not have a smartphone and headphones, or if you are looking for a live person to guide the group. For everyone else, $7.99 buys a useful hour of independent sightseeing and a look at a part of Derry that many short city visits leave out.

FAQ

Where does the tour start?

The tour starts at the Visit Derry information centre, 1 Waterloo Place, Londonderry BT48 6BT, UK.

Where does the tour end?

It ends outside the Old Victorian BNCR Railway Station in Londonderry, BT47 6AH, UK.

How long does the walking tour take?

The estimated duration is one hour to one hour and fifteen minutes.

What app does the tour use?

The tour uses the VoiceMap app, which is available for Android and iOS.

Is the tour available offline?

Yes. You receive offline access to the audio, maps, and geodata.

Are food, drinks, transport, or attraction tickets included?

No. Food, drinks, transportation, and entrance fees to museums or other attractions are not included.

Can I cancel or change the booking?

No. The experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason.