THE ADVENTURE COLLECTIVE® · Independent discovery and booking for outdoor travel
Spend 2.5 hours tasting Dart Mountain Cheese, meeting gentle horses, and hearing stories at a fourth-generation farm near Derry. This intimate farm visit pairs artisan cheese with behind-the-scenes access to equestrian life.
Spend 2.5 hours tasting Dart Mountain Cheese, meeting gentle horses, and hearing stories at a fourth-generation farm near Derry. This intimate farm visit pairs artisan cheese with behind-the-scenes access to equestrian life.
Book with City of Derry Farm & Equestrian Centre
Verified experiences and guided adventures in the surrounding area.
Operated by City of Derry Farm & Equestrian Centre · Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Milk, Meadows & Mountain delivers a calm, sensory introduction to rural life on the edge of Derry. Based at the City of Derry Equestrian Centre, 30 Bigwood Road, Ardmore, Derry-Londonderry, guests spend 2.5 hours tasting Dart Mountain Cheese, meeting horses, and hearing stories that link people to the Sperrin landscape. This short experience folds tasting, walking, and conversation into one relaxed loop. Start with a live showcase from Dart Mountain Cheese, where hosts explain how local milk, season, and mountain air shape each wheel. Sample a curated selection while learning simple cheesemaking techniques and the farm rhythms behind them. After tasting, you follow hosts across lanes to a fourth-generation farm that keeps horses at its heart. Gentle animals meet visitors in fields and yards, and conversation moves from feed to history. The tack room provides a quiet theatre for stories about land, labour and local craft, showing how equipment and everyday routines reflect place. Hosts share practical notes on seasonal grazing, milk collection and the relationship between pasture and flavour. This experience is deliberately small — group sizes top out at 16 — which keeps the tone intimate and unhurried. It suits visitors who want a hands-on encounter without heavy hiking or strenuous effort. Practical details are straightforward: check-in at City of Derry Farm & Equestrian Centre ten minutes before start, wear sturdy shoes and weatherproof layers, and expect muddy laneways after rain. Participants should be 16 or older. The real value here is connection: flavour that maps to place, animals that anchor daily work, and stories that tie urban visitors back to rural rhythms. For people staying in Londonderry, this two-and-a-half-hour visit offers a quick yet meaningful counterpoint to city walks and museum stops. Photographers will find soft light across paddocks at golden hour, and cheese close-ups reward macro lenses. Above all, Milk, Meadows & Mountain feels like an invitation: slow down, taste, ask, and leave with a clearer sense of how this land works.
easy.
2.5 hours.
Light walking on farm lanes and flat paddocks; suitable for most visitors in reasonable health
Check-in is at City of Derry Equestrian Centre, 30 Bigwood Road, Ardmore, Derry-Londonderry; please arrive 10 minutes early.
Yes, participants must be at least 16 years old.
The tour lasts approximately 2.5 hours, including cheese tasting and a farm walk.
Dogs are not mentioned in the itinerary; contact the operator via your booking confirmation if you need to bring a pet.
Wear long trousers, a waterproof coat, and closed shoes with a flat heel; the yard can be muddy in wet weather.
Groups are limited to a maximum of 16 people to keep the visit personal and unhurried.
The farm is described as fourth-generation, reflecting a long local history of small-scale dairying and equestrian life in the Sperrin foothills.
The experience supports small local producers and encourages low-impact visits—follow host guidance, avoid disturbing pasture rotation, and take litter home.
City of Derry Farm & Equestrian Centre is a working farm and equestrian centre based in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The centre offers a variety of horse-based experiences and farm activities set on the scenic Faughan Valley and the foothills of the Sperrin Mountains. Guests can choose private mindful sessions, beginner and advanced trail rides, half-day historical rides, and family farm immersion across 30 acres of countryside. A 4th generation farmer, Pauline, and her team welcome visitors for guided encounters with horses, sheep and pygmy goats, combining hands-on animal interaction with riding and nature walks. Experiences include a two-hour private 'Stillness in Motion' mindful walk with horses, half-day rides like Roseann's historical trail, group farm programmes that explore local heritage, and beginner to advanced trail rides suitable for different ability levels. Safety and rider suitability are assessed before rides; age guidelines are provided for each activity (beginners typically from age 9, some rides from age 12 and up). The centre offers private and group formats to suit families, learners and experienced riders, with experienced facilitators and instructors guiding sessions. Located near Faughan Valley lanes, the centre provides authentic Irish country experiences that combine equestrian skill, local history and relaxed farm life.
Book with City of Derry Farm & Equestrian Centre