Sophie Clarke: my day as a Derry Girl with The Derry Girls Experience

THE names Erin, Michelle, Orla, Clare and James have become synonymous with the rag tag group of teenagers at the heart of Lisa McGee's hit sitcom Derry Girls – and, since it first aired on Channel 4 in 2018, Derry has become a popular tourist destination for fans from across the globe.

But what is it really like to be a Derry Girl? I found out when Tourism NI invited me to spend a full day immersed in the world of the hit sitcom based around the newly opened Derry Girls Experience at the city's Tower Museum – a unique display of props, costumes and sets used in the show.

I always quite enjoy travelling by train, but the journey from Belfast's Great Victoria Street to Derry is one of the best, with views of inner-city and urban areas giving way to scenic landscapes, rolling hills and stunning seascapes.

Upon arrival in the 'Walled City', our party was met by a City Cabs driver who transferred us to our accommodation at the Bishop's Gate Hotel. Once we were settled, the first activity on the agenda was a private Derry Girls walking tour conducted by Blue Badge guide Charlene McCrossan.

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An original Derry girl herself, Charlene studied at Thornhill College with Lisa McGee.

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During the tour, visitors not only get to see various filming locations but also learn about the history of Derry and how it feeds into the 1990s-set show, thereby providing some understanding of what it was like growing up during such a turbulent and uncertain time.

@sophie_something27 #journolife #Derry #derrygirls #tourismNI #presstrip #northernireland #travel ♬ original sound - Sophie Clarke

The tour began at Orchard Street beside the famous Derry Girls mural which was painted in five days by Derry-based social enterprise UV Arts. Charlene advised that they used a 'paint by shapes' method whilst working on the mural and, on a sunny day, you can still see the outlines of different shapes above Erin's head.

To date, the tour has been very popular with tourists from all over the world, including visitors from Spain, America and South Africa. Tour guides have also escorted several famous faces around the city, including Hollywood comedy legend Will Farrell and Academy Award-nominated Irish star Saoirse Ronan, Lisa McGee, Siobhán 'Sister Michael' McSweeney and the Derry Girls themselves, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Louisa Harland, Nicola Coughlan, Jamie-Lee O'Donnell and Dylan Llewellyn.

Private walking tours can be arranged directly with the company and public tours are available for £10 per person, leaving from the Derry Girls mural every Saturday at midday.

Tourists will also have the opportunity to visit local gift shop Ferry Clever, which specialises in all things Derry Girls – the perfect place to find a souvenir to take home.

Following the tour, we enjoyed a Derry Girls-themed afternoon tea at the Everglades Hotel. This was a far cry from a traditional afternoon tea of cucumber sandwiches and Victoria sponge cakes. Instead, we were treated to sausage roll baps, cones of chips and cheese and onion crisp sandwiches, as well as sweet treats such as cream horns, red velvet cupcakes, lemon drizzle cake and other delicacies.

In addition to unlimited tea and coffee, guests can enjoy a gin cocktail or mocktail all included in the price of £30pp, and will also receive one of Hastings Hotels' signature rubber ducks modelled after Michelle from the show. We found the service to be excellent and our server, Finn, was warm, welcoming and attentive.

Our next stop was a visit to The Walled City Brewery, where we had a tour of the Taproom and sampled some of the brewery's popular beers and stouts. I also tried the Brewery's Derry Blues cocktail – which, as you might have guessed, was a very vibrant shade of blue and made using their very own gin.

That evening, we attended the Tower Museum for the opening of the brand-new Derry Girls Experience. Now open to the public for the next 12 months with an entry fee of £4, Michelle herself – Derry-born actor Jamie-Lee O'Donnell – was present at the launch event, along with the mayor of Derry, Patricia Logue, and a range of other celebrities and real life Derry girls.

We ended the day with dinner at Browns in Town on the Strand Road, where I enjoyed pan-fried scallops to start, followed by fillet steak, before finishing off with a delicious hot pink strawberry and coconut truffle cake.

This delicious meal was the culmination of a long and enjoyable day and we were soon ready to return to the hotel for a good night's sleep.

By 9.38am the next morning we were back on the train to Belfast – so, all in all, the duration of our entire trip was a mere 24 hours. As someone who had only visited Derry once before, this experience really opened my eyes to how rich the city is in both culture and craic.

I would highly recommend a visit to anyone, whether you are a tourist from overseas or just fancy a short city break, Derry offers something for everyone – and especially fans of Derry Girls.

For more information on visiting Derry, see discovernorthernireland.com. Book tickets for the Derry Girls Experience via visitderrypass.com/product/tower-museum