Small villages and quiet country roads in Derry and Donegal have been opened up to tourists and locals with the completion of the Foyle valley cycle route.
The 21-mile route, which runs from Derry city through the villages of Carrigans and St Johnston before reaching the border towns of Lifford and Strabane, was officially opened last week.
It forms part of a 236mile cross-Border cycle route running from Ballyshannon in south Donegal to Ballycastle in Co Antrim. All of this route, mainly along quiet country roads, is now marked and maps are available.
The Foyle valley cycle route will be an important amenity not just for tourists but also for locals, particularly people living in Derry city.
Running from the offices of Derry City Council, it follows the line of the former Great Northern Railway along the Foyle for a few miles as it heads towards Donegal. A special cycle/walking path until it reaches the Border, the route then goes on to country roads.
The 21-mile stretch has been developed at a cost of £610,000 and is a joint project involving Derry City Council, Donegal County Council and Strabane District Council.
Funding also came from a number of other sources including the EU, the UK Millennium Commission and the International Fund for Ireland.
Mr Mark Lusby of Derry City Council said steps were being taken to ensure the cycle path would be widely used.
The "not-for-profit" organisation Sustrans, which is charged with developing the cycle network in the UK, is also involved and is working with local schools. "This is not just about putting in a cycle path and saying let's hope people use it," he said.
A "safe routes to school" project in Derry city is developing cycle paths from a number of schools to the main housing estates where pupils live.
On the tourism side, efforts will to made to develop business opportunities along the route. Local pubs and shops are expected to benefit most. Cyclists who wish to complete the route will be issued with cards to be stamped at various points along the way.
He said cycle paths fitted in with the policy of sustainable tourism and also helped to spread the benefit to smaller towns and villages.
Mr Lusby said that even without any publicity, the cycle path near Derry city had proved a success and was being widely used.
The next step is to develop a circular cycle route around the Inishowen peninsula which will link in with the Foyle valley cycle route and the Green castle-Magilligan ferry.