Horse Power is back on the streets of Derry for the first time in almost 50 years, thanks to a local man who is offering tours of the historic city in Victorian horse-drawn carriages.
Martin McGowan launched Charabanc Tours this month. He got the idea while he was giving pony and trap rides at a local fun day, and looked at the possibility of starting a business on a bigger scale. He has since travelled Ireland buying vehicles and animals.
Some of the horses have their own history - one was ridden by Tom Cruise in Home and Away, and the Belfast actor Stephen Rea learned to ride on another.
To begin with, the tours will be confined to the city area, although there are plans to go further afield. "Some of the scenery along the Border with Donegal is breathtaking and the ideal way to enjoy it would be in horse-drawn vehicles. We also do weddings and have linked up with local hotels to offer visitors something different," Mr McGowan said.
The tours begin from outside the Derry Visitor and Convention Bureau in Foyle Street and in one hour go along the River Foyle, through the Georgian landscape of the city's conservation area towards the Free Derry Corner in the Bogside. En route, passengers will get a potted history of the city.
With the tours up and running, complete with drivers in period costume, all that is needed is plenty of tourists. The Derry bureau is optimistic that inquiries, which are up on last year, will translate into tourists, although Drumcree and other political developments will have an effect.
Efforts are also continuing to develop Derry as a quality cruise destination. This year seven vessels - all five or six-star - carrying 3,500 passengers, will arrive in the city. And the first of them arrives today.