Derry's position at the edge of Northern Ireland, close to the Donegal border, makes it an excellent base for the north coast and the northwest of Ireland. The Giant's Causeway is about an hour's drive east along the Causeway Coastal Route, one of the most scenic drives in Europe. Bushmills, Ballintoy Harbour, and the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge are all on the same road.
Across the border in the Republic, County Donegal is wild and beautiful — Inishowen Peninsula, Glenveagh National Park, the dramatic Slieve League sea cliffs, and the Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) fishing villages of the north coast are all within reach. Malin Head, the most northerly point in Ireland, is about an hour's drive.
Closer to the city, the Roe Valley Country Park (about 20 km east) has good woodland walks along the River Roe and a small industrial heritage museum in what was once Ulster's linen-milling heartland.