| Welcome to Virtual Tours & Sound Walks |
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| Introduction >> We create virtual tours and sound walks for visitor attractions and heritage organisations. They are audio tours and walks that work on smartphones, tablets and computers. As our system integrates with JustGiving and PayPal, they can become new revenue streams for visitor attractions. Carry on reading to find out how they work and to try them out... |
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| Virtual Tours >> Our virtual tours use well-established technologies. Try these first as they're accessible through a web browser and don't need a smartphone App installing. They allow people to 'virtually' visit somewhere and listen to tour guides, without needing to be there. That said, they can be used whilst actually visiting a walk's location. They are made up from sets of spherical panoramas, sometimes known as 360° photographs; with audio attached to some, or all of them. They work well in places where there is limited or no GPS signal, such as inside buildings. If you're planning on doing a virtual tour whilst at its location, it's best if you have an internet connection when you first access the tour, as then you'll have the option to download a copy of it to your device before you set off. By doing that, if you head off into an area where there's no internet, the tour will still work. To try a virtual tour, please click one of the green virtual tour ticks in the Featured Tours & Walks section below. |
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| Sound Walks >> Compared to virtual tours, our sound walks use much newer technologies. You'll need to install a free App on your smartphone, that will then use the phone's GPS data to play back audio relating to your current location. As such, they work best when you actually follow a walk, though it is possible to listen to walks without needing to physically visit the positions of each of the sounds (or echoes as they're also called) in the walk. Our sound walks work on Android and iPhone smartphones. As with virtual tours, what's also good with them is that it's possible to download a walk before you set off; as above, this is useful if you are in an area with limited internet access. To try a walk, first search for and then install, the free Echoes App from your smartphone's App Store. Then click one of the pink sound walk ticks below. If you're not actually at the location of a walk, you can listen to the audio by following the guidelines here: vtsw.uk/echoes. |
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| Latest Tours & Walks >> Here's the latest tours and walks that we have created. To access one, just click the tick that's adjacent to the one you'd like to try: |
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| Barrow Common WW2 Radar Station: Situated on top of the hill overlooking Brancaster Staithe and less than a mile from the sea, Barrow Common has views across to the Staithe, Scolt Head, out to The Wash, and a history of the Second World War... |
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| Danilia Village, Corfu, Greece: This village was built in the 1970's replicating old Corfuian villages. It is, in effect, a small open-air museum that provides you with an insight into what life was like in Corfu in the 1930's. Danilia has been a backdrop for a number of international movies, television series and commercials. Some that have been filmed here include the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, the 2023 film My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, the 1978 film The Greek Tycoon and The Durrells, the 2016-2019 English TV series about a family that moved to Corfu in the 1930s. |
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| Rutland Water: This is our first go at a SOUND RIDE! It has been created so that if you're cycling around Rutland Water you can hear about the history of various points of interest as you go around it. If you'd like to walk it, it'll still work, but you'll have long gaps between the various echoes. There's no specific start or finish point, so you can start at anywhere on the loop. Also, this sound walk has been created to support the Leicestershire and Rutland charity, Hope Against Cancer. If you enjoy it, please consider making a donation to the charity by visiting Hope against Cancer's JustGiving Page and clicking the Donate button. |
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| Talliston House & Gardens: Once an ordinary council house in an ordinary cul-de-sac, Talliston House & Gardens has been transformed into Britain's Most Extraordinary Home. It features thirteen themed rooms, each with its own unique story and sounds. The rooms incorporate 1,821 objects from 27 different countries. It is truly a place of enchantment! The start of this tour is freely available on a 'try before you buy' basis, then when you get to the end of the free sample if you would like to see the rest of the tour, you will need to make a payment with PayPal. |
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| Featured Tours & Walks >> Here's some more tours and walks that we have created that give a good overview of the range of capabilities and features. As above, to one just click the tick that's adjacent to the one you'd like to try: |
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| Billesdon Heritage Trail: Located nine miles east of Leicester within open rolling countryside, Billesdon has existed for over a thousand years as an agriculture-based community. This sound walk, with permission, has been based upon a Heritage Trail published by Visit Harborough District: www.visitharborough.com |
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| Market Harborough Heritage Trail: A Royal Charter allowed a market to be held outside the settlements of Arden, Little Bowden and Great Bowden. This walk will take you around the town, where you will see many interesting buildings and learn a little about the town's history. This sound walk, with permission, has been based upon a Heritage Trail published by Visit Harborough District: www.visitharborough.com |
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| Medbourne Heritage Trail: Situated on the edge of the Welland Valley, within quiet, unspoilt countryside, the village of Medbourne is found on the B664, seven miles from both Market Harborough and Uppingham. Highly attractive, its central feature is the stream, which runs alongside the church and under the mediaeval pack-horse bridge. The cottages are mostly built from honey coloured stone and these, together with the brook, make Medbourne a photogenic location, especially in the spring. This sound walk, with permission, has been based upon a Heritage Trail published by Visit Harborough District: www.visitharborough.com | |
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| National Trust, Belton House, Grantham: A walk around Belton Park with Chris Shaw, the Belton House Head Ranger. This free sound walk is about an hour and a half's walking time. It has twenty-nine points of interest and just under twenty minutes of audio. |
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| National Trust, Runnymede and Ankerwycke: Runnymede - from Old English runieg (council island) and mede (meadow) - was the location for the sealing of the Magna Carta by King John on the fifteenth of June 1215. There is a memorial to John F Kennedy in this walk. |
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| National Trust, Woolsthorpe Manor House: Woolsthorpe Manor, in Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth near Grantham in Lincolnshire, is the birthplace and was the family home of Sir Isaac Newton. This is available with audio in English, French and Spanish. |
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| North Norfolk Coast History: This isn't a 'walk' as such, it's more a collection of interesting places in North Norfolk. Some are close to each other, but generally they tend to be quite far apart. You could walk between them, but it would take you a while! |
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| St Mary de Castro, Leicester: This ancient, Grade I listed church in Leicester is located within the former bailey of Leicester Castle. Today it acts as a parish church in the Church of England's diocese of Leicester. "St Mary de Castro" is Latin for "St Mary of the Castle"; a name chosen to differentiate it from nearby "St Mary de Pratis": "St. Mary of the Meadows" (Leicester Abbey). This is a good example of how we can integrate JustGiving with our virtual tours. The free Sound Walk and Virtual Tour contain around 25 minutes of audio. |
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| Work in Progress >> As above, to access a tour or a walk, just click the tick that's adjacent to the one you'd like to try: |
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| English Heritage, Baconsthorpe Castle: The extensive ruins of Baconsthorpe Castle, a moated and fortified 15th century manor house, are a testament to the rise and fall of a prominent Norfolk family. Over 200 years, successive generations of the ambitious Heydons family, built, then enlarged and finally abandoned this castle. Pending feedback. |
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| English Heritage, Lyddington Bede House, Rutland: This is currently just panoramas. We're waiting for the go-ahead to make the recordings of the tour guides. |
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| Holkham Hall, Norfolk: Thomas Coke, the first Earl of Leicester, conceived this Palladian Hall as his vision of an Italian villa on the windswept North Norfolk coast. The family has lived in this house continuously since the 1750s, though at Holkham since 1612. They take great pride and joy in sharing the house and its treasures, the deer park and Holkham beach, with visitors. This is just a sample to show the Holkham team what's possible. |
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| Oakham Castle, Rutland: Discover England's most complete surviving Norman Hall. Take a step back in time, through the ancient gateway, to explore Oakham Castle. This is just a sample to show the Oakham Castle team what's possible. |
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| Virtual Tours & Sound Walks accepts no liability whatsoever for any loss or injury whilst undertaking a tour or walk, at any location; everyone does so at their own risk. Also, please be considerate to others and do not play the audio too loud - preferably please use headphones. If you enjoy any of our tours or walks, please *do* let the team that manage the visitor attraction know! | ||
Benefits >>
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| Could this be for You? >> If you own or manage a visitor attraction and would like to find out about what we could do for you, please contact us, regardless of where your attraction might be, as we have the capability to, remotely, work worldwide. Don't forget, this could become a new revenue stream for you... |
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