Digital audio map set to take city visits in a new direction

Published on Friday 22 May 2009 09:57

IT IS a device which could make struggling with maps and guidebooks a thing of the past for visitors to Edinburgh – and put tour guides out of a job.

A new digital guide to the Capital – believed to be the first of its kind anywhere in the UK – has been a launched in Edinburgh.

Provided by the company Roam Edinburgh, the digi-guide includes details on hundreds of points of interest, with pictures, text and audio guides and information such as opening times and local tours available.

The map also features GPS tracking, allowing users to see where they are in the city, and showing them a route to anything in Edinburgh they want to visit.

There are also dozens of pre-programmed walking tours, which take the user around the various areas of the city, highlighting sites of interest as well as local pubs, restaurants and hotels.

Similar guides have already proved incredibly popular in cities worldwide such as Paris, Seville, Buenos Aires and Lille.

The man behind Roam Edinburgh, East Lothian-based Paul Nixon, 30, has spent the past two years getting the idea off the ground, and with the help of his wife, Angela, 29, has compiled all of the information and recorded the audio for the walking tours.

He is now hoping the guide, which can be rented out or downloaded from a website to be used on any PDA, will prove the must-have accessory for Edinburgh visitors.

"I first heard about something similar being offered in San Francisco with driving tours, and when I looked into it I found out about the digital guides to Paris, which have been a huge success," he said.

"Edinburgh isn't really the kind of place where a driving tour would work, but there are so many amazing sights to see on walks around the city that it seemed the perfect idea.

"The aim is to provide visitors with all the information they need to get the most out of a visit to Edinburgh, whether they are here for a day or a week, and I'm hoping to link up with local businesses, to feature them on the guide, and bus tours to the city."

The guides are currently available to rent, at 15 for the first day and 5 for each day after that, from Rabbies Trail Burners on the Royal Mile, or can be delivered to a hotel room for an additional charge. Downloading the data for use on a PDA costs 25.

Robin Worsnop, managing director of Rabbies Trail Burners, and chairman of the Tourism Innovation Group, said he was interested to see how popular the guides would be.

"It is always great to see an innovation like this, and while there is a lot of technology out there, it is always about making the best use of it, for the benefit of tourists," he said.

"This is certainly something that will give anyone visiting the city the chance to explore and discover different places."

A WALK ON THE SPOOKY SIDE

THE digi-guide to Edinburgh comes in a sturdy palm-pilot, and getting started takes just a few seconds. There are dozens of guided walks to choose from.

Selecting "Haunted Edinburgh", the guide informs me I am 0.2 miles from the start of the tour, but helpfully adds that since my position on the Royal Mile is already on the route, I can just set off from there.

The GPS chip in the device tracks my movement, with points of interest flashing up on the screen as I pass them.

After getting a brief history of the Mercat Cross, where executions were carried out, the route continues up the Royal Mile.

At the top, the Witches Well is marked on the map but is not immediately obvious. Thankfully, as well as the map, there is a handy picture so there is no excuse for not taking a look at the plaque which commemorates the site where more than 300 women were burned at the stake over accusations of witchcraft.

Heading down towards the Grassmarket, the clouds start to roll in, but I am assured that the technology is shower-proof.

In the Grassmarket, the guide leads me east towards the Martyr's Cross, where more than 100 covenanters were hanged for their beliefs, and then to the former home of Major Thomas Weir, the Wizard of West Bow, who was put to death after admitting crimes including necromancy and other supernatural activities.

From there it is up on to George IV Bridge, down to Greyfriars Bobby, and into Greyfriars Kirkyard, where the poltergeist of George "Bluidy" MacKenzie is said to roam.

It seems the guide would be a useful tool for a visitor. Whether it could replace a human guide is another matter.