Take interactive tour of Highlands on your smartphone

THE addition of 360 degree video to YouTube and Facebook means that the technologically savvy can see the world without ever leaving home
Picture: TensPicture: Tens
Picture: Tens

Ever wanted to take a trip to the Highlands without leaving the comfort of your sofa? Now - thanks to technology - you can.

A new video, Chasing Scottish Summer, offers a 360 degree view of the Scottish Highlands, from stunning shots of lochs and castles to action footage of canoeing and hiking trips.

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What sets this film apart from any old video tribute to Scotland’s northern reaches is its unique interactive element. As Chasing Scottish Summer plays, viewers can tilt their smartphone and tablet or move their computer mouse to look around the screen, as though turning their head in real life.

Picture: TensPicture: Tens
Picture: Tens

YouTube and - as of last week - Facebook both support the 360 degree video format, and while Chasing Scottish Summer isn’t the first film of its kind it is certainly the first to showcase the stunning Highland landscape in this way.

The video was made by sunglasses brand Tens using two flying drones equipped with GoPro cameras in order to capture a full 360 view of the surroundings. Filming took place on the Isle of Skye, as well as around the Cairngorms, Moray and Inverness-shire.

Filmmaker and co-founder of Tens Marty Bell said: “[We] wanted to utilise 360 video to reveal the beauty of our native country so that viewers far and wide could experience our beloved views like never before. The edit is intended to feel more like a travel film, rather than the usual single-take 360 videos previously found online with much less production value.”