Explore England and Wales with the Places and Trails app

Follow GPS-triggered, self-guided tours with the FREE Places and Trails app for iOS and Android. Perfect for tourists, travellers, sightseers and history and heritage buffs.

Places and Trails, developed by AT Creative, the specialists in self-guided tour apps, allows you to follow outdoor walking, cycling and driving trail experiences – with unique insight from locals, hikers and experts.

Download the app

Search for ‘Places and Trails’ on the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android).

How does it work?

Search and download a growing directory of self-guided trails and audio tours from the Explore tab. There are walks from just 0.5 miles long to driving tours covering over 200 miles. Watch the video below to learn more.

  • Tap to discover more features

    Select trails from regions across England and Wales.

    Choose a tour to follow from My Trails. Read the instructions on the Trail Summary screen and get started. Use the link on the ‘Getting here’ section to get turn-by-turn navigation directions to the start of each trail.

    Each trail has a map with waypoints. Content will trigger when you reach a trail waypoint. Some trails just contain audio (the audio tour plays automatically when you arrive at a Place) and the playback is controlled via the audio player at the bottom of the Map or List View screens.

    Other trails have multimedia content on individual place pages. Tap the trigger notification, a map pin or the waypoint name on List view to access the content. Always read the Trail Summary before setting off to learn how that trail works.

    Some trails only trigger in a fixed order i.e. you need to visit stop 1 before you can trigger stop 2 etc, to ensure you follow the narrative. Other trails can be triggered in any order.

    Use the map toolbar to enable and disable auto-centring and auto-rotation; change the map layer; turn GPS on and off; and view the trail pins.

    For the best experience you should always allow the app to access your location.

Augmented Reality

phone held up with camera pointing towards a church

The Places and Trails app allows users to fade old photos within the camera view to compare how things have changed.

Some trails also feature virtual image galleries, using Augmented Reality (AR), allowing you to stand in the footsteps of the original photographer. These images can be tapped to reveal further information.

Download the Places and Trails app for FREE

 

The app works offline and offers a generous selection of free trails, along with premium paid experiences for those seeking even more adventure. Select one of the options below to open the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.

The Places and Trails app showcases more than thirty of our favourite projects, with more to come to give the community fresh new content to explore. Nobody knows more about a hike or a walking route than those who have experienced it, Places and Trails taps into invaluable local insight and expert knowledge. Whether you want to hear from residents who are passionate about their community or a history specialist reveal how a place once looked, this app empowers people to discover the untold stories of places and trails in England and Wales, and creates a richer, more authentic travel experience for everyone. It creates the true essence of a place – ultimately keeping the history of each location alive.

Dan Boys, Founder/Owner AT Creative

Would you like your trail to feature on Places and Trails?

Are you a local authority, tour guide or an organisation that promotes our natural, cultural and industrial heritage?

We can digitise paper trails, convert PDF tours and even take a seed of an idea and publish it as a trail on the Places and Trails app.

  • Take advantage of the rich functionality in this app to share your self-guided trail alongside those already featured
  • Include text, images and audio in your trail
  • Become part of a community and benefit from cross-promotion
  • No app development or hosting costs to worry about

If this sounds of interest please do get in touch. Publish your trail from as little as £25/month.

App launch – press release

Download the press release celebrating the Places and Trails app launch.

You are welcome to use any of the photographs in the image gallery below provided the following credit is clearly visible ‘Dan Boys – at.creative.co.uk’.

Alfred beckett & Sons and the Cornish Works, Kelham, Sheffield © Dan Boys
Puddles or Buddles? Poldice, Cornwall © Dan Boys
Barnstaple’s four faced liar clock © Dan Boys
Ashopton Viaduct, Peak District © Dan Boys
Chimney on the Cwmllynfell Miner’s Walk © Dan Boys
Tin stamps at Poldice, Cornwall © Dan Boys

Download the Places and Trails app for FREE

 

The app works offline and offers a generous selection of free trails, along with premium paid experiences for those seeking even more adventure. Select one of the options below to open the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.