Article Source: Robert Louis Stevenson Day 2020
Last Updated: 10 November 2020 15:14
Celebrate Robert Louis Stevenson’s 170th birthday on an audio tour of Edinburgh
This Friday is the 170th birthday of Robert Louis Stevenson. In Edinburgh, the anniversary has been celebrated with events throughout the city since 2011, but with level three restrictions in place, RLS Day 2020 has chosen to commemorate the legendary Scottish author online. This includes a crisscrossing of the globe with readings from his work by 19 people in 15 locations, starting with his childhood in Edinburgh, as well as two newly released audio tours. The tours can be used virtually, at home, or on a self-guided, socially distanced walk in the footsteps of the young Stevenson, before he left the city of his birth at the age of 27, never to return.
“To understand Stevenson you need to stand in his shoes and follow his wanderings around the city of his birth, where he spent his formative years and which he wrote about so often,” says Stevenson biographer, Jeremy Hodges. “So much of the Edinburgh he knew remains in existence today and can be experienced.”
The two tours, which are narrated by Edinburgh-based actor John Shedden, take travellers through Stevenson’s life in Edinburgh, connecting specific places like the old Royal Infirmary, Princes Street Gardens and Edinburgh Castle to the author’s literary works. The first tour focuses on Stevenson’s childhood years in New Town while the second tour revisits his university years with a walk through the Old Town.
The tours are available through the VoiceMap app, and if they are done as self-guided walks, the audio plays automatically using GPS and includes turn-by-turn directions. This allows listeners to explore at their own pace while getting some exercise. In fact, under the city’s level three restrictions, walking is encouraged. And although many of Edinburgh’s leisure and entertainment facilities remain closed, various attractions throughout the city can still be enjoyed including St Giles Cathedral and Edinburgh University’s ‘Old Quad’ which are both stops on the tour of Stevenson’s university years.
“I chose Voicemap because of its ease of use, the professionalism of its approach and an overriding commitment to quality,” says the publisher of the two tours, Martin White, who has researched and worked on a number of projects that focus on Stevenson’s childhood. ”I hope that purchasers will be very pleased with their quality.”
How to use the tours
Download the tour in a wifi-zone to enjoy at home or on a self-guided audio tour. Simply follow the instructions below:
1. Install VoiceMap from the Apple App Store or Google Play
2. Create an account
3. Select or search for Edinburgh from the list of cities available
4. Select the tour you’d like to do and then select Download Now
Once the tour is downloaded, you can either select Continuous Play to disable the GPS playback and listen to the tour at home or select Start Now when you’re at the start location. Remember to charge your phone’s battery before you go and to bring your own headphones.
About VoiceMap
VoiceMap is a location-aware audio tour app for Android and iOS that gives you the freedom to explore at your own pace. The app uses your location to play audio automatically, at exactly the right time and place. You can start the tours whenever you’re ready and pause whenever you like. When you start moving again, playback will too. It also gives you turn-by-turn directions, making it much easier to put your phone away and immerse yourself in your surroundings, not the screen. We’ve helped passionate locals, journalists, novelists and podcasters create more than 600 tours in over 200 cities across the world.
For more information on VoiceMap please email hello@voicemap.me.
The popular Edinburgh Seafood Festival returns to St James Quarter, with even more opportunities to get a taste of the finest Scottish fare!
READ MORECineworld Edinburgh celebrates the acclaimed British director Danny Boyle from May 7th to May 28th with a limited time big screen re-release of four of his classic titles at only £5 per ticket!
READ MOREJohnnie Walker Princes Street is inviting guests to find their flow and embark on a journey of tranquility and connectivity with its latest offering, Sunrise Yoga on 3rd May!
READ MORERed Carnation Hotels, the family-owned hotel collection, proudly announces the opening of its latest masterpiece and first property in Scotland, 100 Princes Street.
READ MOREThe Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s (RZSS) Edinburgh Zoo has been named the best zoo to visit in Scotland by TripAdvisor, the world’s biggest travel guidance platform.
READ MOREAmbassador Theatre Group (“ATG”), a leading live entertainment organisation, and owner of the Edinburgh Playhouse, today announced that it is rebranding as ATG Entertainment.
READ MORELatest investigations by National Trust for Scotland archaeologists at Culloden Battlefield have recovered a wide range of artefacts.
READ MORERUSK & RUSK, the independent Scottish restaurant group, today shares first look impressions of The Spanish Butcher, Edinburgh, and confirms it will officially open on Friday 10th May.
READ MORESip & Bark is opening its doors today on Raeburn Place in Stockbridge, with a delicious brunch offering, a selection of cocktails and fine wines, plus it’s dog friendly!
READ MOREThe annual Open Weekend returns to Port Edgar, the largest watersports and activity centre in Scotland, for a special 10th-anniversary event on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 May!
READ MOREBroadway and West End phenomenon Kinky Boots The Musical, is strutting into Edinburgh in a brand-new production starring Strictly's Johannes Radebe and rising star Dan Partridge!
READ MORELaser Station will be hosting an exciting fundraising event from April 22nd to April 28th, aimed at raising funds to support Cash For Kids initiatives.
READ MORELloyds Banking Group is hosting a free event on Saturday 13th April in Edinburgh for young people wanting to explore the wide range of careers options available in the banking industry.
READ MOREVolunteers at the Newtongrange Community Garden were delighted to welcome a special visitor on Tuesday 2nd April - Owen Thompson MP.
READ MOREThe Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) Scottish Game Fair (SGF) is back for 2024, celebrating its 35-year anniversary at Scone Palace.
READ MOREGlobal apparel retailer UNIQLO will open its doors to Edinburgh’s highly anticipated store on 25 April 2024, with the arrival marks the regeneration of the shopping scene in Scotland’s capital.
READ MOREDobbies, the UK's leading garden centre, is inviting plant enthusiasts and foodies alike to a brand new Afternoon Tea and Planting Experience at its stores nationwide.
READ MOREThis year's Springfest, set to take place this weekend, has been postponed due to forecasted high winds.
READ MOREDuck & Waffle Edinburgh is thrilled to announce the return of breakfast service seven days a week and to celebrate KIDS EAT FREE for the Easter break!
READ MOREA fantastic range of brand-new blockbusters, haunting horrors, theatre productions and all-time action classics lead the roster of releases heading to Vue this April.
READ MOREEdinburgh Folk Club’s weekly folk, roots and acoustic nights are set to continue into the spring and summer, along with the return of their annual Songwriting Competition.
READ MOREGilded Balloon have today added over 65 shows for 2024’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe line-up including Michelle Braiser and Mhairi Black!
READ MOREMore than 5,400 people took advantage of exclusive offers available only to residents within the City of Edinburgh Council area last year.
READ MOREElaine C. Smith will play the role of The Childcatcher in the new production of the most fantasmagorical musical of all time, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, when it comes to Edinburgh Playhouse!
READ MOREHistoric Environment Scotland (HES) has announced that over twenty sites across the country are set to reopen their doors to visitors this weekend.
READ MOREJoin Diabetes Scotland for a virtual event about an exciting new programme supporting children and young people 11 - 25 living with type 1 diabetes - Together Type 1.
READ MORESip & Bark, a vibrant dog-friendly brunch spot, is delighted to announce its grand opening next month in Raeburn Place, Stockbridge.
READ MORECome along to the Palace of Holyroodhouse this Easter for a range of family activities! £1 Gallery tickets will also be available to those receiving Universal Credit and other named benefits
READ MOREThis August, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo will welcome guests from around the world to experience its new Show, Journeys.
READ MORELooking for an egg-stravagnza this Easter weekend? St James Quarter is giving guests the chance to win a host of foodie prizes, plus enjoy a basketful of family fun in the Quarter.
READ MORE