Guided Tour

Guided Tour

What is it? 

A guided tour is the practice of an individual leading a group of people around a point of interest and giving them information about it, which can cover topics such as religious significance, cultural history and how it relates to other locations and events in history. 

What does it involve?

Attending a guided tour basically just involves paying attention! All the work is done for you in finding out the facts and presenting them in an interesting manner; the role of the participant just calls for a level of interest in your surroundings and an eagerness to learn!

Why do it and what are the benefits?

Tour guides can be extremely educational - physically interacting with the place while learning about its history will provide a different kind of academic experience to the classroom by giving the students something more tangible to focus on.

What equipment do we need?

You shouldn't need any equipment for a guided tour, but check beforehand to make sure; some tours involve their participants even further by getting them to write down their own thoughts, or make drawings - so you may need to ensure students have something to write on!

Who is it suitable for?

Guided Tours are suitable for pretty much anybody if you pick the right one - smaller children will find it harder to focus on more complex subjects and will need more visual aids, but if they are engaged correctly they will have a great time! Likewise, teenage students will get bored if the subject isn't engaging enough, so make sure to choose the tour appropriate for the age and interests of the group. 

Costs?

Around £20 or less per person, but it can vary greatly depending on the location of the tour - for example, a minibus tour around a park will cost more than a short walk around a country manor! Make sure to shop around to get an idea of the prices in your area. 

Issues/Things to think about? (unsuitable for age groups, medical conditions etc)

A guided tour should be suitable for all ages, but students with condtions such has ADHD may have trouble focusing for an extended period of time - make sure to be aware of the specific needs of your group. 

How do we include?

Many guided tours have disabled access for those with limited physical movement, but it would be wise to doublecheck beforehand. Those who are deaf and blind can also be included in guided tours but may need more specialist staff - again, you will need to check with the specific establishments. 

Doing it abroad?

There are points of public interest all around the world, so wherever you can find something well known chances are there will be a guided tour available! Foreign tours may be conducted in another language though, so make sure to confirm the specifications of the tour before booking it. 

Main website: 

This website gives a good overview of places where you can go for a tour guide, but you're best looking at the specific areas around you to find out details!

 

See the list below for venues and providers who deliver this activity:

Bachelors' Club

Venue Type: 
Museums
Overall Rating: 
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The Bachelor's Club was one of the historic places which poet Robert Burns and his pals would while away the hours chewing over the topics of the day.

A visit to this authentically restored house, now converted into a museum chronicling the formative years of one of Scotland's greatest literary talents, is a must for any Burns enthusiast.

Pre-booking of school groups is welcomed. The duration of a visit is approximately 1 hour.

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Dalton Castle

14th-century tower built to assert the authority of the Abbot of Furness Abbey
Venue Type: 
Castles
Overall Rating: 
0

The 14th-century tower known as Dalton Castle was formerly the manorial courthouse of Furness Abbey. Here the abbott exercised his right to hold manorial courts and administer justice within the lordship of Furness, as authorised by the abbey's foundation charter of 1127. The building would have contained not only the courtroom and one or two other rooms in which the business of the lordship was transacted, but also a gaol, guardrooms and stores.

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Lanhydrock

Magnificent late Victorian country house with gardens and wooded estate
Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

Lanhydrock is the perfect country house and estate, with the feel of a wealthy but unpretentious family home.

This winter take a stroll around the extensive gardens and enjoy the year-round colour. There are beautiful herbaceous borders, a fabulous formal parterre and colourful higher gardens. 

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Newark Park

Tudor hunting lodge to fashionable home, set in a spectacular estate
Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

Newark Park stands proud on top of the Cotswold escarpment, looking down into the Ozleworth valley to the Mendips beyond. This remote corner of south Gloucestershire is a secret and unspoilt place, with barely a sign of modern life visible in any direction. A place of architectural intrigue, quaint gardens and sprawling parkland there is much to see and do at Newark.

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Bamburgh Castle

Venue Type: 
Castles
Overall Rating: 
0

Spanning nine acres of land on its rocky plateau high above the Northumberland coastline, Bamburgh is one of the largest inhabited castles in the country.

Explore the castle and discover more about this iconic building by clicking the different areas with your mouse. The great fortification of Bamburgh Castle sits on an outcrop of volcanic dolerite. Known locally as whinstone for the sound it makes when hit by a stonemasons hammer, it provides a natural throne upon which the castle sits forty five metres above sea level.

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Robert Smail's Printing Works

Venue Type: 
Factory Visits & Industry
Overall Rating: 
0

Get your hands inky at this living museum of a thriving printing firm in the Borders, whose premises were more or less unchanged for over a century.

Try your hand at being a printer's apprentice to learn the almost forgotten art of letterpress printing and typesetting.

Schools are welcomed and visits are very much tailored to suit the needs and requirements of the school.

The print works offers scope on a variety of topics and in the past we have successfully run drama, drawing and of course printing workshops.

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Moirlanich Longhouse

Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

This beautifully conserved dwelling and byre in Glen Lochay, near Killin, offers a unique insight into rural life in 19th-century and early 20th century Scotland.

There are 5 jointed and pegged cruck couples, two of which can be viewed easily in the byre end of the house.

An education pack is available on request. Activities to meet curriculum requirements can be organised by arrangement.

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Newhailes

Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

Discover 300 years of Scottish history through this magnificent and carefully conserved neo-Palladian villa. Newhailes is famed for having some of the finest rococo interiors in Scotland.

Learning Officer and Ranger Service available. Your visit duration and content can be tailored to individual school's needs.

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Montacute House

Glittering Elizabethan mansion
Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

Montacute is a masterpiece of Elizabethan Renaissance architecture and design. With its towering walls of glass, glow of ham stone, and its surrounding gardens it is a place of beauty and wonder.

Sir Edward Phelips, was the visionary force and money behind the creation of this masterpiece, which was completed in 1601. Built by skilled craftsman using local ham stone under the instruction of William Arnold, master mason, the house was a statement of wealth, ambition and showmanship.

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Dunster Castle

An ancient castle and comfortable country home with dramatic vistas and subtropical gardens
Venue Type: 
Castles
Overall Rating: 
0

Dramatically sited on a wooded hill, a castle has existed here since at least Norman times, with an impressive medieval gatehouse and ruined tower giving a reminder of its turbulent history.

The castle that you see today became a lavish country home during the 19th century for the Luttrell family, who lived here for 600 years.

The castle boasts spectacular views toward the Bristol channel, the Quantock hills and up to the moors of Exmoor.

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