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!
Saltaire Village is near Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is named after Sir Titus Salt who built a textile mill, known as Salts Mill and this village on the River Aire.
Designed by architects, Lockwood and Mawson, Salts Mill was opened on Sir Titus Salt's 50th birthday, 20 September 1853.
HMS Warrior, launched in 1860, was the pride of Queen Victoria's fleet. Powered by steam and sail, she was Britain's first iron-hulled, armoured warship and the largest, fastest and most powerful ship of her day. Warrior was, in her time, the ultimate deterrent, yet within a few years became obsolete.
The trust has its headquarters in Thorn Park Lodge, Thorn Park, Plymouth. At the lodge is a pharmaceutical library, a collection of materia medica (used in the past for making pharmaceutical preparations) an extensive collection of artefacts and old fashioned proprietary goods.
The London Film Museum is now the venue for the Bond in Motion Collection, including the famous Lotus Esprit (as a submarine!). This is a chance for movie (and car) fans young and old to see some of the most iconic film vehicles of all time.
Built in a time of dissent and persecution, this unique secluded chapel was designed to look like a farmyard barn in order to avoid being discovered. Built in 1701 and refurbished in 1840, the chapel has a modest interior and a rare open air baptistry in its grounds.
This recently re-furbished town museum tells the story of Kings Lynn and west Norfolk. Gleaming display cases are packed with objects from the area’s colourful past including collections of pilgrim’s badges, maritime treasures and a fantastic hoard of Iceni gold coins.
From the tiny clockwork Musical Box to the self playing ‘Mighty Wurlitzer’, the collection embraces an impressive and fascinating array that will enchant most children.
Wide-ranging displays of aircraft, aviation archaeology and more from World War I to the Falklands and Iraq wars.
Liverpool Cathedral welcomes thousands of children and young adults each year who come either on school visits or with their friends and family.
A most unusual living museum, where amongst other things you can watch troopers working with horses in the original 18th century stables through a huge glass partition.
Through a large glazed partition you can see troopers working with horses in the original 18th century stables.
Explore London's connections with the rest of the world through an epic 2,000-year story of trade, expansion and immigration.
White Castle is the best preserved of the Three Castles, namely, White, Skenfrith and Grosmont. The heart of this castle is surrounded by powerful round towers.
The Three Castles are usually grouped together because for a large part of their history they were part of a block of territory under the control of a single lord, Hubert de Burgh.
Coldharbour Mill, built in 1799 as the first Spinning Mill in the South West, preserves a collection of Victorian Spinning Frames for the Worsted process & Hattersley Looms, still in use to produce Knitting Yarns, Tartan Cloth and Stair Runners.
Fairytale Georgian castle in magical surroundings, with Deer Park, Lake and Arboretum, Children's Adventure Playground and Assault Course, Knight's Maze and Burma Bridge Tree Top Walkway.
Inside this family home you'll find richly decorated Gothic interiors, Fine Art, Armour and much more.
Time really does stand still at Brodsworth Hall, one of the most unusual visitor attractions in South Yorkshire.
The ruins of a substantial early medieval moated manor house, built in local flint: a rare surviving example of a grand 12th century manor house, and a typical example of an East Anglian 'great house'.
Life at Crich Tramway Village is rich and varied and is illustrated by the wide range of events and special occasions we hold throughout the year.
Our recreations of the 1940s and Edwardian Era all add their own unique atmosphere to Crich Tramway Village, as you are transported back in time.
Crownhill Fort was built in 1872 as the centrepiece of Plymouth's North Eastern Defences. Designed to protect the Dockyard from a landward invasion, advances in artillery soon made the Fort obsolete.
Now owned by The Landmark Trust, the Fort is home to 15 small businesses, a holiday apartment, event spaces and an Education Centre.
Step back in time in and uncover a way of life from 100 years ago. Discover cottages, farms, schools and shops as you wander through the beautiful parkland of the Folk Museum chatting to costumed visitor guides demonstrating traditional crafts.
See how people lived through time - what they wore, the toys they played with and how they managed their household chores. Find out about the history of the house, the landscaping of its estate and enjoy the beautiful Picture Room. Free entry.
Our exhibitions include Dolls, Art, Victorian School Room, Costume and Bristol at School.
The Jodrell Bank Observatory is part of the University of Manchester's School of Physics and Astronomy. It is dominated by the monumental Lovell Telescope, the first large fully steerable radio telescope in the world - which still operates as the 3rd largest on the planet.
Corsham Court is one of England's finest stately homes and is based upon an Elizabethan Manor dating from 1582. The interiors are laid out as a suite of magnificent Georgian Staterooms, the work of leading 18th and 19th Century architects. Their brief was to properly display the famous Methuen/Sanford art collection featuring Old Masters by Van Dyck, Carlo Dolci and Lippi.
The Old Skating Rink Gallery has permanent displays and changing exhibitions of decorative arts and crafts from South Asia, from the collection of the SADACC Trust.
The Bushcraft Company offer residential school trips with a difference, taking students into the wild and giving them real back-to-nature experiences they will never forget.
A 15-year-old boy fell 60ft over the edge of a cliff whilst on a geography school trip, miraculously only suffering minor injuries.