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Is it a 360 Virtual Tour?

Hi

OK - I am having a bit of a rant today! so bear with me.

When we compile a 360 Virtual Tour here, we do the FULL 360 including the Nadir and Zenith (top and bottom) which takes a little longer but really is not rocket science. It just involves a little matching etc, but as many clients have gone to expense to have nice flooring / carpeting, or an old building has aged oak beams or a fancy plastered ceiling, why should these features be missed? or covered by a label?

Also many so called 360 Virtual Tours only have a top to bottom range of about 100 - 120 degrees or 50 degrees above and below the horizon, which misses about 1/3 of the total Tour.

Although there are no hard and fast rules about what comprises a 360 Virtual Tour, its amazing what seems to pass as one!

Many potential clients, when initially broached about having a Virtual Tour, are quite negative and have been put off by exorbitant costs or poor quality VTs which they have seen or been quoted for and it can be difficult to turn around those negatives and give people confidence in the quality and cost effectiveness of our service.

But over 600 Virtual Tours later - we must be doing something right!

;o)

Virtual Tours and Ghosts!

Hi

Now here's a mystery.........

Some time ago Richard did a Virtual Tour for an old hotel in Wales, and we are talking centuries old here!

Anyway, back at base we started to process the images and were quite taken aback at a particular shot of the Bar area. Richard is an old sceptic, but even he could not explain away this one!

So here is the image, take a good look at the 'Specials' board which has been wiped clean. Can you see the three heads?? The more you look the more the details become apparent. The Hotel is reportedly haunted by the way!

Spooky or what!

Virtual tours in the Glorious Lake District

Hi
Well..... for anyone who is considering visiting the Lake District, we can thoroughly recommend one of the Cottage companies we work with up there.

Lakeland Hideaways are based up in Hawkshead, which apart from being a lovely place in its own right, is a good central base from which to discover the highlights of this spectacular area. They have some fabulous places to stay and can guide the intrepid explorers into the most spectacular locations. Gary and Ruth, along with their staff are all people with an excellent knowledge of what is around and about.

Some of the cottage locations just take your breath away, and Virtual Tours are always a pleasure to undertake in the Lakes.

We are so lucky to live in a land of such diverse beauty and interest. Long may the UK Tourism industry flourish in these times of uncertainty around travel abroad.

School Virtual Tours

Hi
We have been lucky enough to be commissioned for some school Virtual Tours and they are so interesting to do. It being quite a few years (ahem!) since Richard and I partook of the education system, we have been astounded at the 'school experience' of today.

Our latest school Ravensfield Primary School in Dukinfield, Tameside was an absolute joy to do. The new modern, eco friendly building is light and airy, well equipped and staffed by a fabulous team of people. Thank you Mrs Allford for your warm welcome and assistance! They have outside learning areas which must be great for the children and the Foundation areas were absolutely fascinating - a great mix of play and learning.

We have done several schools now, both primary and secondary, and will be more than happy to do as many School Virtual Tours as we can!

More Virtual Tours in Wales!!

Hi

Richard is just putting together his Wales programme for next week, so it will be down to West Wales for some more holiday properties to have Virtual Tours done. We love Wales and we have had opportunity to discover some fabulous places both to film and to visit. The locations of some of the holiday properties are just stunning.

One of my favourite places is New Quay, a lovely little fishing village on the West coast where you can stroll down the harbour wall and watch the dolphins. The nearest we ever saw them was about 3m from the harbour wall. Mwnt is another place, a beautiful Bay, looked after by the National Trust and again home to dolphins and seals.

If you have never visited the West of Wales you dont know what you are missing - I promise! We have also had opportunity to meet some smashing people during the course of Richards' work, from all over Wales. The warm welcome is just icing on the cake (or Bara Brith) to be working in such a scenic, wonderous and unforgettable country.

North Wales Holiday Cottages were the first Holiday Cottage company that Richard gained in Wales, and we still work closely with owners Barbara and Richard after a three year successful working relationship and they are thoroughly convinced of the effectiveness of Virtual Tours on their Website. North Wales again has many, many beautiful areas to visit and stay and the friendly, professional staff at North Wales Holiday Cottages are only too pleased to help you choose from amongst their many wonderful properties. Since then we have been fortunate enough to also work alongside West Wales Holiday Cottages and St. Brides Bay Cottages and long may they continue to grow and flourish!

And then there is The Lake District and The Yorkshire Dales................................ but thats another blog for another day! :o)

A major benefit of Richard's Virtual Tours

Hi
Am in a reflective mood today - well it is Sunday after all. As mentioned in an earlier blog, Richard has just undertaken a Virtual Tour of The Merchant Taylors' Hall in York and although I didn't go with him, I helped out back at base with some editing and stitching etc, and as the detail in the tours is so good I feel I have personally been there anyway.

What a fabulous place! Absolutely steeped in history and over 700 years old! What those walls and beams must have witnessed over the centuries. Why can we not build beautiful, characterful buildings like that anymore? Can you imagine any of todays modern buildings still being here in the year 2700?

Another recent job was the gothic Rochdale Town Hall (details to follow later) which is another fabulous venue, with its stained glass windows and sweeping staircase.

So I feel its a major benefit of Richards work, that we get to experience some fabulous places, usually empty of other visitors and that through the Virtual Tours prospective customers / bookings are able to experience that same detail from the comfort of their computer seat.

So long for now.