iPad Tours launched at Penrhyn Castle in Wales uncover secrets from the site's history

Penrhyn castle may be a historic 19th century fortress, but visitors are being offered a distinctly 21st century way of exploring inside.

Thanks to a collaborative project between volunteers Bryn and Jean Hughes and the onsite Learning Team, guests can now enjoy a series of iPad e-tours providing fully guided trails around the Castle and its grounds.

Four different routes have been created to help visitors discover the National Trust Site, each promising to shine a light on the more unusual aspects of the Penrhyn story.

“Jean and I are delighted to have volunteered on this,” says Bryn, Hughes' husband.

“It’s taken the best part of a year, 450 volunteering hours between us, but it has been a really interesting and rewarding project.”
 
Since the National Trust first opened Penrhyn Castle to the public 60 years ago, more than 3 million visitors have explored the attraction, its collections, museums and fascinating history.

“The idea behind the project is to offer visitors a new exciting way to see the castle – essentially using the iPads as their own personal guides, that they can follow at their own pace, whatever the time,” says the site’s Resi Tomat.

• All four e-tours are available in English and Welsh. The iPads are available to borrow for free from the castle shop.