ONE man has recorded some of Scotland’s highest and remotest regions using the Google Street View Trekker, providing breathtaking 360-degree views that can be seen with the click of a mouse.
Simon Goodall, the National Trust for Scotland’s wildlife filming editor, braved blizzards, rain and wind to capture stunning views of the Trust’s countryside properties.
Says a spokesperson: “Street View cameras are more often associated with urban roads and streets, mounted onto cars to record – but Simon used a Street View trekker, supplied by Google, to capture his unique footage.
“The result is an captivating perspective of some of Scotland’s best known wild destinations, allowing online viewers to trace paths along mountain ridges or scan the landscape from island cliffs or high waterfalls.
“The 18kg camera was mounted on a rucksack style harness to allow him the relative agility to tackle wild paths in the company of Trust rangers for added safety.”
Said Simon: “We had the loan of the camera for two months and deciding which properties to feature was difficult given the extent of the Trust’s countryside properties, but we have captured mountains, waterfalls, islands and sealife.
“Like a normal camera, a spot of rain on the lens can completely ruin a shot, so using a camera like the Google Trekker with several lenses at 360 degrees in a notoriously wet country like Scotland – all while struggling to the top of a Munro – was a challenge.
“We were caught in a blizzard near the summit of Beinn a Bhuird at Mar Lodge, and I relied on the Trust property guide’s mountain knowledge to continue, despite the fierce wind. But the results are breath-taking.”
Detailed footage of a dozen National Trust for Scotland countryside properties, which show the dazzling cascades at the Falls of Glomach, bird speckled cliffs at Staffa or the dizzying tops of the Five Sisters of Kintail can be found on the Trust’s website at http://www.nts.org.uk/treks.
Laurian Clemence, of Google UK, said: “The Google Trekker is a backpack camera with 360 degree views, that captures imagery of some of the world’s most remote places so that anyone with an Internet connection can enjoy and experience nature’s best.
“We are delighted to have worked with the National Trust of Scotland to bring Street View to their pristine areas of beauty.”
The National Trust for Scotland properties captured using Street map technology are:
* Culzean Castle & Country Park, Ayrshire
* Grey Mare’s Tail, Dumfries & Galloway
* Glenfinnan Monument, Inverness-shire
* Glencoe – Coire Gabhail and Buachaille Etive Beag, Highlands
* Mar Lodge – Beinn A’ Bhuird, Salmon Ladder and Lairig Ghru, Aberdeenshire
* Isle of Mull – Burg, Argyll
* Staffa – Island walk and boat trip, Hebrides
* Iona, Hebrides
* Inverewe Estate and Garden, Wester Ross
* Falls of Glomach, Ross-shire
* Kintail and West Affric Estate – Loch a’ Bhealaich and The Five Sisters of Kintail, Highlands
* Linn of Tummel, Perthshire
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Issued by Pagoda PR on behalf of National Trust for Scotland. Contact Barbara Fraser on 0131 556 0770, barbara.fraser@pagodapr.com.
Editor’s notes:
The National Trust for Scotland is one of Scotland’s leading conservation charities, which relies on the financial support of its members and donors to fund its important work of caring for the natural and cultural heritage of Scotland for everyone to enjoy.
The National Trust for Scotland owns 76,000 ha (188,000 acres) of countryside. It is the largest conservation landowner in Scotland and largest employer of countryside rangers.
The Trust is responsible for: one Natural World Heritage Site, three Ramsar Sites, 16 Special Areas of Conservation, 16 Special Protection Areas (For birds), seven National Nature Reserves, one Local Nature Reserve, 45 Sites of Special Scientific Interest, 32 Geological Conservation Review Sites and 22 National Scenic Areas.
You can join the National Trust for Scotland for as little as £6 per month for a family. To become a member, visit http://www.nts.org.uk/Join/Benefits/.
You can make a difference and help protect everything in our care. Donate online at https://www.nts.org.uk/Donations/
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