Cumbria - the Lake District opens for virtual visits

Would you like to sit back in the comfort of your own home and enjoy some of the most beautiful scenery in England? With VirtualCumbria.net, the pioneering 360 x 360-degree Virtual Tour Guide to the county, you can now take an interactive trip through the landscapes of Cumbria and the English Lake District.

This exciting new web site, which was created by bnm-interactive in association with Cumbria Tourist Board, features the most comprehensive virtual guide to any part of Britain. With 200 different virtual tour images, visitors will be able to explore famous views, including best-loved towns, villages and countryside.

Example: Derwentwater

www.virtualcumbria.net/northlakes/derwentwater_jetty.htm

VirtualCumbria.net was launched by Sir Chris Bonington and Eric Robson, the Chairman of Cumbria Tourist Board, at the National Parks Brockhole Visitor Centre on Lake Windermere.

Mr Bonington said 'Ive travelled to some of the worlds most remote mountain regions and stood on the top of the worlds highest peaks while enjoying sights that most people only dream of. Wherever I am and whatever I see, my favourite place on earth is Cumbria and the Lake District. You too can now marvel and enjoy some of my much-loved areas by exploring the stunning tours on VirtualCumbria.net.

A video of Sir Chris Bonington demonstrating VirtualCumbria.net can be seen at:

http://www.virtualcumbria.net/presentation/

Eric Robson said, 'The 360 x 360-degree tour images mean we can present the stunning scenery of Cumbria -- the Lake District to potential visitors on the web better than ever before. People are increasingly using the internet to plan their holidays and this website puts Cumbria at the forefront in the use of new technology.

Virtual tourists will not only be able to look all around but also up and down -- just as if they are really there!

Example: Langdale Pikes

www.virtualcumbria.net/southlakes/langdales_sidepike.htm

The Tourism Minister, Kim Howells, has also welcomed the site. He said, 'I am delighted to see Cumbria promoting itself in such an innovative and enjoyable way.

'I love spending time in the Lakes but my busy schedule doesn't allow me to visit as often as I'd like. So VirtualCumbria.net will provide a great way for me, and many others, to reminisce over areas we know well and to explore new places in preparation for future visits.'

Businesses can also get their own 360-degree images. Ian Dixon from the George Hotel in Keswick said, 'We were amazed at the amount of extra enquiries we have received after demonstrating our business using a bnm-interactive Virtual Tour.

Kim Howells said, 'With growing competition for visitors it's important for businesses to make the best possible use of new technology. These virtual guides provide firms with an imaginative way to showcase their products to a global audience.'

bnm-interactive are not new to pioneering the use of the latest technology on websites. They produced some of the first interactive panoramics of remote mountains around the world on Sir Chris Boningtons expedition websites in the early nineties.