Appleby Castle Norman Centre

A fun family audio guide through the historic Norman Keep at Appleby Castle.

The Norman Centre audio trail allows users to explore the 12th Century Norman Keep at Appleby Castle. Visitors to the Keep will learn about the Viking history of the town, the Norman conquest, the Bayeux Tapestry, the Norman way of life and so much more. The audio trail has been written to bring to life the fantastic display boards and replica Norman costumes and artefacts on display at the castle.

Visitors will also listen to dramatic audio segments featuring Lady Anne Clifford and Ranulf de Glanville, the Castle’s most celebrated residents.

The trail is narrated by humorous ghost and guardian spirit of Appleby Keep- Caesar. Kids will love waking him up by finding the first symbol.

The trail uses binaural audio for a unique and immersive experience. Participants should wear headphones to listen to the trail and search for numbered symbols all around the keep to listen.

The app uses Near Field Communication (NFC). If you hit the scanning button on the app and tap it against a numbered symbol it will automatically start playing the relevant audio track.

The app also uses Location Services and Bluetooth Low Energy to determine your location when the app is running in the background. It will trigger notifications when you are close to a location of interest. We have used GPS and Bluetooth Low Energy in a power-efficient way. However, as with all apps that use location, please note that continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.