Footsteps of Bram Stoker

GPS Audio Drama with an augmented reality twist!

In the Footsteps of Bram Stoker is a GeoStory based in Whitby.

GeoStories use GPS location technology to create a powerful audio drama experience based in a particular location. They are enhanced by rich visual content and augmented reality (AR), all accessible via the app.

This story draws on the history, heritage and legends of Whitby in the late 1800s, and reimagines the strange events and dark stories that inspired Bram Stoker to write his famous Gothic novel Dracula.

People can visit the location and hear it in the place where it is based, with chapters playing automatically, triggered by GPS points, or the story can be experienced remotely.

When listening to ‘In the Footsteps of Bram Stoker’ in Whitby, for part one, listeners will be guided to start the walk at West Pier, and hear from Ramsbottom, who is predicting a violent storm that is on its way. Listeners will also hear from two ‘Gutter Girls’ gutting herrings on the harbour side, discuss-ing the storm, which had wrecked a ship on Tide Hill Beach opposite, two sailors, worse for drink near the Ship Inn, and Mrs Harker and her daughter Maria, on their way to the funeral of the Captain who was found dead lashed to the ship’s wheel of the same wrecked ship, The Demeter, with all crew lost. This part ends up in the graveyard at St Mary’s Church.

Part two imagines conversations that Bram Stoker may have had with characters he encounters, including the clairvoyant, Alsin, and a fisherman with a tale of the Barghest. Listeners will be guided to walk from Flowergate up to West Cliff and the famous Whalebone Arch, ending the walk back on Flowergate after walking through Pannett Park.

The walk (both parts one and two) takes approximately 3 hours at an average walking pace and is 7km long. If you were to break it into two parts, part one would take approximately 1 hours 15 minutes, and the second part 1 hour and 45 minutes.

The app is Bluetooth Beacon and GPS enabled. This is to show you relevant content based on your location along the trail and immediate area.

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 inter-est. 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.