Otley launches digital campaign to attract cyber visitors during pandemic
With the Coronavirus pandemic showing few signs of abating, the historic West Yorkshire market town of Otley is turning to new technology in an effort to lure more cyber visitors.
The town, which bridges cosmopolitan Leeds and the Yorkshire Dales, has recently digitised its four main walking trails via Google Earth. Now people can ‘fly’ over the town’s cobbled streets and alleys via Google Maps to visit sites such as beautiful Wharfedale Park by the River Wharfe, climb 282m (925ft) Otley Chevin and see the statue of the town’s most famous son, cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale, all from the comfort of their armchair.
The four trails that have been digitised are:
Otley History Trail – a walk around some of the town’s most historic sites, including the Norman-era All Saints Parish Church, the Navvies Memorial dedicated to those who lost their lives building the country’s railways and canals, and Market Place where Oliver Cromwell’s troops gathered on the eve of the 1644 Battle of Marston Moor that proved pivotal in the English Civil War,
Otley Unique Shopping Trail – a stroll around some of the town’s best independent shops, such as chocolatier-to-the-stars Patisserie Viennoise, award-winning artisan bakers and supplier to Harvey Nicholls Bondgate Bakery, and no-waste refill store Like Nana Did,
Otley Family Riverside Walk – a circular walk around beautiful River Wharfe locations, including Wharfemeadows Park, Tittybottle Park (named after the Victorian mothers who would nurse their children here), and Gallows Hill, where old sewage works have been reclaimed and transformed into a thriving nature reserve,
Best of Otley – highlights from the three other trails condensed into one easy-to-follow map.
Links to the four Google Earth trails – that are ordinarily available as foldable paper maps from Otley Town Council’s offices and local shops during non-Covid times – can be found on the town’s tourism website Visit Otley (visitotley.co.uk) under a new homepage section titled Make A Digital Day Of It – adapted from Otley’s usual Make a Day of It slogan.
The new section also features links to online courses and events taking place in the town, allowing fans of local musicians such as the Otley Ukulele Orchestra to still catch their performances or for people to take in concerts such as the Online Otley Music Festival.
A third part of the Make A Digital Day Of It section links visitors to Otley’s consumer business website Buy In Otley (buyinotley.co.uk) – and specifically to the section that details all the town’s businesses that offer delivery and click-and-collect services during the pandemic. These include one of the country’s top model shops Model Sport and leading ski and snowboard company Glide & Slide.
Chair of Otley’s trade and tourism committee councillor Paul Carter said: “There is no substitute for visiting Otley in person, but while movement around the country remains restricted, we feel the new website section is the best way to allow future visitors to get a flavour of the town before they can sample what we have to offer when lockdown ends. We look forward to welcoming visitors to the revamped Visit Otley site over the coming weeks and months, and in person when the situation allows.”
Chair of Otley Business Improvement District (Otley Bid) Thomas Hatley said: “A number of Otley businesses have improved their digital presence over lockdown, and the new section on the Visit Otley site highlights these, as well as some of the virtual events people can attend and digital trails for people to follow. It proves that Otley is very much open for online business, even if not yet open for visitors outside of our local region.”