Secret Stories

UNCOVER SECRET STORIES

with Ordnance Survey

With the colder months fast approaching, it’s important for everyone’s mental and physical health to remain active and get out and about as much as possible. The next idea from Ordnance Survey to help keep the family going outdoors this winter is the new Secret Stories app, which is currently available across Sussex.

Many walkers in Sussex will be familiar with Ordnance Survey’s iconic orange OS Explorer paper maps, long trusted as an essential tool for exploring local areas or venturing off the beaten track. Yet increasingly over the last few years, more and more outdoor enthusiasts have turned to their phone or laptop to plot their routes.

In 2015, OS launched its OS Maps App. It gives users the opportunity to plot routes using a 3D viewer and download every OS Explorer (1:25,000 scale) and OS Landranger (1:50,000 scale) map across the whole of Great Britain. That’s access to over 600 maps in the palm of your hand.

The Secret Stories app is free to download and brings Sussex to life, with each Want to know where to find the mysterious skeleton of a Tudor house with a dark and fiery past? Or the devil’s grave in the longest ‘dry valley’ in the UK? If you do, then you need the Secret Stories app writes David Jones and Camilla Dowson from the Ordnance Survey

self-guided tour revealing a diverse and interesting mixture of folklore, celebrity, history and myth as you follow the route around.

Every Secret Stories tour varies, but can contain a mixture of audio clips, images, challenges, puzzles, teasers and directions to help you immerse yourself in each location as you move from story to story.

On Sussex’s Most Haunted Tour, families will discover breath-taking panoramic views and rare wildlife on one of the most notorious hills of the South Downs, while hearing ghost stories and learning about rare UFO sightings. You’ll certainly get your daily steps in by climbing up Chanctonbury Hill and marvelling at the intriguing ‘ring’ of trees which stands atop an ancient Bronze Age defence outpost.

In the heart of the Ashdown Forest, there’s the Old Lodge Loop Walking Tour to follow. Discover the beautiful surroundings of heather, grassland and clumps of gorse, along with birch and oak trees. There are also areas of Scots Pine where Coal Tit and Goldcrest sing their thin, tinkling calls, and there’s also a good chance of spotting a Crossbill.

On the Choo-Choo, ChinChin, Chiffchaff Walking Tour, near East Grinstead, take a scenic stroll through the Kingscote Valley. Walkers can experience this peaceful and picturesque corner of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which was once the busy, noisy, smoky heart of Britain’s iron-making industry. With rocks to climb and trains to spot while

searching for clues to the area’s hidden stories, this walk has something for everyone.

Nick Giles, Managing Director for OS Leisure, said, “The Secret Stories app is proving to be a brilliant new way of getting outside and making walks fun. Pick the place you are visiting, find the relevant story on the app, and then a tour reveals the fascinating people and places from past and present you never knew about. It’s an entertaining way to spend a day in your hometown, or outdoors when visiting a new location for the first time.”

Secret Stories is user-friendly for all ages with simple maps to follow and allows for complete flexibility as it does not require you to book onto a guided tour. The app allows users to save tours and enjoy them as many times as they like.

Users can add their own secret stories by using the app’s Community Stories option. The Secret Stories app is available to download for free in both the Google Play and iTunes store and offers a range of free and paid-for tours starting from £2.99.

Ordnance Survey is looking for content specialists interested in contributing tours for their local areas. For more information get in touch via feedback@secretstories.co.uk

Ordnance Survey is the national mapping service for Great Britain, making it easier to enjoy an active outdoor life. Though the paper map remains a valuable asset for many, for others it is the digital map that helps them find the way, and the Secret Stories app adds another dimension to that. l www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk

MAIS HOUSE

A Royal British Legion Care Home, providing residential and nursing care, exclusive to the Armed Forces and their spouses

Mais House is a large care home located near the sea in Bexhill-On-Sea, with a capacity to house 54 residents inclusive of 3 double rooms for adults over the age of 65.

Mais House is one of six care homes across the country dedicated to care for our veterans and operated by The Royal British Legion, providing a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, delivering 24-hour care from a team of nurses and care assistants. We also offer respite care.

18 Hastings Rd, Bexhill-On-Sea TN40 2HH If you would like further information or to arrange a virtual tour contact us on 01424 215871 www.britishlegion.org.uk