New Charles Dickens trail comes to coastal town

A new digital Charles Dickens trail has been developed in Kent.

The interactive trail takes users on a literary journey around Broadstairs, which organisers called one of the author's favourite seaside destinations.

The free trail, developed in part by Canterbury Christ Church University, is a self-guided experience using QR codes to unlock stories and insights about the town's literary heritage.

"We've had great fun exploring Dickens's time in Broadstairs," said professor Carolyn Oulton, from the university.

She added that she and the team behind the tour had also looked at the memories and responses of Victorian tourists and local residents.

"One woman remembered being told to keep her children quiet while [Dickens] was working," Oulton said.

"As users move through Broadstairs, they will discover locations connected to Dickens' life and work, alongside stories that reveal how the town has inspired generations of writers," organisers detailed.

Those wishing to do the tour need to scan the barcode on the flyer, which they can pick up at Broadstairs Dickens Museum and Bleak House, then follow the trail.

Rose Kay, the CEO of Gazooky Studios, which helped deliver the trial, said Dicken's connection to Broadstairs is "so rich and personal"

"Yet so much of it is invisible unless you know where to look."

She added that the trial leads people "to places like Fort House where they can look up at the very room where Dickens sat and wrote, and hear his voice tell them why that spot mattered to him."

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