Turner Trails are online hit
Story Published: 12 August 2010
A series of NEW trails following in the footsteps of famous British artist JMW Turner, have caught the eye of thousands of potential visitors to Yorkshire.
Launched by Welcome to Yorkshire, the Turner Trails include over 70 sites, from historic houses and holy places, to the stunning landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales and dramatic cityscapes. Visitors are able to follow the trails, walk in Turner's footsteps and see the views he captured on his frequent visits to Yorkshire.
Since June, the Turner Trails website yorkshire.com/turner has notched up a staggering 15,270 hits, including a surge of 1,893 visitors in just one day.
Visitors from as far afield as New York and Germany have requested information about the Turner Trails while thousands of information leaflets have been distributed to visitor attractions across the North.
Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said:
"We've had an unprecedented response to the launch of the Turner Trails which is proving to be a real winner with potential visitors to our county. Turner was quite an ambassador for this area as he painted over 800 sketches and paintings due to his passion for Yorkshire.
"It is a tremendous boost that so many people from both the UK and abroad want to follow in his footsteps and enjoy the legacy he left behind."
The Trails include some of Yorkshire's most famous sites such as Fountains Abbey and Rotherham Minster as well as some of the secret corners which Turner discovered nearly 200 years ago.
Many of the sites will be highlighted to visitors by the Turner Trail benches, allowing visitors to sit and take in the views which so inspired the artist. Accompanying interpretation boards will provide additional information about Turner and the artwork for that view. Work is underway on installing these and there are also downloadable maps and audio trails on the website.
Turner facts:
- Joseph Mallord William Turner was born on 23 April 1775 in London's Convent Garden
- Turner entered the Royal Academy of Art aged just 14 years
- JMW Turner was a frequent visitor to Yorkshire in the early 1800's
- His extensive tour of 1816, covering more than 500 miles and making the same number of sketches, makes him an original Yorkshire 'tourist'
For more information about the Turner Trails go to yorkshire.com/turner
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Editors' Notes:
- Welcome to Yorkshire is the official tourism agency for Yorkshire, working to grow the county's visitor economy.
- Welcome to Yorkshire is funded by Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency charged with improving the Yorkshire and Humber economy.
- Key facts include:
- Tourism in Yorkshire is worth £6.5 billion annually
- The Yorkshire tourism industry employs almost a quarter of a million people
- There are 209 million visits to Yorkshire each year
For further information please contact:
Jo Francisco - Press Officer
Email: jfrancisco@yorkshire.com
Direct Line: 0113 322 3563
Mobile: 07769257327
Andy Denton - Press Officer
Email: adenton@yorkshire.com
Direct Line: 0113 322 3537
Mobile: 0785 5812094