Every journey has a story.
Your GPS audio guide to Britain
Witan automatically plays stories about the places around you as you drive, walk, cycle or travel by train.
History, folklore and local stories — triggered by GPS at the right place.
Free to start · Hands-free while travelling
What is Witan?
Witan is a GPS-triggered audio travel guide for Britain. It automatically plays location-based stories about history, folklore and the places you pass while driving, walking, cycling or travelling by train.
No searching. No following a tour group. No screen to watch. Choose how you're travelling and Witan uses your location to play relevant stories as your journey unfolds.
Hear Witan
This is what a journey sounds like
Read examples of how Witan tells stories below.
Audio samples coming with app launch
Read examples of Witan's storytelling style below.
[This is an example of how Witan narration sounds — conversational, context-rich, and tied to the place you're passing] "The road ahead curves around what was once the edge of an estate. The wall on your left is Victorian, but the boundary it follows is much older — you can tell from how the lane bends to respect it. This is what makes Britain's roads so different from planned highways. They evolved. They negotiated with field boundaries, ancient tracks, and the limits of long-vanished estates. Every curve has a reason, even when that reason disappeared centuries ago." [Narration is triggered by your GPS location and plays automatically — no interaction required while travelling]
Click above to read the example
No buttons while travelling. Just voice, triggered by where you are.
Simple by design
How Witan works
Free Guide and Just Drive need no destination. Journey lets you choose where you're travelling so Witan can prepare the history along your route.
Download and start
One tap to begin. Free Guide works instantly — no account needed. No destination required.
Travel anywhere in Great Britain
Drive, walk, cycle or take the train. Witan uses GPS to know where you are.
Listen as stories unfold
Audio plays automatically as you pass places with tales to tell. Hands-free, eyes on the journey.
Choose your experience
Three ways to explore
Start free and upgrade when you want more. No pressure, no tricks.
Free Guide
Nearby stories, wherever you are
- Up to 10 unique places per day
- Hands-free GPS-triggered narration
- All travel modes included
- No account required
My Guide
Most PopularUnlimited stories with Just Drive and Journey modes
- Unlimited stories everywhere
- Just Drive — start without a destination
- Journey — plan a route with up to 5 stops
- Prepared content continues in poor signal
Tour Guide
Hand-authored multi-day tours with pre-scripted content
- Carefully researched routes
- Multi-day curated itineraries
- Overnight stop recommendations
- Complete offline access
All prices in GBP. My Guide subscription can be cancelled anytime through the App Store or Google Play.
Your journey, your way
Four ways to travel
Witan adapts to how you move. Same stories, different pacing.
Drive
Road trips and everyday journeys. Stories timed for the speed you're travelling.
Walk
Countryside walks and city explorations. More detail, slower pace.
Cycle
Bike trails and touring routes. Adapted for cycling speeds and stopping points.
Rail
Train journeys across Britain. Stories tied to stations and passing landmarks.
Select your mode in the app. Witan adjusts story triggers and pacing automatically.
Honesty as a feature
A good story is better when you know what kind of story it is
Every Witan story follows one of three truth states: Historically Verified, Historically Debated, or Folklore & Legend. Uncertainty and tradition are made clear naturally in the narration.
Historically Verified
Supported by authoritative evidence and consistent with established historical understanding.
"The Romans built Watling Street as a military highway"
Historically Debated
Evidence is incomplete, sources conflict, or serious historians disagree. Uncertainty is explained calmly.
"Historians disagree about whether this was a temple or a marketplace"
Folklore & Legend
Recorded tradition, folklore or legend — clearly framed as tradition rather than historical fact.
"Local legend tells of a giant who threw these stones"
Natural framing, not mechanical labels
Witan does not mechanically announce a truth label before every story. Instead, uncertainty and folklore are communicated naturally in the narration itself — so you always know what kind of story you're hearing without interrupting the flow.
Tour Guides
Hand-authored multi-day tours with pre-scripted content. Carefully researched routes with overnight recommendations. Available as one-off purchases.
Coming SoonThe Great Escape
From the white cliffs to Snowdonia. Roman roads, castles, and stories of invasion and resistance.
Coming SoonThe Ancient West
Tin mines, standing stones, and Arthurian legend. The Celtic heart of Britain.
Coming SoonThe Dragon's Spine
Mountain passes, slate valleys, and the stories of a nation that refused to be conquered.
Coming SoonThe Highland Reel
Lochs, glens, and clan history. From Edinburgh to the edge of the Highlands.
Join the launch list to be notified when Tour Guides are available.
Designed for real journeys
Keeps working in poor signal
Britain's most interesting places are often the most remote. My Guide Journey content is prepared before you travel and can continue during areas of poor mobile signal. GPS location triggers work even without internet.
- Prepared Journey content
Route narration prepared before you travel
- GPS works without data
Location triggers continue even without internet
- Optimised for battery
Efficient background location use
Prepared Journey content can continue playing in the Scottish Highlands, the Welsh valleys, or anywhere else the signal drops.
Questions answered
Everything you need to know about Witan
From how it works to where it works — get answers to the questions travellers ask most.
Witan is a GPS-triggered audio travel guide for Great Britain. It automatically plays stories about the places you pass while driving, walking, cycling or travelling by train. History, folklore and local stories — triggered by GPS at the right place.
Witan does not require you to follow a fixed walking route or keep checking your screen. GPS triggers stories automatically as your journey unfolds. Witan is hands-free and voice-only once started — no interaction required while travelling.
My Guide Journey content is prepared before you travel and can continue during areas of poor mobile signal. Tour Guide content (coming soon) will be fully downloadable for offline use. Free Guide and Just Drive work best with connectivity but GPS location triggers continue even without internet.
Witan supports driving, walking, cycling and rail travel. Story timing and location triggers adapt to the way you are travelling.
Witan is designed for hands-free listening. Choose your mode before travelling and let stories play automatically. Never interact with your phone while driving.
Every Witan story follows one of three truth states: Historically Verified, Historically Debated, or Folklore & Legend. Uncertainty and tradition are made clear naturally in the narration, so folklore is never presented as established history.
Free Guide provides hands-free GPS-triggered historical narration at up to 10 unique places per local calendar day. All historical content comes from approved, evidence-backed sources. All travel modes are included and no account is required.
My Guide (£2.99/month or £24.99/year) unlocks unlimited stories with two modes: Just Drive lets you start without entering a destination — Witan follows your movement and selects relevant history. Journey lets you plan a route with departure, destination and up to five optional stops, preparing a connected historical narrative for your trip.
Just Drive is a My Guide mode where you start Witan without entering a destination. Witan follows your live movement and direction, selecting relevant historical narration based on where you are travelling. Previously heard material is not simply repeated.
Journey is a My Guide mode where you select your departure, destination, travel mode and up to five optional stops. Witan prepares a connected historical journey for your route — shaped as a narrative with story arcs, not just a list of places. Journey content is prepared before you travel.
Tour Guides are hand-authored multi-day tours with pre-scripted content — separate from My Guide. They include carefully researched routes, story stops and overnight recommendations. Tour Guides are available as one-off purchases. This feature is coming soon.
Witan uses GPS efficiently and is designed for extended journeys. Battery impact is similar to navigation apps. For long trips, we recommend connecting to your car's power. The app works with the screen off, which significantly reduces battery usage.
Witan is primarily a voice-only experience designed to work through your car's Bluetooth audio. Full CarPlay and Android Auto integration is planned for a future update.
Witan tells the stories of places: why this hill has that name, what happened at that crossroads, who built the ruined abbey you just passed. History, folklore, etymology, and the human stories that made Britain's landscape.
Witan covers Great Britain — England, Scotland and Wales. We focus on places that travellers actually pass through: A-roads and B-roads, rail lines, walking trails, and cycling routes.
Yes. Witan works in cities, towns, villages, and open countryside. Urban areas often have rich histories — walk through London, Edinburgh, York, or Bath and discover stories at every corner.
No. Witan is an audio-first, GPS-triggered historical companion. It explains where you are, what happened there and why it matters. Witan does not provide turn-by-turn navigation or replace your sat-nav.
Still have questions?
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