Virtual Festival underway: Heritage Trail Day

The virtual Ellen Hutchins Festival got underway yesterday, and today features the Heritage Trail, taking you to some beautiful bits of the Bantry Bay area and telling the story of the determined young woman who became Ireland’s first female botanist. You can experience the Trail for real, with the leaflet and the audio guide, driving between the stops. There are options for great walks at many of the stops.

Or follow it from home, wherever in the world you are, using the interactive story map which links to the audio guide. Hear poignant extracts from Ellen’s letters, and learn how she coped with illness and caring responsibilities that tied her to home, using botany as her ‘amusement’. How she longed to get to the mountains, and how determined she was to understand the non-flowering plants better and to share new knowledge with her fellow botanists. Enjoy!

For trail leaflet to download and free audio guide see https://ellenhutchins.com/heritage-trail/

For interactive story map and free audio guide links see: http://dahg.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapTour/index.html?appid=2c8429d1b5fc4642823d6171ed8ee1e4#