Echoes of Exeter: A Journey Through History and Heritage

Explore Exeter at your own pace

Medieval secrets linger in Exeter's winding lanes, where ancient church towers watch over tales of scandal and survival that most visitors never hear. This self-guided audio tour reveals the city's hidden depths and little-known landmarks-perfect for those curious to peel back the layers of everyday stone.

What mysterious force kept Sacred Heart Church miraculously standing when bombs rained from the sky? Why did Exeter's bishop abandon his first cathedral and haul relics through the mud by royal command? How exactly do you move a medieval house-windows, beams, and even stubborn resident cats-without breaking history itself?

Wander from soaring cathedrals to stubborn survivors of wartime fire. Hear whispers of rebellion, forgotten faiths, daring feats, and oddities lost in the cracks. With each turn you'll see Exeter not as a quiet city but a stage for dramatic acts and near-mythic moves.

Photo: Kyle Glen, Unsplash

Tour details

• Duration: 1 hour 20 minutes, entirely at your own pace
• Distance: around 3.0 km (1.9 miles)
• Stops: 15 landmarks, including Diocese of Exeter, Sacred Heart Church, Exeter, The House That Moved
• Audio: up to 38 minutes of narration
• Starts at: Diocese of Exeter

Map data by Mapbox and OpenStreetMap contributors

How it works

• Book here and a redemption code arrives by email within minutes.
• Download the free AudaTours app on your phone and enter the code.
• Download the tour once and the whole thing works offline.
• Walk to the first stop and press play. The audio for each landmark starts automatically as you approach it, so your phone can stay in your pocket.

There is no fixed date and no start time. The date you pick at checkout does not matter, and the tour stays on your phone permanently, so you can use it whenever you next visit and walk it again as often as you like.

What is included

• Professionally narrated audio that plays automatically at each stop
• An interactive map showing the walking route between landmarks
• Full offline access once downloaded, so you need no data or signal
• Freedom to start, pause and resume whenever you like
• Lifetime access - your code never expires

Where you will stop

• Diocese of Exeter
• Sacred Heart Church, Exeter
• The House That Moved
• Isca Dumnoniorum
• Exeter monastery
• Exeter Synagogue
• Devon County War Memorial
• St Pancras Church, Exeter
• Royal Albert Memorial Museum
• Northernhay Gardens
• Exeter War Memorial
• Rougemont Gardens
• Rougemont Castle
• 2008 Exeter attempted bombing
• Barnfield Theatre

Image: AudaTours

What is AudaTours?

AudaTours turns a walk through a city into a story. Our guides bring landmarks to life with the history, the scandals and the detail you would never get from a plaque.

• Immersive: real stories about the places in front of you, not a dry commentary
• Offline: download once and use it with no data, anywhere
• At your own pace: start, pause and resume whenever you want
• Accurate: every story is built from verified historical sources and checked before release

Good to know

• This is a self-guided audio tour on your own phone. There is no in-person guide.
• It does not include entry to any building or site along the route.
• The landmarks on the tour are not affiliated with AudaTours.
• You need a smartphone with Android 7.0 or later, or iOS 16 or later.
• Bring headphones and start with a charged phone.

Who it suits

Solo travellers, couples, families and small groups who would rather explore on their own schedule than follow a guide and a fixed departure time. It suits a first visit, and it suits anyone who has already seen the famous sights and wants to know what actually happened in them.

Image credits

Photos: Kyle Glen, Nick Hawkes (Unsplash); AudaTours.