VISITORS to Southampton have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the Mayflower pilgrims by using a recently released app.

Mayflower 400 UK has announced the launch of the Mayflower self-guided tours app, a free app that provides users with self-guided tours of the UK towns, cities and villages connected to the Mayflower ship.

App users will enjoy free, guided walks and driving tours of places connected to the Mayflower, which to name a few include Southampton, Rotherhithe, Dartmouth and Leiden in Holland.

The app makes use of GPS to notify users of nearby places of interest, allowing visitors to retrace the journey of the Mayflower pilgrims and explore all the stops on the Mayflower trail at their own pace, learning about the history of the pilgrims’ journey through England and Holland and their final voyage on the Mayflower.

CEO of Mayflower 400, Charles Hackett, said: “We’ve launched the app in the build-up to the Mayflower 400 anniversary year to help visitors get the best possible experience from visiting the sites that tell the stories of the pilgrims’ origins. The app has been designed to take people on a journey, telling the stories behind the places the pilgrims were from and where and why they travelled.

“It will help people to discover iconic places on the Mayflower trail - including the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth and the famous Mayflower Pub on the cobbled streets of London as well as sharing the stories of the Separatists including Brewster, Bradford and Clifton in their home towns and villages. There are excellent tour guides across the Mayflower destinations who can provide personal informative and insightful guided tours that really bring the story to life. The app provides visitors with the opportunity to take a tour in their own time.”

Next year marks the 400th anniversary of the historic voyage of the Mayflower ship from the UK to the “New World” of America.

The anniversary will commemorate the legacy of the passengers and crew who undertook the epic journey inspired by a desire for freedom.

Mayflower 400 is a cultural programme which aims to unite communities, inspire creativity and promote understanding and education of the pivotal moment in history.