Hot Chip, headsets and Her Royal Highness: The VR Tour!

15/05/2025

Head of programming and engagement, Helen Langwick, updates us on a blazing few weeks on tour, bringing our VR experience to the nation.

Well, folks, we’ve finally unpacked the van (for the last time, thankfully!), downed a celebratory cuppa, and are ready to spill the beans on our epic three-week tour of England and Scotland with our virtual reality (VR) experience, A Frozen Night! 

For three weeks in April and May, we embarked on a mission to bring the icy wonders of Antarctic heritage to audiences far and wide, and what a journey it was. 

The VR tour was in partnership with NZAHT (UKAHT/Helen Langwick)

Our fantastic partnership with the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust made the adventure all the richer. They joined us on the road, touring their own incredible VR experience, Scott’s Discovery Hut. It was a brilliant collaboration, allowing us to offer a double dose of Antarctic heritage and immersion. 

Our trusty chariot for this escapade? A crew van affectionately nicknamed 'Hot Chip' – a nod to our Kiwi friends' term for what we Brits call chips (the glorious kind you have with battered fish, of course). Many an hour was spent in Hot Chip, sharing favourite music tracks that blasted from the radio, leading to lively cultural comparisons and a fair bit of laughter. And let's not forget the daily, somewhat less glamorous, ritual of ‘Van Tetris’ – strategically (and sometimes desperately) packing and repacking our precious VR gear into the back at each new venue. 

Our tour kicked off at a rather fitting location: the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge, where we also have our offices. We had an informal lunch with the brilliant team there, followed by an afternoon dedicated to putting various scientists and staff through both A Frozen Night and Scott’s Discovery Hut. It was fascinating to get their expert perspectives. 

The band at the Polar museum, Cambridge (UKAHT/Helen Langwick)

The next day, we headed to the equally prestigious Polar Museum, opening our experiences first to the staff at the Scott Polar Research Institute in the morning, and then to the general public in the afternoon. Kat, David and the team were incredibly accommodating, and the day was a resounding success, topped off with a truly special after-hours tour of the museum and library – a genuine treat for us all. 

Rounding off our first week, we visited Impington Village College. The Year 10 students were fantastic. Having already engaged with some of our classroom resources before our visit, they were well-informed and brimming with insightful questions. It was a joy to chat with them and their teachers – some of whom couldn't resist sneaking in for a go on the VR themselves! While I nipped home for a quick weekend refresh, the rest of the team deservedly headed to London for some sightseeing and well-earned rest. 

A student at Impington Village College (UKAHT/Helen Langwick)

Week two saw us pick up the pace again, starting with a meeting at the Natural History Museum in London, where we demonstrated the VR experiences to members of their public engagement team and gave a short presentation. The aim here was to sow the seeds for future partnership conversations and explore potential collaborations – exciting stuff! 

The following day, we found ourselves at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Our wonderful Trustee – and NMM curator – Claire Warrior, had organised everything fantastically. We engaged a significant number of staff with the VR experiences and also invited the public to dive into the Antarctic. It was an incredibly busy day, but with the sun blazing and Greenwich looking its absolute finest, the atmosphere was electric. Again, promising initial conversations about future collaborations took place, and it was so rewarding to hear how highly everyone regarded our VR work. 

Her Royal Highness Princess Anne stayed longer than expected (UKAHT/@hesterphoto)

Tuesday evening, Hot Chip ferried us to Hampshire, where a series of engagements awaited, including one particularly special event. Wednesday was spent at Selborne C of E Primary School, where the Year 5/6 class enjoyed a presentation from us before getting thoroughly stuck into the VR experiences. Their enthusiasm was infectious! We also managed a quick 'recce' at the nearby Gilbert White's House & Gardens, as the very next day, we were honoured to be hosting a royal visit there from our patron, Her Royal Highness Princess Anne. 

The house and gardens were looking absolutely stunning in the glorious spring weather. The team there were aalso a delight to work with; nothing was too much, and there was a real sense of collective effort as we moved furniture, set up banners, drew out virtual boundaries, and ensured everything was spic and span. 

Our vice-patron, Alexandra Shackleton, also tried the VR (UKAHT/@hesterphoto)

On May Day, the royal visit went without a hitch. Her Royal Highness was incredibly engaged, staying much longer than anticipated. She showed such enthusiasm for our work in Antarctica and clearly enjoyed meeting the various stakeholders who joined us. Our young friends from Selborne C of E Primary also had the memorable experience of meeting the Princess Royal and telling her all about their virtual trips to Antarctica and what they thought of the VR, now that they were pros. 

After an early start and a truly momentous day, the touring VR team enjoyed a lovely, well-deserved lunch in the White’s cafe. We took some time to stroll through the exquisite grounds, soaking in the quintessential English countryside before heading back to our more modest lodgings for the night. 

Pupils from Selborne C of E Primary School (UKAHT/Helen Langwick)

That evening, seeking a celebratory pint, we nipped out to a local tap room and stumbled straight into a lively scene of morris dancers! They were in full May Day celebration mode, "singing the sunup and down again," jingling about the room, regaling us with English folk songs, and sharing tall tales. All in all, it was quite possibly the most wonderfully English day we could have arranged for our partners from New Zealand! 

But, as they say, there's no rest for the wicked. We were soon at Edgeborough Prep School, delivering an assembly and then guiding their Year 7 and 8 students through the VR experiences. Once again, we encountered a lovely bunch of enthusiastic pupils, and several teachers also managed to find a moment to have a go. The school organised the day brilliantly and were wonderful hosts – they even provided us with a delicious lunch! 

As that long week drew to a close, we piled back into Hot Chip and pointed its nose north, ready for the final leg of our three-week tour. This grand finale took place at the Discovery Point Museum in Dundee, right in the shadow of Scott's iconic ship, RRS Discovery. 

The team in Dundee with the RRS Discovery behind them (UKAHT/Helen Langwick)

Here, we welcomed a mix of museum staff, members of the public, and even some press. It felt incredibly special to be showcasing our Antarctic VR in a place so deeply connected to the history of polar exploration. Whilst we were in this neck of the woods, we popped over to Edinburgh Zoo to have a chat with them about partnership opportunities. Their learning and development team seemed to enjoy a bit of VR on a Friday afternoon, and there will be further exciting conversations coming in the future.  

Throughout the tour, there were, of course, the behind-the-scenes realities: the nightly ritual of lugging headsets back to our various hotel rooms, hunting down every available plug socket to ensure everything was charged for the next day. We enjoyed many a good meal in cafes and restaurants up and down the country. One amusing cultural discovery was learning that while our Kiwi friends share our love for fish and chips, they often forgo the vinegar – a culinary quirk that sparked some light-hearted debate in the van! 

Looking back, this tour was a resounding success. We pushed the boundaries of public engagement and innovation, solidified a fantastic partnership with our friends from New Zealand, and planted the seeds for many more exciting ventures to come. We've learnt an immense amount about how to present VR effectively in diverse venues, and the gears are already turning for what our next digital engagement project might be. 

The VR tour was a resounding success! (UKAHT/@hesterphoto)

For now, though, after such a busy but incredibly rewarding few weeks, I think we can all agree we need a good, long sit-down! 

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to see us, to all our wonderful hosts, and especially to the New Zealand Heritage Trust for being such brilliant road trip companions. Until next time!

To coincide with our VR tour, we have launched a Virtual Visit area of our website. Here, you can view a 3D model of Goudier Island, take a 360° walkabout of Bransfield House and try our VR experience from your home by downloading A Frozen Night on the Meta app store for Quest 2 devices.