A number of iconic castles, country houses and landscapes across the UK, which are owned by the National Trust (NT), have been added to Google's Street View service.

People around the world will now have the opportunity to visit a total of 19 NT properties through Google Maps, which provides a 360-degree ground level tour of the trust's attractions. A specially-created online tour is also provided to help visitors explore the sites, which include Northern Ireland's Downhill Demesne; Corfe Castle in Dorset; Plas Newydd in Wales and the Fountains Abbey World Heritage Site in Yorkshire.

Ed Parsons, geospatial technologist at Google, said: "National Trust properties/locations offer all of us a special glimpse of history, nature and architecture up and down the country." The Google Trike, a three-wheeled bike fitted with a camera to capture and collect images, was used as part of the project, covering an estimated 125 miles (201km). Several other properties will also be added to the service in 2010, including the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland.

Image: The Google Trike at Corfe Castle – Pete Willows/BNPS