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James Cowan
11
tours
728
ratings
4.8
avg. rating
Historian, tour guide, one-time TV broadcaster, who injects Celtic passion into his storytelling!
Welshman in Denmark with Polish links
About
Tours in:

Having led professional walking tours in person in Cardiff, Wales, for many years through my own business called "Cardiff History and Hauntings" I have turned my passion for history and storytelling into creating audiotours in cities which lie close to my heart, to share this passion ever more widely!

I grew up with Cardiff on my doorstep and lived there for many years of my adult life. Discovering its incredible but still largely unknown history became an ever-growing passion which led me to develop walking tours telling stories of the history, legends and ghost stories of Cardiff and Wales – tales of Kings, Princes, traitors and a one-time tiny town on the Taff that overnight become the world’s biggest coal port, from which emerged the grand domes, towers and columns of its beautiful civic centre….while all the time, in its woodlands and castles, ancient legends and tales of ghosts still lurked! The success of this enterprise led to me being invited to script and present two TV series for local television, as well as guest appearances on TV and radio programmes all over the world.

I am delighted that, thanks to VoiceMap, I have been able to convert some of these tours into self-guided audio tours.

Since 2019 I have had a new home, Copenhagen, and I have fallen in love with this city. My thirst for historical research and uncovering "tales of the city" found a new focus here and, in 2021, I was delighted to offer my first Copenhagen audio tour, as a prelude to others which followed in 2022 and 2025, with a further tour to follow in 2026!

In 2023 I was very excited to introduce my first ever audio tour in Poland, of Warsaw’s beautiful Old Town. I have been fascinated and deeply moved by Polish history since childhood, and as an adult I have been spellbound by the beauty of its cities, and awe struck by the resilience and determination of the Polish character, despite everything the country has experienced.

My Polish partner has further wedded me to a love of this country and in 2025 I published a series of audio tours of Łódź! I hope that my tours of Łódź shed new light on this striking, exciting, and much underrated city! Moreover, I hope that my audiotour of the site of the Łódź Ghetto serves as a powerful informational and educational tool, shedding light on the city's darkest chapter. Indeed, I hope all my Polish audio tours convey my admiration and respect for the country's history and culture.

So, that is why I am thrilled to be a VoiceMap publisher. I offer you meticulously researched tours, spoken with true passion!

Credentials
Awards
  • Winner: Essential Travel magazine 2011 award: top 10 UK budget attraction

Publications and Shows
  • Presenter: Streets of Cardiff. Featured on BBC Radio and TV, UK Ch5, NHK Tokyo

Education
  • BA Medieval and Modern History, Univ. of London. Postgrad History Cal. Berkeley

Commission this Publisher
James Cowan is available to produce VoiceMap tours for you or your organisation.
If you'd like to find out more, get in touch.
Learn more
Scenic Routes
Ghosts And Hauntings
Museums
Creep amongst the buildings of this 100-acre museum in search of ghostly tales
Walking Tour
|
75 mins
Ghosts And Hauntings
Local Legends
Architecture
Stalk the ghostly and hallowed grounds of Cardiff's Llandaff Cathedral
Walking Tour
|
45 mins
Architecture
Museums
Universities
Hear and see the story of a momentous period in Cardiff’s history
Walking Tour
|
60 mins
Parks And Gardens
Royal Heritage
Religious Sites
Peel back 500 years of history on this lively meander through Cardiff’s centre
Walking Tour
|
40 mins
Parks And Gardens
War And Military
Top Sights
Walk the streets where Denmark lost its freedom before breakfast time
Walking Tour
|
60 mins
Modern History
Royal Heritage
Architecture
See 900 years of history in Copenhagen’s spectacular, royal centre of power
Walking Tour
|
90 mins
Modern History
Local Legends
Architecture
Hear the tales of turmoil that helped transform Denmark's medieval capital
Walking Tour
|
90 mins
Modern History
Religious Sites
War And Military
Follow survivor voices through Poland’s darkest chapter of human endurance
Walking Tour
|
120 mins
Architecture
War And Military
Modern History
See Poland’s phoenix city soar, where textile barons and tragic ghosts collide
Walking Tour
|
90 mins
Revolution
Public Art
Local Legends
Wander where domes, spires, mirrors, murals, and movie stars collide
Walking Tour
|
90 mins
UNESCO Sites
Royal Heritage
Architecture
Hear legendary tales as you discover the resuscitated heart of Poland's capital
Walking Tour
|
90 mins