A pair of cyclists mounted Google’s Street View trikes this morning to pedal around Scotland’s world-famous Loch Ness, and the overlooking Urquart Castle – ruins from the 13th century.

The specially made trikes will be taking 360-degree photographs as they’re pedalled around the historic rubble. Later this year they’ll be added to Google Maps’ Street View, as well as the Google Earth desktop application, for anyone in the world to tour virtually on their computers. (more…)

Google’s street-level mapping service hit some privacy bumps on its recent UK launch; now it’s going off-road. The Street View Trike packs the same 3D camera usually mounted on Google’s road-travelling Vauxhall Astra cars, but it’s instead fixed on a three-wheeled bike designed to negotiate footpaths and dirt tracks.

It’s a hook-up with tourism agency VisitBritain, which — unlike recent those who complained about invasion of privacy recently — has courted Google to map UK castles, coastal paths, natural wonders, historic buildings and monuments, and sports stadia this summer.

Together, they will poll the public for map candidates in each category, with a second poll resulting in the three locations the trike will visit first. The bike is starting out in Genoa, Italy, but Google says: “Due to operational factors such as light levels and the weather (and what could be a pretty tired cyclist), the trike will only be in the UK for a limited time during the summer.”