Visitors will experience the Northern Lights

YOU have to go back to the eighth century for the first sign of Viking invaders appearing on British coastlines.

More than 1,200 years later, the Nordic marauders are finally set to occupy Camden Town.

A new interactive attraction mapped out for the Stables Market site in Chalk Farm Road aims to tell the wunderlust-riddled tales from Viking culture and history.

After getting the green light from planners last week, Viking Planet will move into the large market units where the Tomb Raider Live experience flopped after just 18 months.

Founder Rasmus Ramstad, with a background in film and TV, said he was confident that people will be fascinated by the new project.

“We created the content with the help of Viking experts,” he said. Living on Norway’s west coast, he has been surrounded by the familiar legends and said he had been approached by a group of investors who were planning a Disney-style experience.

“The climate up here is a  bit rawer than Florida so I suggested we move it indoors and use new technology to transport visitors back to the Viking age,” he said.

On go the headsets

Using virtual reality and working with Blade Runner director Sir Ridley Scott’s film firm, the attraction will offer the chance to board a longship and take part in a raid on a village.Chairs in the boat are designed to move, mimicking the experience of being on the seas.

Another experience uses a virtual reality headset to take visitors through ancient Nordic landscapes, armed with a bow and arrow for protection.

He said: “We have built a 270 degree cinema inside a Viking helmet, where the screen wraps around you.”

Rasmus Ramstad from Planet Viking

While joining a raid may sound scary – and possibly bloody – Mr Ramstad said the attraction would be suitable for children, adding: “It is exciting,  thrilling and fun. Vikings were highly skilled craftsmen and adventurers.

“Look at the ships they built 1,000 years ago. They went to America from Scandinavia – and that is an incredible achievement.

“They designed ships that could cross oceans, but also go up rivers, and be hauled across land by their crew. It is incredible how they discovered the world, how they navigated.”

He added: “They believed if they died they would go to Valhalla – it meant they were not scared of putting their lives on the line in combat or in adventurous travels. It’s fascinating.”

The debate about what should and should not go into the market is a constant to and fro, with critics warning that the bohemian nature of the old stalls is gradually being eroded.

Before Tomb Raider Live moved in, the units were partly used by a retro clothes seller.

Market owners Lab Tech say experience-led attractions help draw more people into Camden Town – and therefore business for independent traders.

The Tomb Raider Live experience flopped in the same space in Stables Market

A plan for a Ferris-wheel by the canal was dropped earlier this year, however.

Mr Ramstad said: “The Viking story started and ended in the UK – and that is why we chose Camden for the first international hub. Camden felt perfect – it is a cultural centre. I first came to Camden Town in the late 1970s when it was a flea market.”

He added: “What Lab Tech has done to the markets is amazing  and we feel our attraction will appeal to both tourists and the local community.”

The attraction has permission to stay open until 1am seven nights a week, with a capacity of around 600 people at any one time.