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This paper presents a study on how digitally-mediated interactions with intangible cultural heritage may support psychological wellbeing and intergenerational connectedness. As part of the INT-ACT project, we engage three participant groups: young adults (18–30), older adults (60+), and individuals with mild cognitive impairment, in immersive interactions with the Calanais megalithic landscape on the Isle of Lewis.

Building on research into the therapeutic potential of heritage, we examine how participants engage with a bespoke XR tablet application that facilitates sensory and narrative interaction with Calanais through images, stories, sounds, and interactive components linked to the natural landscape. The tool acts as a digital mediator between personal stories, cultural narratives, and ecological presence, extending how people encounter and share heritage. Participants use the tool in intergenerational pairs and reflect on their experience through interviews and dialogue.

Using a mixed-methods approach, we analyse interviews, mood diaries, psychological questionnaires, demographic data, and physiological measures to explore how digitally facilitated access to heritage may impact connection to nature, place, memory, and others, and how this varies across age and cognitive profiles. We examine how these engagements may reshape narratives of self, belonging, and wellbeing.

The Calanais site is presented as a dynamic space where nature, culture, and technology converge. This study offers insight into how digital tools facilitate an interplay between human experience, nature and heritage, by fostering multisensory, socially engaged, and emotionally resonant forms of cultural participation.