Category Archives: Days Out

Attractions, Days Out, Quingo Scooters

Quingo Scooters Accessible Attractions: Blackpool Zoo

Quingo Scooters are back with another fun, family day out for all the family to enjoy, this week we’re heading to the north west of England for an attraction perfect for animal lovers! Where are we this week?

Quingo Scooters Blackpool zoo 2

The zoo

Blackpool Zoo is a multi-award-winning family favourite with everything from zebras and penguins to giraffes and sea lions. As well as many animals calling Blackpool Zoo their home, it boasts incredible displays including the UK’s best sea lion display, an impressive array of birds and a host of animal experiences

Highlights include:

  • Gorilla Mountain – Gorilla Mountain is one of the most popular enclosures, offering natural surroundings for a family of Western Lowland gorillas. The island is accessed from their outside paddock and they spend much of their time there, enjoying the sunshine during summer and foraging for scattered food.
  • Lemur Wood – Lemur Wood was one of the UK’s first walk-through zoo enclosures, offering the chance to walk through with the stars of the DreamWorks’ film ‘Madagascar’. Popular with young visitors, there are three species of lemur in the enclosure, the lemurs enjoy jumping across the walkway to say hello to their visitors.
  • Active Oceans – Active Oceans consists of the zoo’s sea lion pool – the largest in the UK – a seating area for 400 people and a penguin pool with underwater viewing. Twice daily, the sea lions display their natural behaviours which are explained by their trainers. The Magellanic penguins are the only ones of their type in the UK – they love to meet visitors through the underwater glass.
  • Big Cats – the Big Cat House is home to African lions and Amur tigers, slotted in between the two is the meerkat enclosure – another popular destination. The lions enjoy a multi surface outdoor enclosure with a heated ‘rock’, with many hiding places for food the lions use their great sense of smell to find their meat.
  • Elephant and Reptile House – Asian elephants have been residents at Blackpool Zoo since its first opening in 1972, the indoor area of the elephant house is shared with a large collection of reptiles and invertebrates (insects), as well as two tanks of fish. Other species in the house include snakes, lizards, amphibians, tarantulas and much more.

Entry prices and opening times

The zoo is open every day from 10am, with the exception of Christmas Day when the zoo is closed. The closing times vary throughout the year, it is advised to check the closing times of the zoo when booking tickets online or planning your trip. For more information, visit the website here.

Online entry prices to the zoo are £13.99 for adults, £11.99 for senior citizens and students and £10.99 for children (3-15 years). Gate entry prices to the zoo are £17.99 for adults, £15.99 for senior citizens and students and £13.50 for children (3-15 years). There are a range of group ticket options available for visitors to the zoo, for more information visit the website here.

Quingo Scooters Blackpool zoo 3

Getting there

Blackpool Zoo is just two miles inland from the attractions of the famous Blackpool Golden Mile. For visitors travelling by car, follow the M6 to junction 32 and take the M55 to junction 4, then follow the ‘brown elephant’ signs to the zoo.

For visitors travelling by bus, Blackpool Transport provides daily bus services to the zoo on lines 15 and 16, running every 30 minutes from Blackpool Town Centre, Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Marton Mere Holiday Park.

For visitors travelling by train, trains run from two stations in Blackpool, it is recommended to use Blackpool North Station which is 5 minutes from the town centre.

For more information on travelling to the zoo, visit the website here.

Accessibility

There is level access throughout the whole of the zoo for scooters users, there are viewing options available at many of the enclosures to ensure that all visitors can view the animals. There are four toilet blocks on site, each including accessible toilets. The zoo offers level parking for up to 400 vehicles, including 12 dedicated spaces for blue badge holders, there is a parking charge of £2.50 per day. For more information regarding accessibility, visit the website here.

About Quingo

The Quingo Scooter range features six models to suit your needs and budget. New models are now available from just £22/week on our new contract hire scheme, which includes all servicing and maintenance, Insurance, Roadside Recovery, Call Outs and Consumables including Batteries and Tyres. For more information on this, or the latest Quingo Scooter range, please visit our website. Alternatively, if you have any service questions you can always contact us or call customer services on 01582 430 900.

Keep up-to-date with the latest mobility scooter advice, tips and interesting places to visit on the Quingo Scooter Users Blog. Connect with Quingo and keep up-to-date with all our latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

All Quingo Personal Mobility Vehicles are provided by Forever Active, the UK’s exclusive distributor. Forever Active is a trading name of Advantage Marketing Corporation Limited (AMC).  AMC Limited is an appointed representative of First Senior Insurance Services Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. First Senior Insurance Services FSA Register number is 308478.

Attractions, Days Out, Quingo Scooters

Quingo Scooters Accessible Attractions: Apollo Victoria Theatre

Quingo Scooters are bringing you yet another great British attraction in England’s capital this week as part of our Accessible Attractions series. This one is for theatre fans…

QUINGO SCOOTERS ACCESSIBLE ATTRACTIONS: APOLLO VICTORIA THEATRE 2
Editorial credit: Zabotnova Inna / Shutterstock.com

The Apollo Victoria Theatre

The Apollo Victoria Theatre is a West End theatre within the Westminster district of London. The theatre opened in 1930 as a cinema and variety theatre; it then became a venue for musical theatre beginning with The Sound of Music in 1981, including Starlight Express which ran from 1984 to 2002. The theatre is now the home of the award-winning musical Wicked, which has wowed audiences at the venue for 11 years.

Wicked

First opening on Broadway in 2003, and at The Apollo Victoria Theatre in 2006, Wicked has achieved huge success, and continues to impress critics and audiences. It quickly picked up three Tony Awards and even a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album. The show is adapted from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel, Wicked, is the backstory of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good, and how they became known as the most famous witches of Oz.

The music and lyrics were produced by the talented musical theatre legend Stephen Schwartz, his most notable works being Godspell, Pippin, Children of Eden and The Baker’s Wife. Schwartz’ career has spanned across theatre and film, with screen credits including The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pocahontas and the song ‘When You Believe’ from The Prince of Egypt.

The show features a host of famous musical theatre stars. Idina Menzel, Kerry Ellis, Rachel Tucker, Willemijn Verkaik and Emma Hatton have all donned the black hat of Elphaba. Glinda has been played by stars including Kristin Chenoweth, Megan Hilty, Dianne Pilkington, Annaleigh Ashford and Gina Beck.

Ticket prices and opening times

Wicked is shown Monday through to Saturday at 7.30pm; on Wednesday and Saturday there are additional shows at 2.30pm. The theatre closes on Sundays.

Ticket prices range from £19.50 to £125 depending on the seats that are chosen. Each has an individual booking fee, which can be found on the ‘Booking Fees’ page here.

QUINGO SCOOTERS ACCESSIBLE ATTRACTIONS: APOLLO VICTORIA THEATRE 3

Getting there

The Apollo Victoria Theatre is located very close to Victoria Station in the heart of Victoria, London. The theatre is close to other well-known attractions such as Westminster Cathedral and a large number of shops. The theatre boasts great transport links to central London as well as the surrounding areas.

By tube or rail, the theatre is a short distance from Victoria Station, which has both underground links to the Victoria, District and Circle lines as well as National Rail links to the South East.

By bus, visitors can take the bus from Victoria Station to and from local London areas, there are several bus services, which can be found here.

By car, visitors can access various meters on the roads surrounding the theatre, located on Allington Street, Bressenden Place and Carlisle Place. The standard tariff is usually £2 per hour, however due to the business, prices may differ and the area can become crowded. Alternatively, London Victoria car park is 6 minutes away from the theatre and is priced at £22 for the day.

For more information regarding travelling to the theatre, click here.

Accessibility

The accessible entrance to the theatre is via a platform lift at the Vauxhall Bridge Road entrance, this provides level access to the accessible toilets and foyer facilities. Before arriving, it is advised to contact the Front of House team to organise operation of the lift and to arrive between 30 and 45 minutes before the performance. The theatre has four accessible spaces, again booking is recommended as there is limited availability. There are limited parking facilities in Victoria and for those with a blue badge. The closest bays to the theatre are Grosvenor Gardens, Carlisle Place and further along Wilton Road. For more information regarding accessibility, click here.

About Quingo

The Quingo Scooter range features six models to suit your needs and budget. New models are now available from just £22/week on our new contract hire scheme, which includes all servicing and maintenance, Insurance, Roadside Recovery, Call Outs and Consumables including Batteries and Tyres. For more information on this, or the latest Quingo Scooter range, please visit our website. Alternatively, if you have any service questions you can always contact us or call customer services on 01582 430 900.

Keep up-to-date with the latest mobility scooter advice, tips and interesting places to visit on the Quingo Scooter Users Blog. Connect with Quingo and keep up-to-date with all our latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

All Quingo Personal Mobility Vehicles are provided by Forever Active, the UK’s exclusive distributor. Forever Active is a trading name of Advantage Marketing Corporation Limited (AMC).  AMC Limited is an appointed representative of First Senior Insurance Services Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. First Senior Insurance Services FSA Register number is 308478.

Attractions, Days Out, Quingo Scooters

Quingo Scooters Accessible Attractions: The British Museum

Quingo Scooters are heading back to the capital this week for another instalment of our Accessible Attractions series. We’re discovering world cultures as well as learning about artefacts from across the globe.

Quingo Scooters British Museum 2

The museum

This week we’re visiting The British Museum in London, founded in 1753, the museum is home to a range of objects from across the world. It showcases a vast collection of artefacts, which tell the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present day. With over 70 galleries there’s something for everyone:

  • Virtual pilgrimage: reimagining India’s Great Shrine of Amaravati (until 8 October) – The Great Shrine of Amaravati was one of the oldest, largest and most important Buddhist monuments in ancient India. Discover the Shrine’s significance and learn about the pilgrims who funded its construction.
  • Desire, love, identity: exploring LGBTQ histories (until 15 October) – the display offers glimpses into LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) histories, experiences and lives from across the globe as the exhibit covers ancient civilisations up until the present day.
  • Living histories: recent acquisitions of works on paper by contemporary Arab artists (until 22 October) – the display highlights recent additions of posters, prints, drawings, photographs and artists’ books to the museum. Many of the artists come from Syria, illustrating the modern history of country in artistic form.
  • The business of prints (21 September 2017 until 28 January 2018) – the exhibitions shows fine examples from Britain’s print collection to look at how prints were created, developed, bought and sold in the period 1400-1850.

Each of the above exhibitions is free of charge to view.

Quingo Scooters British Museum 3

Opening times and entry prices

The museum is open daily from 10am – 5.30pm, the museum is closed on 24, 25, 26 December and 1 January. The museum has free entry for all visitors.

For more information, visit the ‘Admission and Opening Times’ page of the museum’s website here.

Getting there

The museum is located in central London, for visitors travelling by Tube, the nearest underground stations are Tottenham Court Road (500m), Holborn (500m), Russell Square (800m) and Goodge Street (800m). For more information, visit the Transport for London tube maps website here.

By Bus, there are a number of services that run near to the museum stopping on New Oxford Street, northbound on Tottenham Court Road, southbound on Gower Street and Southampton Row. For more information, visit the Transport for London bus routes website here.

By car, visitors should follow directions for Great Russel Street in Central London. The museum is within the Congestion Charge zone; therefore, visitors will be required to pay this charge. There is little on-street parking available, the nearest carpark to the museum is located at Bloomsbury Square. There is a limited amount of disabled parking in the Museum’s forecourt. To make parking arrangements contact the museum.

For more information, visit the ‘Getting Here’ section of the museum’s website here.

Accessibility

The majority of the museum has level access, the Great Russell Street entrance has a lift on either side of the steps, alternatively there is level access at the Montague Place entrance. The majority of the galleries and all special exhibitions are fully accessible for scooter users, there are lifts available to allow access to each of the galleries. There are accessible toilets in the Great Court, the Ford Centre for Young Visitors, the Clore Education Centre and to the north of Room 66.

For more information, visit the ‘Access’ page of the museum’s website here.

About Quingo

The Quingo Scooter range features six models to suit your needs and budget. New models are now available from just £22/week on our new contract hire scheme, which includes all servicing and maintenance, Insurance, Roadside Recovery, Call Outs and Consumables including Batteries and Tyres. For more information on this, or the latest Quingo Scooter range, please visit our website. Alternatively, if you have any service questions you can always contact us or call customer services on 01582 430 900.

Keep up-to-date with the latest mobility scooter advice, tips and interesting places to visit on the Quingo Scooter Users Blog. Connect with Quingo and keep up-to-date with all our latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

All Quingo Personal Mobility Vehicles are provided by Forever Active, the UK’s exclusive distributor. Forever Active is a trading name of Advantage Marketing Corporation Limited (AMC).  AMC Limited is an appointed representative of First Senior Insurance Services Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. First Senior Insurance Services FSA Register number is 308478.

Attractions, Days Out, Quingo Scooters

Quingo Scooters Accessible Attractions: The Scotch Whisky Experience

Here at Quingo Scooters we like to provide you with a range of great UK attractions to visit as part of our Accessible Attractions series – this week we’ve chosen a quirky attraction to teach you all about one of the UK’s most popular spirits. We’re staying in Scotland for another week, to teach you everything you need to know about whisky!

We’re visiting The Scotch Whisky Experience, on a barrel ride through a replica distillery to find out more about the production of whisky. Along the way, you’ll hear the stories behind the craft of whisky making with expert tour guides and whisky advisors.

Quingo Scooters Scotch Whisky Experience 2

The whisky experience

Discover aromas and flavours that appeal to your palate, leading you to find your perfect Single Malt Whisky. The Whisky collection includes 3,384 bottles of Scotch Whisky, and is held within a marble and glass vault. Visitors get the chance to taste a Scotch Whisky.

Claive Vidiz, a whisky enthusiast in Sao Paulo, started to seek and buy Scotch Whisky of each varying type, cost and rarity. Over 35 years he collected almost 3,500 bottles, before selling the collection to Scotch Whisky distiller Diageo. Diageo brought the collection to Scotland where it became the Scotch Whisky Experience.

The Experience offers five tours, ranging from those for first-timers to whisky pros. Four of the five tours are for people aged 18 and over.

  • The Gold Tour – includes a tasting tray of four single malt Scotch whiskies, membership to the Scotch Whisky Appreciation Society and discounts at the bar, restaurant and shop within the membership year; as well as including elements from the Silver Tour. The Gold Tour lasts between 70 and 90 minutes.
  • Morning Masterclass – includes a private viewing of the world’s largest collection of Scotch Whisky, sensory perception test, nosing of new-make spirit and boxed crystal whisky tasting glass, plus much more! The Morning Masterclass lasts 90 minutes.
  • The Platinum Tour – includes a whisky barrel ride through the production of Scotch whisky, guided nosing and tasting of four contrasting single malt whiskies and an extended viewing of the collection of Scotch Whisky. The Platinum Tour lasts 90 minutes.
  • The Taste of Scotland – includes features from the Platinum tour as well as: a three course Scottish food experience menu, dram of Scotch whisky with dessert and a ‘trio’ starter and ‘trio’ main course followed by dessert. This tour lasts approximately 3 hours.
  • The Silver Tour – includes a whisky barrel ride through the production of Scotch Whisky, a dram of Scotch Whisky (Irn Bru for under 18s) and a viewing of the Scotch whisky collection. The tour is available to people aged under 18 and runs for 50 minutes.

Quingo Scooters Scotch Whisky Experience 3

Entry prices and opening times

The Experience is open 7 days a week, 364 days a year. From January to March the experience is open from 10am – 5pm, April to July 10am – 6pm, August (Monday to Friday) 10am – 5pm, August (Saturday and Sunday) 10am – 5:40pm, and September to December 10am – 5pm.

Each tour provided includes a specific price:

  • The Gold Tour – adults £26 and concessions £23.75
  • Morning Masterclass – adults £40
  • The Platinum Tour – adults £36.50
  • The Taste of Scotland – adults £70
  • The Silver Tour – adults £15, concessions £13, children £7.50 and families £37

For more information, visit the website here.

Getting there

The Scotch Whisky Experience is in the Old Town of Edinburgh, beside Edinburgh Castle. The Experience is located just a short distance from the main transport links, central hotels and attractions.

For visitors travelling by train, the nearest railway station is Edinburgh Waverley, from here public transport and/or taxis can be used to get to the Experience.

When travelling by bus, there are no buses that go directly to the Scotch Whisky Experience however there are many stops in the surrounding area. For information regarding bus routes and times, visit the Lothian Buses website.

By car, follow directions for ‘city centre’ and ‘attractions’, the Experience does not have onsite parking, however there is a multi-storey car park on Castle Terrace a short distance from the Experience, which includes 6 blue badge bays. Alternative parking options are available throughout the city.

For more information on travelling to the Whisky Experience, visit the website here.

Accessibility

The Whisky Experience is fully accessible to scooter users, there is a lift to allow visitors access to each level of the Experience as well as multiple disabled toilets. For more information regarding accessibility, visit the website here.

About Quingo

The Quingo Scooter range features six models to suit your needs and budget. New models are now available from just £22/week on our new contract hire scheme, which includes all servicing and maintenance, Insurance, Roadside Recovery, Call Outs and Consumables including Batteries and Tyres. For more information on this, or the latest Quingo Scooter range, please visit our website. Alternatively, if you have any service questions you can always contact us or call customer services on 01582 430 900.

Keep up-to-date with the latest mobility scooter advice, tips and interesting places to visit on the Quingo Scooter Users Blog. Connect with Quingo and keep up-to-date with all our latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

All Quingo Personal Mobility Vehicles are provided by Forever Active, the UK’s exclusive distributor. Forever Active is a trading name of Advantage Marketing Corporation Limited (AMC).  AMC Limited is an appointed representative of First Senior Insurance Services Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. First Senior Insurance Services FSA Register number is 308478.

Attractions, Days Out, Quingo Scooters

Quingo Scooters Accessible Attractions: National Museum of Scotland

Quingo Scooters are going exploring this week, as part of our Accessible Attractions series, discovering the natural world, art and science and technology under one roof – in Scotland.

The National Museum of Scotland is part of four museum sites within Scotland; alongside the National War Museum, National Museum of Flight and the National Museum of Rural Life.

Quingo Scooters National Museum of Scotland 2

The museum

The National Museum of Scotland has a range of galleries showcasing fascinating facts and artefacts from across the globe. The Natural World galleries tell the story of the planet, whilst the World Culture galleries link people and possessions. Within the Scottish galleries, visitors can follow the story of Scotland through from prehistory to the present day; including over 800 objects and the stories of Scots who took their ideas and innovations across the world.

Alongside the galleries, the museum has a range of exhibitions on show, including:

  • The Galloway Hoard (until 1 October 2017) – the Galloway Hoard is an extraordinary find of Viking-age gold, silver and jewelled treasures. It is the richest collection of rare and unique Viking-age objects ever found in Britain or Ireland, bringing together over 100 gold, silver and other items from across Ireland, the Anglo-Saxon world, the Holy Roman Empire and Byzantium.
  • BUILD IT! A museum made from LEGO (until 31 December 2017) – a magnificent three-metre LEGO model of the National Museum of Scotland is now on display. Renowned brick artist Warren Elsmore and his team took over 350 hours and almost 90,000 bricks to build the model.
  • Age of Oil (until 5 November 2017) – the multimedia exhibition brings a unique perspective to the relationship between art, environment and industry. Linking closely to themes introduced in the Energise gallery, the exhibition considers the future of energy in Scotland.
  • Scotland’s Early Silver (25 February 2018) – the exhibition explores the impact of silver during the first millennium AD, as the most precious metal in Scotland for a thousand years. including jewellery, vessels, coins and other finds, the exhibition examines silver as the times change.

Ticket prices and opening times

Admission to the museum is free, visitors have the option to donate to the museum, however, this is voluntary. The museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm, the museum is closed on Christmas Day (25 December) and is open from 12pm to 5pm on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Quingo Scooters National Museum of Scotland 3

Getting there

For visitors travelling to the museum by bus, buses go via the city centre and stop outside the museum on Chambers Street, or nearby on George IV Bridge and South Bridge.

By train, the nearest station is Edinburgh Waverley, the museum is 10-15 minutes away from the train station.

For visitors travelling by car, follow signs towards Edinburgh city centre. Off-street parking is available nearby the museum at NCP sites.

For more information visit the museum’s website here.

Accessibility

There is level access to the museum via the main doors to the Entrance Hall on Chambers Street and the Tower entrance at the corner of Chambers Street and George IV Bridge. There are four designated public parking spaces available for visitors with mobility aids, there are no charges for these spaces, however, they cannot be booked in advance. There is level access throughout the museum with lifts available to all floors. The accessible toilets are available on most floors, these toilets can be located using a map of the museum as well as following signs.

To find out more information, visit the museum’s website here.

About Quingo

The Quingo Scooter range features six models to suit your needs and budget. New models are now available from just £22/week on our new contract hire scheme, which includes all servicing and maintenance, Insurance, Roadside Recovery, Call Outs and Consumables including Batteries and Tyres. For more information on this, or the latest Quingo Scooter range, please visit our website. Alternatively, if you have any service questions you can always contact us or call customer services on 01582 430 900.

Keep up-to-date with the latest mobility scooter advice, tips and interesting places to visit on the Quingo Scooter Users Blog. Connect with Quingo and keep up-to-date with all our latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

All Quingo Personal Mobility Vehicles are provided by Forever Active, the UK’s exclusive distributor. Forever Active is a trading name of Advantage Marketing Corporation Limited (AMC).  AMC Limited is an appointed representative of First Senior Insurance Services Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. First Senior Insurance Services FSA Register number is 308478.