Tag Archives: attraction

Attractions, Days Out, Quingo Scooters

Quingo Accessible Attractions: The State Rooms, Buckingham Palace

Quingo Scooters aims to deliver to you a weekly dose of the UK’s best attractions and days out, perfect for you and your family. With so many attractions to choose, from we’ve narrowed it down to a truly royal day out!

We’re taking you to the capital, London, as part of our Accessible Attractions guide. The city itself it boasts a huge number of attractions – enough to keep you busy for a couple of days. However, in light of the recent celebration of Her Majesty the Queen’s 91st birthday, we decided a royal day out would be fitting.

QUINGO ACCESSIBLE ATTRACTIONS: THE STATE ROOMS, BUCKINGHAM PALACE 2

A true royal

Plan your visit to the spectacular State Rooms in Buckingham Palace, serving as both the office and London residence of Her Majesty, as well as the administrative headquarters of the Royal Household. Did you know that it’s one of the last few remaining working royal palaces in the world? During the warm summer months visitors can tour the grand State Rooms when the Palace is not being used in its official capacity.

The State Rooms were designed for Monarchs to receive, reward and entertain their subjects and visiting dignitaries. Still to this day, the Queen and members of the Royal Family use the rooms to entertain their guests on State, ceremonial and official occasions.

The rooms

The Palace’s 19 State Rooms reflect the style tastes of George IV, who commissioned the Architect John Nash to transform the Palace previously known as Buckingham House. Many of the featured pieces of furniture, such as sparkling chandeliers, candelabra and other works of art, were bought or made for Carlton House – George IV’s London home when he was Prince of Wales.

In the present day, the State Rooms are furnished with many of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection; including paintings by Van Dyck and Canaletto, a sculpture by Canova, exquisite pieces of Sèvres porcelain, and some of the finest English and French furniture in the world.

Many of the State Rooms have a particular use even today. In the Throne Room, the Queen on special occasions such as Jubilees, receives loyal addresses. On 29 April 2011, the room was used for the setting of the formal photographs following the wedding of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

In the Music Room, guests are presented to The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and the Visiting Head of State on the occasion of a State visit. The White Drawing Room, one of the grandest of all the State Rooms, serves as a royal reception room for The Queen and members of the Royal Family to gather before official occasions.

QUINGO ACCESSIBLE ATTRACTIONS: THE STATE ROOMS, BUCKINGHAM PALACE 3

Admissions and opening times

The Palace is open from Saturday 22 July – Thursday 31 August from 9.30am – 7.30pm with the last admission at 5.15pm. From Friday 1 September – Sunday 1 October the Palace is open from 9.30am – 6.30pm with the last admission at 4.15pm. Typically a visit lasts two to two and a half hours. Tickets for adults are £23, over 60s and students £21, under 17s and disabled people £13, under 5s go free and for families (two adults, three under 17) £59. More information can be found here. 

An accessible attraction

There is accessibility access and step-free access available via a separate entrance at the front of the Palace. For guests wishing to utilise this, they must pre-book by contacting the Specialist Sales team, for more information click here. There is access for Scooter Users, access is within the Quadrangle and the Garden as well as being permitted inside the Palace providing they are compatible for the lifts. For more information on access in and around the Palace click here. Parking is available for those visitors that are disability-parking pass-holders who require step-free access, however this must be pre-booked before visiting by contacting the Specialist Sales team (mentioned prior).

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 Accessible Days Out: Trosley Country Park

Here at Quingo Scooters we know how much fun it can be to spend a day out doing something different, or visiting a place you thought maybe wasn’t accessible enough. Now that summer is well and truly upon us, you’d probably much rather be spending time outdoors on a lovely sunny day instead of being inside.

There’s no better place you can be in the nice weather than a beautiful park, so today we’re heading down to Kent to share Trosley Country Park with you.

QUINGO ACCESSIBLE DAYS OUT: TROSLEY COUNTRY PARK 3

Trosley Country Park

You’ll find Trosley Country Park in Trottiscliffe, near Vigo in Kent. Covering 170 acres of beautiful woodland, there are some spectacular views to see, so make sure you bring your camera! The land was once part of the Trosley Towers Estate, but it is now home to a variety of wildlife and chalk grassland slopes after the removal of scrubland and re-introduction of grazing to the area.

This will especially be a great day out for those interested in plants and wildlife, as you’ll find some important plants and animals at Trosley Country Park including the Chalkhill Blue Butterfly and the rare Musk Orchid. The chalk grassland at Trosley is even classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. If you have time afterwards, the park is also a great base to visit the Coldrum Stones – an ancient listed monument of 15 sarsen stones.

The Trails

There are three waymarked trails in the park if you fancy an adventure. One of them, the yellow route, is specifically designed for mobility scooters, wheelchairs and buggies. The trail provides spectacular views over the downs, and guides visitors past a variety of natural habitats, churches, oast houses, Neolithic remains and other historic features.

QUINGO ACCESSIBLE DAYS OUT: TROSLEY COUNTRY PARK 2

Café

After you’ve seen the sights of the trail, you can refuel at the Bluebell café and try the local produce. The menu includes homemade snacks, light meals and cakes, and even homemade dog biscuits for your furry friends! You can also grab an ice cream to cool down, some soft drinks and fair trade tea and coffee.

Accessibility

On arrival you’ll find 2 disabled parking spaces. These are hard standing spaces and are the closest spaces to the visitor centre, which is approximately 10 metres away with an easily accessible entrance. There are an additional 55 hard standing spaces and 25 grass parking spaces.

There is a fully accessible toilet adjacent to the main visitor centre which is open at all times, and the facilities can be reached by an easy access pathway. The café is situated on the ground floor of the visitor centre and is accessible through automatic double doors. There is accessible seating inside the café, or alternatively there are accessible picnic benches in the café garden.

Share your accessible attraction with Quingo!

If you’ve been to visit any interesting attractions on your Quingo or would like us to write about a particular place you have visited, we’d be delighted to hear from you. You can email your stories, recommendations and pictures by filling out the contact form on our website and we’ll feature them on our blog.

About Quingo Scooters

The Quingo Scooters 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 Accessible Attractions: Tower Bridge Exhibition, London

Quingo Scooters are always encouraging users to get out and about to visit interesting or unusual places on their mobility scooters, especially places that you didn’t think were accessible enough. Over our series of blog posts we’ve been sharing with you some extremely accessible attractions to explore on your mobility scooter.

This week we’re back in the capital, exploring the iconic Tower Bridge Exhibition. If you’re planning a trip to London this summer (or whenever!) then be sure not to miss this must see attraction. The most famous bridge in the world boasts an iconic structure, spectacular views and glass floor, modern exhibitions and even Victorian Engine Rooms.

QUINGO ACCESSIBLE ATTRACTIONS: TOWER BRIDGE EXHIBITION, LONDON 2

What’s on at the Tower Bridge Exhibition?

There’s plenty to see and do at your day out at the fully accessible Tower Bridge Exhibition.

Glass Floor – The newest feature at the exhibition, where you can see London life through a glass floor. This is a unique viewpoint 42 metres above the River Thames. And if you time it right, you might just see the Tower Bridge lifting below you! Don’t worry if you don’t fancy looking down – the walkways also offer some amazing views of London, and you can take a look at the ‘Great Bridges of the World’ display for some impressive examples of engineering!

Engine Rooms – The engine rooms are located a few minutes from the South Tower, and are dubbed as one of London’s ‘hidden gems’. Here you’ll be able to appreciate huge steam engines, furnaces and accumulators that were once used to power the raising of the Tower Bridge. There’s also an incredible short film, explaining the ingenious technology used to keep to bridge going for over 120 years.

South Tower – Here you’ll see a short bespoke video shown by the artist Stephen Biesty, showing the incredible construction of the Bridge. Afterwards you can take the accessible lift down to the LED-lit motion sensitive artworks, which depict all of the iconic buildings along the Thames.

There is a full list of ticket prices and opening times on the Tower Bridge Exhibition website. 

QUINGO ACCESSIBLE ATTRACTIONS: TOWER BRIDGE EXHIBITION, LONDON 3

 Accessibility

The Tower Bridge Exhibition is a fully accessible venue. On arrival you’ll be greeted by an automatic door operated by Tower Bridge’s friendly and helpful staff. Throughout there are accessible lifts to different areas of the exhibition, including the Towers and the Engine Rooms, enabling you to see absolutely everything the Tower Bridge has to offer. Fully accessible toilets are located in the North and South Towers and in the Engine Rooms.

Everything you need to know about accessibility at the Tower Bridge Exhibition before your arrival can be found in their Access for All Guide.

Share your accessible attraction with Quingo!

If you’ve been to visit any interesting attractions on your Quingo or would like us to write about a particular place you have visited, we’d be delighted to hear from you. You can email your stories, recommendations and pictures by filling out the contact form on our website and we’ll feature them on our blog.

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.