Tag Archives: travel

Attractions, Holidays, Quingo Scooters

Quingo Accessible Getaways: Bath

Quingo Scooters likes to inspire users to become tourists, by travelling to some of the world’s top destinations on their mobility scooters. In our series of articles, we’re continuing to add to our list of accessible getaways both at home and abroad, which you can visit easily as a mobility scooter user.

Today we’re taking you to Bath. Located in Somerset, this is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations, known especially for its fascinating historical attractions and stunning architecture.

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Bath tourism

Originally established in Roman times, Bath is one of the UK’s oldest human settlements which still stands today. Due to its incredible history, the entire city of Bath is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it’s the only British city to hold this honour. It features various accessible attractions, including:

  • Roman Baths: Built on top of natural hot springs, the Roman Baths were constructed in 70AD. This complex, which is one of the best preserved Roman ruins on earth, includes the remains of heated rooms, baths, statues and temples, making it a must for history enthusiasts. This site features accessible toilets, a ramp up to its entrance, accessible public areas and a lift.
  • Fashion Museum: This attraction houses eye-catching fashions dating back to 1600, with over 160 dressed figures for you to see. Here you’ll find everything from Georgian-era gowns to cutting-edge, modern styles, allowing you to explore the evolution of fashion. It includes an accessible entrance and accessible public areas and toilets, with lifts throughout the building.
  • Victoria Art Gallery: This is Bath’s second-most visited museum, attracting around 117,000 guests per year. It houses works produced by some of the greatest British artists. This includes a permanent collection, which is free to visit, featuring works from Turner and Gainsborough. Here you’ll find a ramp up to the main entrance, as well as a lift, enabling full accessibility.
  • No 1. Royal Crescent: Step back in time, by checking out this authentic Georgian townhouse. It is a fine example of Palladian architecture, having been built between 1767 and 1774. The house showcases various displays and exhibits which house authentic furniture, paintings, textiles and carpets from this era. It has level access to public areas and a lift.

Check out the Visit Bath website to familiarise yourself with the opening times and admission prices for these attractions. This site also features a plan your visit section, where you can download guides and brochures, and also learn about its Visitor Information Centre – the first port of call for many tourists.

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Accessibility

On the plan your visit page, you’ll also find a handy access for all section, which features information on how you can take advantage of Bath as a mobility scooter user. It includes a list of accessible accommodation, such as the popular Holiday Inn Express. Located just a mile from Bath city centre and its railway station, the hotel has disabled parking, level access to all areas and accessible rooms. It also has accessible living areas and bathrooms, which include shower chairs, WCs with handrails and even furniture re-arrangement upon request.

The access for all page also covers the Visitor Information Centre, where you can find details on accessible accommodation and attractions. Located next to Bath Abbey, the Centre is less than a mile from the train station and is accessible by bus and taxi. The nearest carpark is less than five minutes away, on Manvers Street. You can find out more about the Visitors Information Centre, which has an automatic door and level access, on the accessibility statement included on the access for all page.

The access for all section is a fantastic resource for mobility scooter users, as it also features downloadable accessibility guides and details on mobility scooter friendly facilities.

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 Attractions: West Yorkshire Playhouse

Quingo Scooters encourages users to explore the world around them on their mobility scooters, so they can make the most of the world around them. In our series of articles, we’ve been revealing some of the UK’s top accessible attractions which are open to mobility scooter users and guarantee a great day out.

Today, we’re heading up to God’s own country Yorkshire to take in some culture. We’re sharing with you the West Yorkshire Playhouse, based in Leeds, which is one of the UK’s most accessible venues.

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West Yorkshire Playhouse

The West Yorkshire Playhouse is a world-class theatre. It is best known for displaying compelling stage productions, as well as serving as a creative hub for regional actors, directors and other theatre industry personnel. The West Yorkshire Playhouse has two separate theatres for you to visit…

  • Quarry Theatre: This amphitheatre-style space seats 750 people and attracts top regional productions for your viewing pleasure. It is soon to be hosting Babe the Sheep Pig, a play inspired by the Oscar winning film of the same name, from 15th to 18th February 2017.
  • Courtyard Theatre: Set in a rectangular shape, this space features lower and upper galleries, with accessible entrances at the back. It is currently showing a production of the classic Bernard Shaw work Pygmalion, which explores class identity, from 7th to 25th February 2017.

The West Yorkshire Playhouse also boasts a range of other attractions for you to explore. This includes a bar, a restaurant and the Priestley Room, a quiet space to go in intervals located in easy reach of the bar and restaurant. The venue also holds various events for you to check out, like the Transform Festival in April, where independent productions are performed across Leeds, celebrating local talent.

Visit the ‘What’s On’ section of West Yorkshire Playhouse’s website, to find out the ticket prices and showing times, for your production. Remember, however, that a £1.75 surcharge will apply to the price, but there are discounts for people aged under 16 or over 60, as well as NUS card and Leeds City Card holders. You can book tickets via the Playhouse’s Box Office, which is open between 9am and 5pm. The Box Office can be contacted via phone, at 0113 213 7700 or by email at [email protected].

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Accessibility

The West Yorkshire Playhouse is fully accessible. You’ll find it around 20 minutes away from the centrally located Leeds Train Station. The venue is based opposite the Quarry Hill Bus Station and is also easily accessible by car. It has a car park which, as a Blue Badge holder, you can use for free, and the spaces are right outside the main entrance. Visit the website’s ‘Finding Us’ section to learn more.

Discover just how accessible the West Yorkshire Playhouse is by downloading the ‘Open to Everyone’ document, available on the ‘Access’ section of its website. The West Yorkshire Playhouse has level access up from the car park, while its Box Office includes a lowered counter, making it easy for you to book tickets. The accommodating Box Office staff will be only too happy to fulfil your request for aisle or entrance level seats whenever possible, when you book your tickets at the Playhouse.

Both the Playhouse’s theatres feature spaces for mobility scooter users and the venue’s front of house team are happy to help you reach your seat. The West Yorkshire Playhouse also features wide lifts enabling access to all floors, as well as automatic doors and spacious areas e.g. the restaurants, with broad accessible routes. There are also accessible toilets around the building, as well as moveable tables and chairs in the bar and restaurant areas, promoting comfort. At the West Yorkshire Playhouse, you can even pre-order your interval drinks to avoid the busy queues that often build up at these times.

Share your accessible attraction with Quingo!

If you’ve been to visit any great accessible places 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.

Holidays, Quingo Scooters, Reviews

Where are Europe’s Five Most Accessible Cities?

Quingo Scooters encourages you to get out and see the world, from the comfort of your mobility scooter. Previously we’ve shared some great accessible getaways for you in different locations to try as a mobility scooter user. If you fancy going somewhere a little more continental, today we’re going to reveal the five most accessible cities in Europe.

Milan, Italy

The best European city for mobility scooters is Milan. The metropolis is not only an Italian fashion and cultural capital, but it won the City Access Award last year, showing that it’s made great strides to improve accessibility. Travelling to Milan is easy as Italy’s railways, as well as the city’s Linate and Malpensa airports are fully accessible. It boasts various accessible attractions, such as the Piazza del Duomo. This is near iconic sites such as Milan Cathedral and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping mall, where you can find shops from legendary Italian brands such as Prada as well as stylish bars and cafes.

Boras, Sweden

Sweden is a great country for mobility scooter users. In 2015 its government made lack of accessibility a new form of discrimination, and as a result great efforts have been made to make it much easier to get around. Sweden’s crown jewel is its second largest city, Boras. It has a range of “accessible hotels,” with an “accessible path of travel,” so it’ll be easy to find somewhere to stay. This lush city is known for its open green spaces like Ranmaparken, which includes paved paths, making it great for mobility scooter users. Various attractions in Boras, like its Textile Museum and City Theatre, are fully accessible, giving you plenty to see and do.

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Berlin, Germany

The German city of Berlin is the ideal getaway location for any mobility scooter user. It’s really easy to travel in Berlin as its buses, metro lines and taxis are all mobility scooter friendly. It also has wide pavements and both vocal and visual signals at road crossings. It’s hard to not find an accessible attraction in Berlin. All its top sites from Potsdam, the old Reichstag and Charlottenburg Palace, to Madame Tussauds and the Jewish Museum of Berlin, can be navigated easily with a mobility scooter.

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Barcelona, Spain

If you’re looking for blazing sun and fabulous artistic attractions, Barcelona is the place for you. This Spanish city’s metro stations are 80% accessible, while its buses are 100% accessible, so getting around won’t be a problem. We’d suggest that you take a shopping trip on the iconic Las Ramblas Street while in Barcelona, as it’s completely flat. In Barcelona, you can go to the front of the line as a mobility scooter user when seeing sites like the gorgeous Sagrada Familia church, which is also free to enter.

Manchester, UK

You don’t have to leave the UK for an accessible holiday as our very own Manchester is fantastic for anyone who uses a mobility scooter. The north-western hub has wide, smooth pavements making it easy to get around, while the majority of its bars and shops have step-free entrances. It also houses various mobility scooter-friendly attractions like Etihad Stadium and the Trafford Centre, while restaurants like El Gato Negro, which does Spanish Tapas, are some of the most accessible in the UK.

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, Public Transport, Quingo Scooters

Quingo Accessible Days Out: Edinburgh Bus Tours

Quingo Scooters encourages users to get out and about, discovering some different days out in the best cultural hotspots. In our series of articles, we shed light on various accessible days out for you to enjoy on your mobility scooter.

Today we head to the North of the UK, to the Scottish capital. A beautiful city, Edinburgh is known for its historical attractions and architectural gems, making it one of the UK’s top tourist destinations. See everything it has to offer by having a day out on one of the Edinburgh Bus Tours.

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Edinburgh Bus Tours

Since they were established in the 1920s, the Edinburgh Bus Tours have become Scotland’s third most popular paid-for attraction. They’re operated by Lothian Buses and depending on the tour you take, you can see some of Edinburgh’s best sites. This includes Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, Grassmarket, Calton Hill and the Palace of Holyrood House, which is the official residence of the Scottish monarch.

There are three main tours – the Edinburgh Bus Tour, City Sightseeing Tour and Majestic Tour. They all visit some of the same attractions e.g. the Palace of Holyrood, but there are some variations e.g. the City Sightseeing Tour doesn’t stop at the Scottish Parliament, but the other two do. The Edinburgh Bus Tour offers a live guide in English, but the others provide multi-language commentary. Meanwhile, the City Sightseeing Tour is really good for kids, as it gives Horrible Histories commentaries!

The tours last roughly one hour and operate all year round, although the City Sightseeing is closed on Christmas Day. The trips depart every 15, 20 or 30 minutes, depending on the tour and time of year. Visit the tours’ pages on the Edinburgh Bus Tours website to learn their departure times, depending on the day and time of year. An adult ticket for each tour costs £15, but senior tickets (aged 60+) are £14, with students paying the same, while children’s tickets (aged five to 15) come in at £7.50.

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Accessibility

The main Edinburgh Bus Tours are all suitable for mobility scooter users. The trips all depart from the interchange at Waverly Bridge, which is based right next to Edinburgh Waverly train station, making this location easy to find. You can also join the tours at any stop on their respective routes. You should consult the ‘finding us’ page on the Edinburgh Bus Tours website to help plan your trip.

Lothian Buses has gone above and beyond to accommodate mobility scooter users on its Edinburgh Bus Tours. Following a £6.5m investment, Lothian Buses fitted various mobility-friendly features on the buses used in its Edinburgh Bus Tour, City Sightseeing Tour and Majestic Tour routes. These vehicles offer two accessible spaces, which have securement systems installed. This means that your mobility scooter will be electronically held in place, helping you stay stable as the bus moves.

The accessible spaces fitted on the vehicles used in the Edinburgh, City Sightseeing and Majestic Tours are suitable for Class Two Mobility Scooter users. Various models sold by Quingo, such as the very affordable Quingo Classic, are Class Two, meaning that you’ll have no problem going on one of the Edinburgh Bus Tours with one of these models. The buses also have two ramps, which the drivers will be happy to roll out for you. There are also display screens showing footage from the front of the bus, alongside subtitled commentary, fitted above the wheelchair spaces.

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 Attractions: Scottish Seabird Centre

Quingo Scooters encourages our users to get out and about on their mobility scooters, so they can visit interesting, or even unusual places, particularly those that you didn’t think were accessible enough. In our series of articles, we’ve been shedding light on some very accessible attractions across the country that you can discover on your mobility scooter.

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Editorial credit: Edinburghcitymom / Shutterstock.com

Scottish Seabird Centre

Today, we’re going up into the UK’s most northerly country, to find out more about the Scottish Seabird Centre. Based at the North Berwick Harbour, in the county of East Lothian, it’s a marine wildlife conservation and discovery centre.

It costs £8.95 for an adult ticket to the Scottish Seabird Centre. However as a mobility scooter user, if you bring ID you’ll qualify for a £6.65 concession ticket, while children’s tickets total £4.65, but those under the age of three can enter free of charge. At the attraction, you can check out a range of marine wildlife, including seals and dolphins, as well as seabirds like puffins, fulmars and gulls. It features the world’s largest Northern gannets colony and biggest colony of puffins on Britain’s East Coast. At the moment the centre is open 10am-4pm on weekdays and 10am-5pm on weekends, opening times vary depending on which month you visit.

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What is there to do?

This venue’s main attraction is its Discovery Centre. Here you can control remote cameras, to see wildlife living in its natural habitat, across the Firth of Forth Islands. The centre also houses a wildlife theatre, where you can view short films across the day, a fish tank which features sea urchins, flatfish and Eel pouts and a scope deck, which provides stunning views of the Firth of Forth. Visit the wildlife calendar to find out which animals you can check out at different times of the year.

You can also try other activities at the Scottish Seabird Centre. It runs a Forth Ferry, which takes you on the 45 minute journey between North Berwick and Anstruther to enjoy great days on either side of the Firth of Forth. Until March 2017, you can visit its Tomorrow’s Lobster exhibition, where you can learn about the life cycle of this fascinating creature. In addition, the Scottish Seabird Centre has East Lothian’s only sundeck and a great café, which serves both gluten-free and vegetarian cuisine.

Accessibility

The Scottish Seabird Centre, which lies just 30 minutes’ drive from Edinburgh, is a fully accessible building, making it easy for you to visit as a mobility scooter user. You can travel to the Centre via train, bus, taxi, ferry, or by car, and you can use the find us tool to easily plan your trip. You’ll find disabled parking in the Scottish Seabird Centre’s carpark and adjacent to the main building.

When you arrive, go up the Centre’s tarmac-covered path to reach its step-free, 880mm wide, double doors. The push button by the side of the doors will open them and allow you to enter the Centre’s ground floor, which has a flat vinyl surface that’s suitable for mobility scooter users. The Centre also has accessible toilets and you can access its Boat Trip Booking office by going down the side road to the nearby harbour and up the adjacent ramp. Meanwhile, you can take an 880mm wide lift up to the venue’s popular Discovery Centre. Find out more by reading the Centre’s Accessibility Statement.

Share your accessible attraction with Quingo!

If you’ve been to visit any great accessible places 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.