Quingo Scooters is shining the spotlight on Stratford, five years after the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, as part of our Accessible Attractions series.

Today the area of Stratford, is something of a ‘mini city’ and home to the stunning Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The park offers a visitor experience like no other. Covering 560 acres, it’s the largest recreational space in Europe created in more than 100 years, and is free to visit every day of the week.

The park houses the London Stadium, the ArchelorMittal Orbit, the London Aquatics Centre, the Copper Box Arena, Lee Valley VeloPark and Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre.

Here you can experience sports, events and the iconic venues as well as waterways, playgrounds and cafes.

What to do at the park

• London Stadium – go behind the scenes on a venue tour, journeying through the players’ changing rooms, athletes’ warm up track and player’s tunnel before finishing pitch side.
• London Aquatics Centre – take a swim in the pool of champions – in one of London 2012’s most famous venues.
• Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre – enjoy state-of-the-art facilities at the inspiring sports complex.
• Beach East – from 21 July-2 September visit the UK’s biggest urban beach.
• Late nights at the ArchelorMittal Orbit – take on the world’s longest and tallest tunnel slide.
• Lee Valley VeloPark – for track cycling, road racing, BMX or mountain biking centred on the award-winning 6,000 seat velodrome where Sir Chris Hoy and Dame Sarah Storey set the London 2012 Olympic Games alight.
• Art in the Park – artworks form part of the park’s architecture and landscape – 26 artworks to experience all reflecting the park’s identity as a place for people from near and far.
• Food and drink – whether you want a three-course meal, light lunch, drinks or coffee and cake, there is something for everyone at the park from the Timber Lodge Café to Randy’s Wings Bar or Bottle Apostle.
• Play areas – in the north of the park the Tumbling Bay Playground features sandpits, rock pools and bridges, kids love the Pleasure Gardens play areas to the south with climbing frames, slides and oversized swings.

Opening times and ticket prices

The park is open 24 hours a day, every day. However, please note that different venues will be open at different times, so do check before you visit. You can check here for the latest visitor information. It’s also recommended that you book activities and tours in advance. When you visit the main website click on ‘The Park’ and select the venue/event you want to visit those pages for more information.

The park is free to enter, ticket, tour and event prices vary at each venue. You can search for the venues and events you want on the main site and find pricing on the links to the individual sites.

Getting there

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has some of the best transport links in London, with public transport the easiest way to get to and from the park.

It has nine tube and train links and several bus and coach routes. The nearest train, tube and bus stops are at Stratford, Stratford International, Hackney Wick, Pudding Mill and Leyton stations. See the Park Map for more details.

If you are exiting from Stratford Underground Station, take the lift to ‘The Street’ (the outdoor part of Westfield Shopping Centre). Follow it, bear right at Fountain Square towards John Lewis and then left at Jamie’s Italian. At the end of the passage, cross the road to the park.

If you’re travelling by bus, the 388 Blackfriars to Stratford City), 308 (Clapton to Wanstead via Stratford City), 339 (Leytonstone to Shadwell) and 108 (Lewisham to Stratford City) buses stop either near the park entrance or at various venues.

There is designated Blue Badge parking located around the park at the different venues. There is no general parking at the London Stadium, but West Ham United offer spaces to 49 Blue Badge holders at every home game. To apply for a space, email [email protected]

The designated Blue Badge car park, known as Car Park 1A, is stewarded and located in the south west corner of the stadium, 6 spaces will be allocated to Blue Badge holders from the visiting team at every match. For more information click here.

London Aquatics Centre – 10+ designated parking bays, Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre – 10+ designated parking bays, Lee Valley VeloPark – 10+ designated parking bays, Copper Box parking – 10+ designated parking bays, Timber Lodge parking – on street marked Blue Badge bays are available and at ArcelorMittal Orbit and The Podium – 8 designated parking bays. Blue Badge holders can use all car parks without being limited to venues-only. Car parking is free for Blue Badge Holders, simply enter the car park, stay and enjoy the park and on arriving at the car park exit simply press the intercom button. Once the Parking Services Team has verified your Blue Badge the barrier arm will lift so you can exit.

Non-blue badge holders will pay for parking – from £4 for 1-2 hours up to £20 for up to 24 hours, via a ticketless automated number plate recognition system. The system will record your registration as you enter. Once you are back in the car park after your visit, go to a pay machine and enter your vehicle registration to pay for time you’ve stayed at the park.

Accessibility

The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park team has worked hard to ensure that it is as accessible and inclusive as possible. It offers good step-free access, hard-standing surfaces, regular seating and accessible Blue Badge car parking at each venue.

The venues have been designed to provide accessibility, with accessible toilets, changing facilities, induction loops and audio assistive systems. The park runs a daily mobility service allowing visitors to hire a wheelchair, mobility scooter, have a sighted guide or take a ride on the Park Mobility buggy.

Visit the accessibility page here for full details for each venue.

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.

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