Right across the UK there’s a huge range of different places that are accessible and easy to explore on your scooter. At Quingo Scooters we’re doing our bit to help you choose where to have your next adventure by bringing you our favourite getaways across the country. This time around we’re heading to the Welsh capital, Cardiff.
Visiting Cardiff
One of the things that strikes you most when you first arrive in Cardiff is the diverse range of things to see and do. It is an historic city of course, with settlers first coming here around 2,000 years ago, but it is also a modern, cutting edge city that is home to some stunning contemporary architecture. Here’s our pick of just a few of the things you need to see.
The Senedd
If you like fascinating buildings, then you are going to love the Senedd. It is the home of the Welsh Assembly, and as the seat of government in Wales it is a building that is hugely significant to this city. We recommend you get a guided tour once you’re there and the team are helpful and friendly. The building itself, as you’d expect, is well-designed with accessibility in mind. There are lifts, ramps and automated doors throughout and it is even possible to hire wheelchairs there if required. You can also park opposite the building in designated Blue Badge spaces. Clearly, this is a working parliament building with its own particular access and security requirements, so we recommend finding out more here on their dedicated access page.
The Firing Line Museum
From a very modern centre of power to an ancient one: the Firing Line Museum is located inside the walls of Cardiff Castle and is well worth a visit. It’s dedicated to Welsh soldiers, many of whom have played a significant role in some of the most important battles of the last 300 years. The whole building is fully accessible via a lift and level floors, and there are also accessible toilets available. Unfortunately there is no dedicated Blue Badge parking at the museum itself, but it is located close to the city centre and you can easily reach it from the car park at Westgate Street where there are four accessible bays.
Cardiff Bay
No visit to Cardiff is complete without a visit to its waterfront. Cardiff Bay was once known as Tiger Bay and has certainly had a colourful past. But today it is one of the largest stretches of redeveloped waterfront in the UK and is well worth a visit. It is packed with bars and restaurants and there are plenty of sights to take in, from the spectacular Wales Millennium Centre which hosts regular shows to the waterfront itself. The Bay is straightforward to get to via public transport: just take the connecting train from Queen’s Street to Cardiff Bay (there are lifts on the platform for wheelchair users), or you can park at the nearby Mermaid Quay car park, which has 380 spaces and 16 designated Blue Badge bays.
Where to stay
If you fall in love with the Cardiff Bay area (and a lot of people do) then you’ll want to stay at the Future Inn Cardiff Hotel. We were really impressed with the accessibility of the hotel, with its free parking right outside the hotel and its accessible rooms with wet floor showers. Read a full review here.
Eating out
For a meal with a view, then you can’t do much better than the Look Out Cafe. As the name suggests, this is just a cafe, so the menu is fairly limited, but it’s well worth a visit, if only for the view itself. Again, you can park at the nearby Mermaid Quay car park. If you’re looking for something a little more substantial, then head to the Society Standard. It’s a quirky bar and kitchen, that’s fully accessible and has plenty of local beers and a hearty menu to choose from.
Getting there
Cardiff, as you’d expect from Wales’ largest city, is easily accessible from right across the UK. It has its own international airport, and there are regular trains that will take you into the city centre every hour. Find out more here. If you’re driving then the M4 will bring you to the city from the east, while the M6, M5 and M50/M4 connect it to the north. If you’re coming from the southwest, then take the M4 and M5. It’s only a couple of hours by train from London Paddington, and there are services to Cardiff Central from right across the rail network. Visit Arriva Trains to find out more
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.
