Segway Tours in London?
 

Does anyone know if there are Segway tours available in London? If so, how would I find them?

Thanks.

Gayle

Thanks, Keith.

Have you ever done one of these tours? Are they good and fun?

Also, I note on the site that you can "rent a Segway for a day." Any insight about where/how to park such a vehicle while you shop or visit an attraction like Westminster Abbey?

Thanks.

Gayle

I haven't done the Segway tour in London, but I have in Paris. It was great fun, but the focus of the tour was more the experience of riding on the Segway through the beautiful streets of Paris, rather than a tour that offered any real historical/cultural information.

I don't know if leaving the Segway to go into a museum or other attraction is wise. Firstly, to rent the Segway for the day - or any length of time - probably won't be cheap. You can get around to the attractions more economically by other means of transportation.

Secondly, I don't know how you would secure the Segway to try to deter someone from walking off with it. Bike chain? I don't really recall seeing many places where bikes were parked next to attractions, either - but I wasn't looking.

And if the Segway is stolen, the replacement charge is high. I think they retail for a few thousand dollars. The rental contract may specifically prohibit you from leaving it anywhere unattended.

Lastly, the streets of London are quite crowded. I don't know if I could imagine riding a Segway around - alone, without a tour.

Here's a test.

Hands up all those of you who think 52 quid (yup. Real money. Or about 80 of those green things some of you use instead) is good value for a scooter ride along the South Bank.

Thought so. The guys who run London Walks will sleep pretty soundly tonight.

I just raised my hand, flanneruk. The money is well worth it, to me, but then we don't go to terribly expensive restaurants and drop that on a meal, either. Different strokes?

Yes, well, you see, each of us has different reasons for asking questions. Mine is that my Mom is traveling to London with me this summer, and her knees don't work too well any more. She would never rent a wheel-chair or scooter-chair, and so (on past trips) she doesn't have the pleasure of walking along the Embankment or window shopping the length of Oxford Street or taking the walking tours that I love so much.

Mom really can't do the "run through the Tube stations" thing, either - steps are particularly bad for her. And our experience with buses has been less than stellar (i.e., waiting over 1.5 hours at a bus stop clearly marked for buses to come by every 15 minutes).

Taxis are also very expensive.

I came across the idea of renting a Segway and thought "that's perfect for Mom!" A very new and cool way to travel that keeps her dignity intact.

However, I just know that we'd want to stop for tea, or to browse in the shops, or whatever and I don't know what to do with the Segway during that time, and I was looking for input on that and other things about renting a Segway.

You can rent the Segway for a few hours and go wherever you want, which is what I would want to do (as opposed to an actual guided tour of London).

So, yes, flanneruk, it MIGHT very well be worth it to me to spend the money (21GBP per hour, from their website) to rent a couple of these gadgets for an afternoon. It would be wonderful to see Mom be able to get around so easily!

I do say, "MIGHT," however, because I'm just researching it - that's why I asked the question. I was hoping to get some insight from folks who might be familiar with this device and its use in London.

Like kswl, I might choose to economize elsewhere to make this a possibility for our trip.

Gayle

P.S., Yes, I do know that there are other ways to get around and, if I were traveling with my husband or just friends, I'd use those.

In Paris, our Segway tour guide (an extremely knowledgeable young lady) said that their company has no problems with older people on the Segway. I'll bet your mother loves it! Several elderly women came up to us with questions, very interested in these personal transportation devices. I personally think they represent a whole new world of mobility for older people. We had no problem in Paris on crowded sidewalks. I think I would probably go on a tour first (which is usually cheaper than hiring a private guide or renting by the hour) to see how your mom takes to it. As for leaving the Segways, I would ask the tour company. I'm sure somebody has had to go to the ladies' and leave the S. unattended, so there MUST be some type of lock or provision for doing so. Someday there will probably be docking stations just about everywhere. I would trade in my car tomorrow for a Segway if we didn't live out in the country.

I would also recommend either trying the Segway on a tour first - or at least seeing if you can try the Segway for a bit before committing to renting it for a length of time.

While the Segway is pretty easy to operate, you don't know if your mom will be comfortable with it. You have to turn the Segway on before you step up on it. If you don't step up on it correctly, it starts to move - so there is a bit of a balance issue there.

Once you're on it, it's pretty steady, but you control your speed and movement forward and back by leaning forward and back.

You will be able to get the Segway over smaller curbs - but anything over a few inches is too high - something to consider when planning your route. To get over a curb you need to lean forward and get some speed to "bump" up over the curb - if you don't hit the curb square, it throws your balance off.

I know my mother would never be able to ride one - but that's just her. My sister's mother in law picked up on the Segway immediately and had no problems. A couple in their late 20's both fell off their Segways (at different times) during the "training session" prior to our tour (but decided to take the tour anyway).

The Segway was a bit hard on my feet and calves because I was standing in one position for so long. It's really not that easy to shift position or move your feet around, because of the the shifting of your body is what controls the movement of the Segway.

This post is quite old but here is my 20cents worth...

After doing Segway tours in Paris, Barcelona, and Berlin I can confirm that it is very easy to operate even for elderly people. It just takes an element of calm approach and no panic.

On my tours some people where in their 80's and managed without any fuss but with 15 minutes of initial training in a parking lot.

Locking the Segway is also pretty simple. There is a remote control tht comes with it and to park it you simply lean it on a wall or bike parking barier and switch it off.

Go to the bathrom, shop, have your tea, etc.

If someone tries to steal it here is what happens... while switched off if you try to move it it will sound an alarm initially, then it will start to vogorously vibrate, making it impossible to grab a hold of and steal, or even put on a truck. So pretty safe option, especialy if you are in public places.

Definately get your mum to try it!

You all know segways are illegal (on pavement or public road) in the UK??

Which is why the web site referenced in the first reply is now defunct.