Overview

A disability friendly go-karting experience on the outskirts of Glasgow in Hillington Park which has hand controlled single-seater and two-seater electric karts. Staff are incredibly friendly and have disability training to allow them to safely assist you with your karting experience, Venue is incredibly accessible but could improve by adding more disabled parking and a changing places toilet facility.

Transport & Parking

On the day of my visit, i drove to the centre. There are disabled parking spaces across from the main entrance, however all were taken on the day. As a result I had to park around the corner from the centre. This is unfortunate as the pavements around the centre are not in great condition and are difficult to navigate safely in a manual wheelchair without some assistance. Increasing the amount of disabled spaces would be a great benefit for disabled customers. The centre is a 10 minute walk from the nearest train station which is not wheelchair accessible.

Access

The Experience main entrance is on the ground floor and there is level access at the front door into the main reception and out onto the karting area. The Academy restaurant, the conference room, and the sensory room are all on the ground floor too with level access. The main reception desk has a lowered portion for wheelchair users. The track area is accessible through a door at the end of reception. A high safety wall obscures most of the track for someone at standard wheelchair height, which means spectating any racing on the track is not really an option, apart from being able to view the elevated section of the track. There is an elevated spectator area at the far wall of the track but this is only accessible by stairs. When it comes to accessing the track, the track itself is accessible via gates at each end of the track, all fully on the same level. Staff control access onto the track so there is no risk of any crashes or injury. Usually you enter through the pit entrance which is to the left as you enter the track arena from reception, but there is also an entrance gate for the beginners track down to the right.. There are helmets and other racing gear such as racing suits provided by the centre, but there is nowhere in the centre currently that is accessible to allow you to get changed into any clothing such as the suits. All the karts provided are fully electric, so any racing suits are really cosmetic! The karts are very low to the ground and you may require assistance to get into the kart. The karts have large flat side panels which are weight baring and can allow someone who can transfer easily the chance to position themselves on them when getting in and out of the kart, . There centre has a hoist which can allow drivers who require one to use it in order to access the karts. Staff are trained in how to use the hoist, but are also happy to allow any support workers/carers or assistants to assist with the hoist if the person using it feels more comfortable. The centre has karts which come with hand controls which take the form of separate levers for breaking and accelerating which sit behind each side of the steering wheel, allowing you to steer and operate the throttle/break at the same time. For those who cannot drive, but still wish to experience the thrill of the track, there are karts with two seats to allow for a passenger to be taken around. Again, these karts are accessible by transfer or by hoist. Finally the track can be a little bit bumpy in places, causing the kart to vibrate a little (especially when travelling at speed!) ,and the kart seats are quite firm, so if you are prone to pressure sores or skin/bone damage it may be best to bring an extra cushion or some foam padding to place around you in order to help cushion from some of the bumps.

Toilets

There are two disabled toilets at the centre. Both are very spacious and were very clean on the day of use. Neither have any "changing places" facilities however. Having a bench in one of the disabled toilets would be very useful for getting changed into any racing gear as mentioned above.

Staff

The staff are the centre are incredibly friendly and are very enthusiastic about accessible go-karting. As mentioned above, the staff have received training on how to use the hoist system in place. Staff at the restaurant were happy to assist with carrying any plates or food to your table and do provide a table service.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

Accessible go-karting is extremely fun! Sadly there are too few places in Scotland that can provide it. The Experience in Hillington does however, and is an incredibly accessible venue. There is a "Karting with Concious" program that runs Monday to Thursday which allows racers with an impairment to race for £10, which is a really good price considering it is £25 the rest of the time. Make sure to phone ahead to check availability before you travel.