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Five ways to experience the fun of a Segway

When the Segway was first conceived, the hype surrounding the space age transporter was massive. The man behind the Segway Dean Kamen, even went as far as to predict the downfall of the car, he claimed: “It will be to the car what the car was to the horse and buggy”.

Unless you’re reading this whilst gliding past miserable commuters on your Segway, you have to admit ‘the future of transport’ has not made the impact it promised. Thankfully for us thrill seekers there is one thing the Segway delivers in abundance, and that is fun!

Sites across the country are now unleashing the Segway’s full potential by offering a selection of wacky Segway games and adventures designed to squeeze every last ounce of fun out of the electronic transporter.

So here’s a look at some of the best things you can get up to on board a Segway:

1. Off-road adventure

This is a great way to see some of the most picturesque parts of the country, but more importantly, it’s the best way to experience the fun of an off-road Segway. Once on board the specially adapted Segway you’ll head off the beaten track weaving through woodland and racing round bumpy cross country circuits.

2. Segway Olympics

This is the ultimate test of everything you’ve learnt on your Segway. The Segway Olympics are a tricky combination of a number of disciplines including a race, an obstacle course and games such as the Segg and spoon race.

3. Segway Racing

Let’s face it nothing beats the fun of a good old fashioned race. There are a range of different circuits across the country packed with tight bends and full throttle straights. The Segway has a top speed of 12.5 mph (nearly twice walking speed) so regardless of whether you come first or last you’re guaranteed to be grinning ear to ear when you cross the finish line.

4. Obstacle Course

Once you’ve mastered the basic controls of a Segway it’s time to see how good you really are by taking on a fiendish obstacle course. The courses are packed with tight turns and sharp changes in direction which will really test your manoeuvring skills. You’ll also be tested on your ability to handle different surfaces and negotiate obstructions. Anybody can master the basics, but have you got what it takes to conquer the assault course?

5. Segway Polo

Here’s a chance to really unleash your competitive side! Instead of playing on horseback, you and a team of four other players can grab a mallet and take to your Segways. The aim of the game is simple; glide across the pitch on your Segway and using your polo mallet do your best to whack the ball into your opponents net.

Book your Segway experience with The Activity People today!

Taking your first Bungee Jump

Plummeting towards the earth after leaping from a crane or bridge may not be everybody’s idea of fun but for the adrenaline seekers out there, there is no greater thrill than bungee jumping.

Bungee jumping dates back to the time of the Aztec people who would jump from tall wooden structures with vines tied to their legs, as a test of their manhood.

Thankfully bungee jumps have become much safer, rigorous health and safety checks are common place and each participant is weighed and fitted for a safety harness before they take the plunge.

The first recognised bungee jump was in Britain, in 1979 when members of Oxford Universities dangerous sports club jumped from the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol. There are now sites across Britain that offer standard bungee jumps as well as catapult bungee jumps.

Most jumps in the UK are from a crane which means the height can be made higher or lower depending on how brave you’re feeling. The majority of locations will offer two different heights, a standard jump at around 160ft and a more challenging jump from a staggering 300ft in the air. Crane jumps are by far the most popular type of jump in the UK and whatever height you choose to step off the platform from, your heart is sure to be racing.

A new variation on the traditional bungee jump is the catapult bungee jump or reverse bungee jump as they are also known. This type of bungee involves participants being flung into the air rather than jumping from a raised platform towards the ground. Launched in 2011 by David Hasselhoff on ITV game show ‘Red or Black’, catapult bungee jumps are great for people attempting their first jump or for more experienced jumpers who are looking for a new thrill.

Rather than making your way to the top of a crane, you remain slightly closer to the ground. Once your are safely in your harness, the bungee cord is attached to a crane which takes up the slack and suspends you in mid-air. Then on the count of 3, 2, 1, Bungee! The instructor will release the rip cord sending you soaring through the air.

While its probably not the best idea to wear a skirt or high heels you can pretty much bungee wearing whatever you’re comfortable in. T-shirts, shorts and track suits are all fine, choosing the right footwear is much more important. Make sure to wear enclosed or well fitted shoes to avoid losing them mid-jump, alternatively you can make the leap bare foot.

Most locations will also offer the opportunity to do a tandem bungee jump which gives you the chance to jump with one of the experienced members of staff, or a bewildered friend or colleague. The rush of a bungee jump is addictive and once you’ve made your first jump you’ll already be planning your next. So why not throw yourself head first into one of Britain’s most loved adrenaline activities?

Book your jump with The Activity People today!

Don’t panic, there’s still time to get those last minute gifts!

A visit to your local supermarket will tell you that the last minute Christmas panic has definitely set in and if there’s somebody you’ve forgotten to buy for the thought of having to brave the high street two days before the big day is enough to push your festive spirit to the limit. Thankfully, we may just have the perfect solution!

Our instant eVouchers are sent straight to your email inbox, which means there’s no need to wait around for the postman and no need to fight your way down the high street. Once you’ve received the email with your voucher attached you’re free to get creative and put your own unique stamp on things. So no matter how late you leave things there’s always time to get the perfect last minute gift, and nobody will be any the wiser.

Order your eVouchers from The Activity People today!

Paintball V Airsoft

Question: Are Airsoft and Paintball the Same Thing?

The simple answer is no.

Paintball is a sport that consists of opposing players shooting gelatin-filled capsules at each other that break open upon impact and mark the opposing player.Airsoft is a sport that consists of opposing players shooting small, plastic pellets at each other which do not break upon impact and do not mark the opposing player.

Paintball and Airsoft are both variations on the classic game of tag, but they require different equipment. A paintball gun cannot be used to shoot airsoft pellets and an airsoft gun cannot be used to shoot paintballs. See guns below – very different.

Paintball and Airsoft are played on the same type of fields and arenas and require the same level of tactical play and teamwork.
We can offer you both Airsoft and Paintball here at the activity people.
Click here to see all our sites.

PAINTBALL PLAYER

AIRSOFT PLAYER

Voucher That Gives You More!

Adrenalin Activity Passport

Why give someone one adrenalin-fuelled activity gift experience, when you can give the THE LOT!.

Yes, new from the UK’s biggest Activity network, comes the Activity Passport This clever little gift gives the lucky recipient access to 882 activity locations in the UK – yep 882!

So, which one of your friends or family will wake up to the best gift ever on their birthday of Christmas morning. You choose – but make sure you get it right – click here

The company has been around for 15 years and is the chosen activity provider for Visit Britain, Go Outdoors and many of the companies that provide activities under their own brand. So go direct and buy into the best adrenalin activity gift voucher experience in the UK.

Activity Passport – the gateway to activity heaven

Ten Brilliant St Patrick’s Day Facts

Here we go again, activity fans: time for clovers and flags and silly green hats, as well as a certain dark beer.

But how much do you really know about this age old and worldwide celebration?

If the answer is “not much” then today is your very lucky day, because The Activity People have made a list of their ten favourite St Patrick’s Day factoids, and placed them handily one after the other, right here.

Enjoy them almost as much as the day itself.

St Patrick, Monster Slayer

Ok, this article is all about facts, but that’s fine because I’m sure that the following is true.

Apparently, St Patrick had his hands full from time to time with an Irish beastie or two. It’s said that he rid Ireland of snakes by ringing a great bell from the top of the Croagh Patrick, a 2500 ft tall mountain. His slithering assailants then drowned in the sea.

But he didn’t rest on his laurels, oh no, because he also rid the place of a fierce lake monster too. The kick-ass saint did slay the creature right there on its own turf, turning all the water red with its blood. To this day the lake is known as Lough Derg, or Red Lake. Surely, that’s all the proof we need to assume that this is definitely true.

In all seriousness, the purpose of folklore is not that it be taken literally as a documentation of fact. Many believe the legend of St Patrick and the snakes was a figurative depiction of his championing Christianity in Ireland, and the decline of druid and pagan religions in the country. So the snakes represent those religions.

But the fierce lake monster was definitely a fierce lake monster. That had to have happened. Why? Because we say so!

Anger Management

By all accounts, St Patrick had a bit of a temper, and wasn’t averse to dishing out the odd curse. Some of his curses even seem to have worked, with only the slightest helping hand from Mother Nature and the good old British weather.

This combination was effective when SP cursed a field to sink beneath the sea after his oxen were refused permission to graze there.

Far from abusing his power, however, the saint had a strong sense of justice; once curing a blind man, while making somebody who’d laughed at the unfortunate soul go blind himself.

Girl Power

St Patrick was something of an ideas man, and it was a thought-bubble from that very saintly bonce which initiated the practice of allowing women to defy convention and propose marriage to men on a leap year.

Until then, society decreed that ladies had to wait for a proposal from an interested suitor; a proposal which may never have been forthcoming. St Paddy’s leap year concept gave women the power to control their own destiny.

Of course, it only gave them that power for one day every four years or so, and what’s more he couldn’t stop the proposed to guys from saying ‘no’. But at least it was a start.

You’re Welcome, Shamrock

As if killing monsters, curing the sick and giving hope to single ladies wasn’t enough, St Patrick put the shamrock on the map!

He used a three leaf specimen to illustrate the holy trinity of Father, Son and Holy Ghost to King Laughire of Tara. Nobody knows if the king understood, or whether he was just being polite. But we do know that from then on the shamrock went from strength to strength and has become a universal symbol, synonymous with all things Ireland, all around the globe. The four leaf variety are, perhaps, most recognisable and are believed to signify rebirth and life. The four leaves are said to represent faith, love, hope and the world famous luck of the Irish.

Once St Patrick’s Day rolls around, you’re likely to see more than a couple of them hanging around the place.

Sorry, Blue

Just like the Shamrock itself St Patrick’s Day is a completely green affair. By that we mean that green is the colour draped across pubs, parades, shops and revellers themselves. It is a colour inextricably linked to Ireland and once the time comes to celebrate St Patrick, it’s the colour that steals the show.

So it may come as a surprise to discover that St Patrick’s favourite colour was blue. What’s more, the whole of Ireland was less than enamoured with green for much of its history. Green was believed to be the colour of immortals, fairies and leprechauns, not a great crowd to be falling in with; and by wearing green you were seen to be doing just that.

Once upon a time, the flag of the nation was blue itself, and adorned with a golden harp, and military men wore ‘St Patrick’s Blue’ in their uniforms.

Not until the 19^th Century did green become the official colour of Ireland. Now, the colour and its Irish connotations are recognised world over. In Chicago, they dye the entire Chigaco River green to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. Of course, dyeing a river blue would hardly have had the same effect.

Everybody’s Favourite (Scottish) Irishman

Like many an Ireland international footballer, St Patrick wasn’t even Irish. The man that would become a saint was actually from Scotland, and went by the name Maewyn Succat (which, admittedly, doesn’t have the same ring to it).

Young Maewyn didn’t set foot in Ireland until the age of 16 when he was kidnapped and sold into slavery. Not a great first impression, but things would eventually get better. Many years later the man became a Priest under the Bishop of Auxerre and took the name Patricius (as in Patrick, do try to keep up).

The rest, as they say, is history. A history we celebrate every year on the 17^th day of March.

Taking This Show On The Road

It isn’t known exactly when St Patrick’s Day was first celebrated outside of Ireland, but the first written account of the event occurring in England comes from Mr Gulliver’s Travels himself, Jonathan Swift.

He mentions celebrations taking place in London, circa 1713. According to him Westminster Parliament took a day off and all public buildings were adorned with green (not blue) decorations.

Similar celebrations have been taking place in the Caribbean since the 17^th Century. The island of Montserrat is where the party started, thanks in part to Oliver Cromwell, although only because many Irish fled to Montserrat to get away from him.

Tonight We’re Going To Party Like It’s 1737

The guys across the Atlantic have enjoyed a good St Patrick’s shindig for a long time now; and they generally don’t do things by halves.

The first St Patrick’s Day Parade to be held in America took place in Boston on the 17^th March 1737. New York followed suit in 1762, and Chicago just one year after that. The customary dumping of vegetable dye into the river in order to turn it green didn’t start until 1962, but is now one of the many traditions observed in honour of St Paddy and his adopted homeland.

Now celebrated all over the States, it is the longest running civilian parade in the world. 274 years young and still going strong!

Fashionably Late

Dublin, itself, has only held a St Patrick’s Day Parade for less than a century, and even then the event was far from being all about partying hard and drinking Guinness (other alcoholic beverages are available).

It wasn’t until 1995 that Dublin’s pubs even opened on the national holiday, because that’s precisely what it was: a ‘holy day’. Many still honour the event with religious observance, while for others drinking and revelry are as much a part of St Patrick’s Day as the colour green and the man himself.

Slice of Luck

We’d all like a little loving from Lady Luck. On St Patrick’s Day, it is believed that finding a four leaf clover, wearing green or kissing the Blarney Stone will bring good fortune.

Incidentally, there are no documented reports of people finding fortune at the bottom of a Guinness glass, but we’re sure that won’t stop most of us looking anyway.

Wherever it takes you, and whatever it holds, The Activity People would like to wish you all a memorable and fun-filled day of celebration.

Remember to drink responsibly and watch out for fierce lake monsters.

The Activity People’s Top 5 Movie Car Chases

Throughout this week, The Activity People have been counting down their Top 5 Movie Car Chases via our Facebook page. We’ve chosen the ones that make us want to get behind the wheel and burn some rubber just like our cinematic heroes.

It was a tough decision to make, because there’re just so many great scenes to choose from, and plenty of epic, big screen wheel-spinners missed out all together.

There was no place on the list for the awesome Vanishing Point or Smokey and The Bandit. In The Bourne Supremacy, Matty Damon manages a riveting chase, despite crashing his car around fifty times, and it still didn’t make the list. They made two whole movies full of gas guzzling, car smashing action and called them both Gone In 60 Seconds, but neither could accelerate into our Top 5; nor could any of the brilliant Fast and Furious franchise.

The movies which race onto our Top 5 list are there because we think they embody all of the reasons that everybody loves a good car chase: the thunderous engine noise, the screaming tyres, the shiny bodies zipping through impressive locations and, of course, the trail of destruction they leave in their wake. And these cars are responsible for plenty of silver screen carnage.

So sit back, strap yourself in, and enjoy The Activity People’s Top 5 Movie Car Chases. Is your favourite on the list?

5. The Blues Brothers

Jake and Elwood Blues are on a mission from God (apparently), and they’re not going to let anything stand in their way…not even a crowded shopping mall.

At the time of release, this movie held the record for most cars crashed. A total of 12 ‘Bluesmobiles’ were used throughout the film, including one built especially to fall apart.

To view the scene click here.

4. The Bourne Identity

His Supremacy chase didn’t make the list, but a chase from this equally great movie did. The Italian Job might be a little more famous for hurtling through a grand European city in a Mini Cooper, but the live action driving in this flick really puts the beloved little car to the test.

The release of the film had to be rescheduled, after director Doug Liman ordered a series of re-shoots, including this riveting chase. We’re certainly glad he did.

To view the scene click here.

3. Bullitt

The undisputed Daddy of the car chase and a title usually preceded by a Number 1 in lists of this nature, this exciting Steve McQueen vehicle only reached Number 3 in our list, but the iconic San Francisco streets and the unmistakable muscle car rumble will ensure that this movie lives forever in the annals of cinema history.

Director Peter Yates called for the chase to be shot at speeds of 75-80mph but the cars used managed insane speeds of over 110mph. Filming of the chase scene took more than three weeks and resulted in less than ten minutes of footage. But it’s great footage, indeed.

Two Ford Mustangs and Two Dodge Chargers were used to shoot the chase scene. All were expertly modified for high-speed chasing. Both Chargers were junked after filming along with one of the Mustangs. McQueen attempted to purchase the remaining Ford many years later but the private owner refused to sell and to this day the car sits, un-driven, in a barn.

To view the scene click here.

2. The French Connection

Another all time classic at Number 2. This time it’s Gene Hackman’s iconic portrayal of tough cop Popeye Doyle behind the wheel. He’s pushing the pedal to the metal in pursuit of the bad guys. The trouble is they’re not in a car. They’re in a runaway train speeding by on an overhead track.

Like Bullitt, no music accompanies the scene, though director William Friedkin edited the sequence to the tempo of Carlos Santana’s Black Magic Woman. The only sound we get during the movie is the harrowing noises of the carnage that unfolds.

The crash that takes place at the intersection of Stillwell Avenue and 86^th Street was unplanned but included in the movie because of its realism. The man involved was driving to work, oblivious to the fact that the chase was being shot. Producers later paid bills for the car’s repairs.

To view the scene click here.

1. Ronin

A gritty and intense, rocking roller coaster of a chase shot on location on the busy streets of Paris. Ronin mightn’t be the biggest movie name on the list, but with the unforgettable chase sequences director John Frankenheimer set out to create the textbook car scenes that all subsequent Hollywood speedsters would learn from and emulate. Everybody here at The Activity People thinks he definitely succeeded.

The film enlisted the crème de la crème of stunt drivers from all over the world, including former Formula 1 driver Jean-Pierre Jarier.

The chases in the movie are famous for being some of the most authentic ever committed to film, and one of the subtle tricks used to do this was a set of modified right-hand drive cars. In these impressive machines, the passenger side was made up to mirror the real controls. Robert De Niro and Natasha McElhone then mimicked the stunt drivers while the action played out.

To view the scene click here.

There you have it, The Activity People’s Top 5 Movie Car Chases in all their petrol powered glory. The films we can’t watch without wanting to leap behind the wheel and satisfy our own burning need for speed.

If you’re looking to burn some rubber, too, we offer a number of great activities that allow you to do so. Get behind the wheel in karting, rally driving and many more. They’re fast and fun adrenaline explosions, and they’re also perfectly safe.

Visit our website to find out more, then get out there and really floor it.