Limousines & Mini Coaches hire for kids from PCL

Remember to take a look at our Ideas page too!

Make that birthday ultra exciting with a party at the Magna Science Adventure Centre  (also handy for Meadowhall, mums!)  Remember, if there are too many of you to fit in one of our limos, our luxury mini-coaches can take up to 16 people in real comfort. So what are you waiting for?  Call PCL and make a real day of it!

Whatever the occasion - whether you’re celebrating their birthday, those all important results or simply treating them to a special trip out - let one of our prestigious vehicles add that touch of sparkle to your son or daughter’s day. Watch their eyes light up as a PCL limo glides to your door – who knows, they might even thank you by tidying their bedroom! 

Not sure where to go?  How about the National Railway Museum in York, dastardly sharks at The Deep or the incredible hands-on Eureka!  Click here for more ideas.

 

PCL limos are available for every kids’ occasion, from an hour cruising like celebs, to a trip to the nearest laser zone or an afternoon at the pantomime.



Better still, why not join them and make a real family outing of it? The possibilities are endless! Have they been to Drayton Manor theme park yet? You'll find over a hundred thrilling rides, including Apocalypse, the world's first stand-up tower drop.  Click here to see some of the action!  Or scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the fascinating background to Alton Towers.

 

If they like spending your money (and, let’s face it, which of them don’t!), try Birstall shopping park near Leeds. With over 20 huge stores from HMV to JJB and a Showcase Cinema, teenagers will love it. And while they’re busy in the fitting rooms or watching the movie, you can wander round Ikea or Habitat or browse in Borders, then meet up in one of the many eating places. Chiquitos, Exchange Bar Diner, Frankie & Benny’s, Bella Italia, TGI Fridays … they’re all here, as well as McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut.

 

Across on the other side of Leeds you’ll find Kirkstall Fields, with everything from the Vue cinema to Hollywood Bowl (handy for the pub next door, mums and dads) and no shortage of eating places, from McDonalds to Nandos.



















 

If sport’s your child’s thing, they’ll love Glasshoughton. Sitting on the edge of Castleford, this transformed colliery land is now home to all the excitement of Xscape. As well as cinema screens and bowling, this vast leisure complex offers so much to burn off their energy that they won’t know where to start! Should they try the snowslope, ice climbing or the aerial assault? Maybe the skate park, laser zone or dodgems? Whatever they choose, they’ll come home exhausted. And what better way to round it all off than to sink into their PCL limo and be carried home in style.

Mums and dads are not forgotten either. If you go along and can resist joining in the fun, try the Freeport Designer Outlet just next door, where you’ll find over 40 shops selling at up to 50% off high street prices. And there are plenty of places to recharge with a coffee. Or take the chance to relax over a meal or peaceful drink in one of Xscape’s many restaurants or bars. Nandos, Ask, Lloyds Bar and many more all wait to welcome you. 

And remember, if there are too many to fit in a limo, our luxury PCL mini coaches can take up to 16 people in real comfort, wherever you choose to go. How about a visit to the fascinating world of the Black Country Living Museum near Dudley? With 26 acres to explore, it's a great day out for all the family.  Take a ride on a tram car, watch sweets or metalware being made and meet some of the resident characters.  You can even take a lesson in the old-fashioned school or go down the mine!And when you're ready for refreshment, sample traditional fish and chips from the 1930's Fried Fish Shop or enjoy a drink in the on-site Bottle & Glass Inn.  Then when you're ready to return to 2007, travel home in comfort by PCL luxury mini coach or limo.

Taking them further afield? PCL limos and luxury mini coaches cover all major UK cities the length and breadth of Britain, from London with its countless exciting attractions, to the vibrancy of cosmopolitan Glasgow and its nearby Xscape complex. Call 0800 0744828 today and let PCL help make that treat even more special!

Alton Towers – from Iron Age to Rollercoasters

Visiting Alton Towers today, it's hard to believe that this hugely popular Staffordshire theme park spreads across the site of an iron age fort. The grounds were gradually developed over the years and once held a castle, which was the home of the Earl of Shrewsbury from 1412.

More than three centuries later, the 15th Earl took the house and estate firmly in hand, bringing in an impressive taskforce of labourers and artisans to begin a major transformation. Alton Abbey's landscape was tamed, bringing with it lakes, statues and the magnificent Chinese pagoda fountain.

It was in the 1890s that the estate began to be developed as a tourist attraction. Members of the public flocked to the grounds to marvel at firework displays, balloon festivals and even instruments of torture. However, these early heydays were short-lived, as a family dispute caused the house to fall into decline.

The Alton Towers estate was bought up by a local businessman and all its contents auctioned off. Regardless of its lack of exciting attractions, thousands of loyal visitors continued to visit the house and its cafes, until the Second World War saw it requisitioned by the army as a cadet training base.

In 1951 it was returned to the Alton Towers company. However, as there was a post-war shortage of copper, lead and other metals, the whole interior of the house was stripped out. The entire building was abandoned, save for the Chapel, which became home to a model railway, and the Armoury, which evolved into a gift shop.

Twenty years later new owners took over, carrying out major renovations, so in the 1970s the public were once again able to enjoy the house and surrounding landscape. A number of small attractions were also placed around the estate to encourage further visitors.

In the following decade everything changed once more. A businessman named John Broome used his vision to develop the land into a 500 acre family leisure park. In 1979 almost seventy containers arrived on site, carrying vast steel structures that were to become the country's first ever double-corkscrew rollercoaster. Tens of thousands of visitors were lifted, twisted and plummeted along its exhilarating length until it was finally decommissioned in 2008.

An altogether more sedate attraction was the popular swan boats. Housed on the lake that had once held the Splash Kats, they were slowly moved around the water by pulleys below the surface, changing direction a couple of times every minute. As visitors continued to crave bigger and better thrills, these swan boats became less popular and were removed in 2004.

In 1990 John Broome sold Alton Towers to the Tussauds Group and it has continued to change hands. However, it remains as popular as ever and, as Europe's eleventh most visited family theme park, attracts almost three million people each year.

Written by Glynis Charlton