Electric Car Hire in Durham and Things to do
Everyone loves a good vacation, but sometimes the drive there can ruin the holiday before it’s even started. If you want to ensure the drive goes as smoothly as possible, what better way to do so than in luxury electric cars? EVision Electric Vehicle Hire have the vehicle for you, whether it’s a small, city-break car like a BMW i3, or a luxury family SUV such as the Tesla Model X. If you’re vacationing up north this summer, EVision offer electric car hire in Durham; and to help you plan your vacation, we’ve organised a short list of things to do while you’re there.
Accommodation
Bowburn Hall Hotel
Bowburn Hall Hotel is a venue offering luxury accommodation just southeast of Durham off of junction 61 of the A1(M). There are 19 individually styled rooms ranging from single and twin rooms, to executive and premier rooms for those who like to live it up in style. All rooms come with a hairdryer, radio, and a television with Sky Sports channels 1 & 2, so whether it’s doing your hair, or catching up on the latest scores, Bowburn Hall Hotel has you covered! Tea and coffee making facilities are also provided in all of the rooms, as well as complimentary toiletries.
The hotel’s restaurant offers high-quality food, all cooked in house by the talented Bowburn Hall chefs. What makes this restaurant even more special is that they use their own produce grown from their own gardens in their cooking, as well as using their own free-range chickens wherever possible. Free parking is available on site, and the closest EV charger is located at the Roadchef services just a few minutes away. A single CHAdeMO and Type 2 connector are available at this charger.
Premier Inn Durham City Centre
Finding an affordable hotel can be one of the greatest burdens when planning a holiday. As far as accommodation is concerned, you can’t go wrong with the Premier Inn. The Premier Inn Durham City Centre is a fantastic hotel in the heart of Durham, with easy access to the various amenities around the city. All rooms come with a Freeview TV with 80 channels, and free WiFi throughout the hotel. Almost all the rooms also come with a luxury Hypnos bed, to give you the best night’s sleep you’ve ever had!
EV charging is also available at the close by Sands Car Park. Two Type 2 connectors are available at this location, perfect if you are considering electric car hire in Durham. If you aren’t familiar with the different types of charge connectors, check out our blog post “What’s the Charge” for an overview of the different types.
Holiday Inn Washington
The Holiday Inn Washington is another great and affordable hotel located north of Durham in Washington, just off of junction 64 of the A1(M). Its location is part of what makes this hotel so perfect; it’s slap-bang in the middle of Durham, and Newcastle upon Tyne, which means you’re close to two fantastic cities with plenty to do.
The Holiday Inn Washington has a host of features that make it very well-suited to a variety of guests. Families are well catered for, as children aged 17 and under can stay for free when sharing a room with their parents’, and up to four children aged 12 and under can eat for free at any time of day in the onsite Holiday Inn restaurant. Pets are also allowed in some standard rooms for a small fee, so you can bring your furry friends on holiday with you! Free high-speed internet is also available in all rooms at the hotel, perfect for families who want to stream media content for the kids, and also ideal for customers on business trips who need to constantly check their emails.
Free onsite parking is also available at this hotel, and the car park has an EV charging station. CHAdeMO, Combo 2, and Type 2 connectors are available at this charge station, so a variety of different EVs can be charged here.
Leisure
Diggerland Durham
Diggerland Durham is an excellent place for families to visit, and with 20 different rides and drives available at the park, there is sure to be something for everyone to enjoy! The park is just a 12 minute drive from Durham city centre and offers plenty of parking for visitors. There is plenty to do at Diggerland, including the Dirt Diggers, where you can shift around dirt while operating a real digger! Or if you’d prefer to just sit and enjoy a good view, Skyshuttle sees you elevated 50 feet above the ground by a Manitou telehandler!
For even more fun, why not compete against your family and friends? See if the kids can beat the parents on tyre stacking in Stack Attack, or race against your friends to find out who will be the next Lewis Hamilton in Go Karts. Diggerland is also EV friendly, with two Tesla chargers available for use for a small fee, or, if you’ve hired electric cars from EVision Electric Vehicle Hire, it is free to use the charging facilities. Just show your hire confirmation at admissions, and you’ll be able to charge… free of charge!
Durham Cathedral
If you’re visiting Durham, you need to take in some of the amazing history around the city. One such historical building is Durham Cathedral, located in the heart of the city. Built in 1903, the cathedral is 469 feet long, and 218 feet tall at its highest point. The cathedral has also been featured in many popular movies; it appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, as well as Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for some of the inside shots of Hogwarts School. It was also used as an indoor location of Asgard for a scene in Avengers: Endgame. If you’re visiting the cathedral, there’s plenty to do around the grounds; you can climb the towers, visit the Open Treasure exhibition, or take a look at the Lego model of the cathedral, which is composed of over 300,000 bricks.
Parking is available at the Sands Car Park, which is only a 10 minute walk away from the Cathedral, and also offers electric car charging with two Type 2 charging connectors.
Finchale Priory
Finchale Priory, pronounced Finkle Priory, was a 13th-century Benedictine priory. The remains can be seen on the bank of the River Wear, and are situated just north of Durham City, about a 10 minute drive. The foundations of the 12th century stone chapel can be seen, but the main attraction is the monastic complex built in the 1200s. Much of the complex still remains, and it is a truly spectacular place to visit.
The priory has been a dependency of Durham Cathedral since 1196 and served as a rest facility for the monks of Durham. Four monks at a time would travel to the priory to meet the monks already stationed there, where they would continue their religious duties, as well as enjoy more freedom than they usually enjoyed at the monastery. It was used for this purpose until its suppression in the late 1530s.
There is car parking on-site, but no charging points for electric cars. However, if you were thinking about electric car hire in Durham, and needed somewhere close by to charge, the closest charge point is at the Arnison Centre, only a couple of miles down the road. Here there are two Type 2 chargers, perfect for most electric vehicles.
Shopping
Prince Bishops Shopping Centre
When you’re on vacation, there’s always got to be at least one day dedicated to shopping. Luckily, if you’re heading towards Durham for your holiday, there’s plenty of different places you can go to pick up a thing or two. Prince Bishops Shopping Centre is in the heart of Durham and is a medium-sized shopping centre close to all the local restaurants and attractions like the cathedral and the castle. The centre is home to a multitude of shops including well-known brands such as Next, Pandora and Thorntons.
There is ample parking around this venue, with EV charging available in the Sands Car Park less than a 10 minute walk away, so you can park your electric cars up for some juice, and head over for a shopping spree!
Intu Eldon Square
Just a 30 minute drive from Durham is Intu Eldon Square, in the heart of Newcastle upon Tyne. Intu have a reputation for being a fab shopping centre provider, and Eldon Square is no exception. This large shopping mall has over 100 stores, including big name brands such as Apple, River Island and Superdry. The mall also has over 30 places to eat and drink, so you’ll never be far from a snack!
The Eldon Garden Multi-Storey is right next to the mall and offers plenty of spaces. This car park also offers a lot of charging points for electric cars, making it the perfect destination if you’re considering electric car hire in Durham or the surrounding area. There are 17 Type 2 charging points, so you’re almost guaranteed to be able to charge.
Restaurants
Bistro Italiano
No holiday would be complete without some yummy food to chow down on. Durham has plenty of restaurants to cater to all tastes. If Italian food is your style, Bistro Italiano is definitely the joint for you. Located just outside of the city centre, this quaint independent eatery offers a variety of quality food to cater to all tastes. The owner of Bistro Italiano is an executive chef with more than 15 years experience in Italian restaurants, so it’s safe to say, he knows his stuff when it comes to pasta and pizza.
They’re open from 5:00pm until 10:30pm Monday – Thursday, and 12:00pm until 10:30pm Friday – Sunday, perfect for a late dinner during the week, or for brunch at the weekend. The closest car park is the Sands Car Park, which also has two Type 2 connectors for electric car charging.
Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar and Grill
If fine dining with a steak is more your cup of tea, look no further than the Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar and Grill. The world-renowned chef has been popping up restaurants all over the country, and Durham is lucky enough to have been blessed with this one. The restaurant is located near the city centre, adjacent to the Hotel Indigo Durham, and is easily accessible from the street. Parking is available on the street, and there are two charging spaces with Type 2 connectors.
This premium steakhouse uses only the finest, locally-sourced ingredients, and caters to a variety of different preferences. So, if steak isn’t your bag, don’t write this place off just yet! They also serve seafood, soups, and a collection of other dishes.
EVision Electric Vehicles
If you’re looking for electric car hire in Durham, we here at EVision Electric Vehicle Hire have you covered. We have a plethora of fully electric vehicles to cater to all types of trips, so whether you’re taking a family holiday, or just a couples getaway, we’ve got the car for you.
Tesla Model S
Durham is full of history, with castles, cathedrals, and medieval building spread out all across the county. That means a lot of driving, and what better way to drive than in a luxury electric car, that does most of the hard work for you? I’m talking about the Tesla Model S with its autopilot feature. This car is great for families and couples alike, with its luxury interior, smooth driving feel and spacious storage areas.
The seats are made from vegan leather, and the front seats can be electronically adjusted and heated to warm your bottom during those chilly evenings. The entertainment system also includes Spotify and TuneIn, so you can listen to whatever music or radio station you want no matter where you are. And with between 200 and 300 mile range, you’ll be able to travel nearly anywhere on a single charge! With autopilot enabled on most of our Tesla’s, you’ll hardly need to lift a finger to get to your destination.
Jaguar I-Pace
If you’re going to be visiting high-class manors and restaurants, you’ll want to arrive in a car that feels at home in that environment. That’s just one reason that you might decide to hire a Jaguar I-Pace. Jaguar have been producing luxury vehicles for decades, and with their latest electric vehicle, that hasn’t changed. Luxury leather interior and a top-tier entertainment system are just a couple of details that make this car so fantastic.
This spacious SUV is perfect for families that want a reasonable-sized car to get them around on holiday. There’s plenty of room for passengers, and a big open boot space for luggage and other nick-nacks. You can expect to get up to 292 miles out of this vehicle, making it one of the longest-range cars we offer. So whether you live nearby, or are travelling from far away, you’ll be able to get where you need to go, without stopping to charge.
BMW i3
If it’s just a couple’s city break you’re looking for, the BMWi3 is a fantastic little runaround. Don’t let its small stature fool you, it still packs a punch! With around 100 mile range, it’s great for getting around cities and for small motorway trips across the county. Thanks to the fantastic regenerative-braking capabilities of this car, you’ll be recharging your car whenever you slow down!
Hiring this snappy little vehicle won’t break the bank either; our rental prices start from just £29.00 excluding VAT and insurance. They’re great for couples, and their futuristic design is sure to turn heads wherever you travel!
To enquire about electric car hire in Durham, or for any other general enquiries, call us today on 01634 914063, or send us your details, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can!
