The best North Wales activities to get the adrenaline pumping

Walking among the quieter mountain peaks of Eryri (Snowdonia) you’ll often find yourself surrounded only by the sounds of nature. Birdsong, the trickle of a mountain stream and the occasional bleat of a curious sheep nearby. It’s blissful and tranquil, but North Wales is not all about peace and tranquillity. Dotted throughout the mountains, forests and coastline are some of the most exciting and thrilling attractions which make North Wales an adrenaline junkie’s haven. Alongside all the outdoor adventures in the natural environment such as rock climbing, coasteering and canyoning, the last decade has seen a number of large attractions being developed utilising the landscape to create thrilling and world class experiences. I’ve had the opportunity to try out a number of these attractions and compiled a list of some of the best North Wales activities to get the adrenaline pumping.

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Amazing North Wales activities to get the adrenaline pumping

Surf in the mountains at Adventure Parc Snowdonia

*Last updated January 2024 – Adventure Parc Snowdonia is currently closed*

There’s plenty of coastline around North Wales, therefore ample opportunities to try your hand at surfing on the sea. But when you factor in tides, weather and skill levels, getting those perfect days out on the waves can be hit and miss. Cue the opening of ADVENTURE PARC SNOWDONIA (formerly Surf Snowdonia) back in 2015. A worlds first inland lagoon was created with a wave generating system creating consistent and perfect waves every 90 seconds. At 300 foot in length, the man made lagoon provides plenty of space for the advanced surfers to ride the waves alongside beginners and intermediates. The setting in the Conwy Valley village of Dolgarrog is surrounded by stunning mountain scenery and forests, a beautiful spot for your first attempts at surfing which has become one of the more recent North Wales activities of recent years.

Adventure Parc Snowdonia offer surf lessons for beginners as well as more intense one day courses, alongside intermediate lessons. The beginner lessons start with a 30 minute session in the Surf Academy learning about the board and surfing techniques, with the aim to get you standing before the lesson is out. Following the 30 minute prep, there’s an hour spent out on the water in relatively small groups, where instructors are on hand to offer assistance and observe. It took some confidence, and I’ll admit it was pretty nerve wracking when the first wave came racing towards us, but it sure was an adrenaline rush! Did I manage to stand during the hour on the water? Well, no. I did manage to get onto my knees a few times and ride the wave to the edge of the lagoon. It was an awesome experience and highly recommended.

USEFUL INFORMATION

The Beginner Lessons start at £53.00 for children and £63.00 for adults, which include the hire of the board and wetsuits for the duration of the lesson. There is the opportunity to catch up to 18 waves during the session.

Book now on the ADVENTURE PARC SNOWDONIA WEBSITE.

WHILE YOU ARE THERE: There are a number of attractions at Adventure Parc Snowdonia to get the adrenaline pumping. Why not try Adrenaline Indoors which features Ninja Assault and Extreme Slides, Indoor Caving and a High Ropes course.

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Fly through a quarry at 100mph on the world’s fastest zip line

Driving into the UNESCO World Heritage slate landscape of Wales, the first views of the imposing Penrhyn Quarry become evident after leaving Bethesda. A wall of slate, climbing high into the sky, hundreds of feet tall. Near the top, a small structure is built into the slate hillside. There are cables running from this structure heading down to ground level, far below. There is movement along the cables, tiny dots moving at high speed towards the ground. The tiny dots are people flying through the sky reaching up to speeds of 100mph on the world’s fastest zip line, Velocity 2, one of the more popular North Wales activities. The excitement kicks in.

Arriving at ZIP WORLD PENRHYN QUARRY, the view of Velocity 2 becomes much clearer. The complex surrounds the impossibly blue Penrhyn Quarry lake, which sits centrally on the site. The main facilities building includes the check in area for the attractions, as well as the Blondin Restaurant on the first floor – the ideal spot for spectators to watch the activities whilst enjoying food or a drink on the terrace. The Velocity 2 experience takes you on a journey along not one, but two zip lines, as well as a trip on one of the Quarry Explorer red military trucks, transporting guests to the high point of the attraction.

Having checked in and harnessed up, it’s time to start the adventure. The first and smaller zip wire starts near the facilities building and provides a taster of what to expect on the larger zip. There are four cables in total, so four people ride alongside each other while crossing the quarry lake. It’s a relatively quick ride, but high enough to provide a hint of what is to come. Disembarking at the end point, guests are then transported on the red military trucks to the start point of Velocity 2. The explorer truck meanders up through the snaking roadways of the quarry getting higher and higher before arriving at the final destination some 15 minutes later. At this point the scale of the attraction becomes apparent. The view is incredible, the quarry lake far below giving way to views of the North Wales coast and Anglesey on the horizon.

Getting strapped in at the platform of the Velocity 2 is an entirely different and nerve wracking experience compared to the smaller zip. The drop below is vast, the cliff face disappears vertically down into the lake hundreds of feet below. ‘Tri, dau, un’ (‘three, two, one’ in Welsh) shout the staff and we are off. Flying down towards the lake, reaching speeds of over 100mph with only the sounds of the wind whizzing past your ears. It’s hard to get a sense of the speed as you are so high, but you can tell it fast. Really fast. Sixty seconds of pure adrenalin later and it’s over, an amazing high speed thrill ticked off the bucket list.

USEFUL INFORMATION

Prices for Velocity 2 start from £89.00 per person and are dependant on time and date. Peak season and weekends tend to be more expensive, so head over to Penrhyn Quarry during school term to get the best deals.

Book now on the ZIP WORLD WEBSITE

WHILE YOU ARE THERE: Another fantastic attraction at Zip World Penrhyn Quarry is Quarry Karts. Take a ride on one of the three wheeled, gravity fuelled karts as you race down the 3km track down the side of the quarry. The starting point is near the start of Velocity 2, at 1500m above sea level, providing the same magnificent views of the surrounding landscape.

DRIVE INTO SNOWDONIA AND HEAD ON A CWM IDWAL WALK FROM THE OGWEN VALLEY

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Ski on a dry slope with spectacular coastal views

One of the more long standing North Wales activities to get the adrenaline pumping, LLANDUDNO SNOWSPORTS CENTRE provides the opportunity to try out skiing on a dry slope with epic coastal views. Nestled into a hillside of the Great Orme headland, the dry ski slope which opened in 1997 is still a popular attraction in the area. For seasoned skiers and snowboarders, it’s a great place to keep up the practice before heading out to the mountains, but it’s also a great spot for beginners wanting to get a taster experience of the slopes.

Llandudno Snowsports Centre offer a range of lessons for skiing and snowboarding, providing the opportunity to get accustomed to the slope or improve on your skills. There are also some taster sessions working alongside Snowsport Cymru Wales, which I recently undertook. The taster sessions last an hour with the option of skiing or snowboarding, and provide the opportunity to get familiar with the equipment, along with learning some critical skills including how to speed up, slow down, make turns and stop on the slope.

Bearing in mind that I hadn’t been on a ski slope for over thirty years, I picked it up relatively well, apart from some aching legs. After a few attempts heading downhill and making a few turns, the confidence picked up quickly. It’s easy to get distracted by the scenery though, as I’m sure is the same for skiing on snow. The ski slope at Llandudno provides views across Llandudno Bay to one side and the mountains of the Carneddau to the other. It’s stunning. The jury’s out on how much improvement I can make, but with the local snow sports group offering significant discounts on the sessions at Llandudno, I will certainly be getting my ski boots back on soon. Watch this space.

USEFUL INFORMATION

Ski or Snowboard taster sessions are available at £20.00 for children and £25.00 for adults.  There are a range of other lessons available to suit everyone’s skill levels.

Book now on the LLANDUDNO SNOWSPORTS CENTRE WEBSITE

WHILE YOU ARE THERE:  As well as the slope at Llandudno, there are a number of other North Wales activities to keep visitors amused. Snaking its way down the hillside next to slope is the Cresta Toboggan Run – at 575m it’s the longest in Wales. Riding and controlling the speed of your own toboggans, you can pick up some serious speed on the twists and turns of this exhilarating ride which is great fun for adults and children alike. Remember to use the brakes some of the time at least!

Want to get on the slope, but not keen on skiing? Why not try Snow Tubing instead. Another fun and thrilling attraction on offer, my top tip is to always ask for a spinning ride. You won’t regret it. Once all the fun is over, the Alpine Bar and Kitchen next to the slope is the perfect spot for some Après ski with stunning views from the terrace. All it’s missing is the snow.

READ A GUIDE TO THE BEST ATTRACTIONS IN LLANDUDNO

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Whizz through the woodland on Fforest Coaster

One of my favourite North Wales attractions to get the adrenalin pumping is based at ZIP WORLD FFOREST, just outside the mountain village of Betws-y-Coed. A hillside pine forest is the perfect location for Fforest Coaster, an awesome attraction which opened a few years back and the only alpine coaster in the UK. As something of a theme park enthusiast, I’ve seen plenty of photos of alpine coasters dotted around the mountainous regions of Europe and USA but never managed to visit. On that basis, I was thrilled to find out that Zip World were building one right here in North Wales.

The Fforest Coaster is a toboggan style rollercoaster built into the woodland with 710m of track on the way down. Strapped into the toboggan (which you control the speed of), the slow climb of 365m takes about five minutes. Five minutes of peace climbing slowly into the dense forest before levelling out and leaving you in control of gravity. With numerous twists and turns through the trees, the Fforest Coaster can reach speeds of up to 25mph, and has some fabulously hair raising moments with some unexpected steep turns. There are brakes of course, to control your speed if you wish. Test these on your first ride (ticket price includes three rides) and you’ll probably find you’ll use them less on your next rides. There is an auto-braking system built in for safety too.

USEFUL INFORMATION

Fforest Coaster tickets start at £22.00 for three rides and children under nine need to ride with adults. You’ll be surprised to hear that sometimes it does rain in North Wales, but don’t worry, the toboggans can be fitted with canopies in wet weather which saves getting blasted with rain during your high speed journey downhill.

Book now on the ZIP WORLD WEBSITE

WHILE YOU ARE THERE:  There are not many thrill rides and attractions that make me nervous, but drop rides are still something that scare me. So, of course, I felt the need to book a ride on Plummet 2 at Zip World Fforest on one of our recent visits, dragging along a long suffering friend who really did not want to do it. Behind the nervous laughter and bravado, I was probably more scared than her, but we’ll keep that a secret. Plummet 2 is a tandem drop experience where you literally drop through a trapdoor at 100 feet high.

Of course you are harnessed and secured, but whilst the drop is controlled there is a freefall element at the start. A seemingly never ending set of steps reach the top of the tower, where you get some great views of the surrounding forest and the huge drop below. Stepping out onto the trap door platform was not an experience I enjoyed, but the drop experience was a pure adrenaline rush.

HEAD OUT ON A SCENIC LOOP OF THE BEAUTIFUL CONWY VALLEY

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Enjoy an action packed, high speed Rib Ride along the Menai Straits

What could be better to get the adrenaline pumping than a high speed boat ride down one of the most dangerous stretches of water in Wales? Menai Bridge in Anglesey is home to another of my favourite North Wales activies – the RIBRIDE adventure boat tours. The RIB’s (Rigid Inflatable Boats) are lightweight high performance vessels that can travel at high speeds of up to 50 mph, manoeuvring through quick and steep turns providing a thrilling ride. Seating up to 11 passengers, there are a couple of options of experiences available. We chose the Bridges and Swellies option, taking on the infamous Menai Straits – the stretch of water between Anglesey and mainland North Wales, notorious for shipwrecks and dangerous currents, but hopefully no match for a RIB.

Donning our life jackets, we boarded the RIB for a safety briefing and off we went. Starting off gently, our skipper George soon turned up the speed and we were pushed back into our seat heading towards the magnificent Menai Bridge at high speed. The fantastic thing about the Bridges and Swellies experience is the opportunity to get up close to the bridges and islands in the Straits. The Menai Suspension Bridge, built by Thomas Telford was the worlds first iron suspension bridge. Opened in 1826, the bridge has a span of almost 600 feet and stands almost 100 feet above the water and looks just as impressive from the water as from land.

Heading past Church Island and under the Britannia Bridge, the ride picks up speed heading towards Plas Menai, before turning back and heading up the eastern end of the Straits towards Bangor Pier. There are a number of stopping points along the way where the skipper provides interesting and amusing anecdotes about the surroundings, before embarking on a number of high speed turns and spins taking passengers very close to the water. A superb experience and one that should not be missed on a visit to Anglesey.

USEFUL INFORMATION

Ticket prices for the Bridges and Swellies RibRide Experience cost £30.00 per person and ride time is 60 minutes. Regardless of the weather, it’s worth bringing a waterproof jacket as it can be a bit breezy out on the water.

Book now on the RIBRIDE WEBSITE

WHILE YOU ARE THERE: From April onwards, it’s highly recommended to head out on the Puffin and Seals experience, taking in the sights of Puffin Island to the eastern end of Anglesey. Puffin Island is home to a number of migratory sea birds who come back to nest each year, along with a large seal colony. The 90 minute experience provides the opportunity to get close to the wildlife at a safe and respectful distance, and you may catch a glimpse of those cute little puffins.

TAKE A LOOK AT THE BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN ANGLESEY

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RELATED CONTENT

If spending more time in or around Snowdonia, be sure to spend some time exploring some of the beautiful scenery on these fabulous walks

Explore the UNESCO World Heritage slate landscape of Wales with A WALK TO DINORWIC SLATE QUARRY FROM LLANBERIS

Venture south and east of Zip World Penrhyn Quarry for some EASY HIKES IN THE NORTHERN CARNEDDAU MOUNTAINS

After your skiing activities, why not take A STUNNING WALK FROM LLANDUDNO TO CONWY ALONG THE WALES COAST PATH

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