About Zip world
Zip world is set in 3 locations in North wales each offering varied adventure activities:
Penrhyn Quarry (Bethesda): Home to the fastest zip line in the world and the longest in Europe.
Slate Caverns (Blaenau Ffestiniog): This was the second location to open with the titan adventure, 4-person zip line where riders have 3 zip lines to complete. As well as other adventures bounce below and caverns.
Fforest (Betws-y-Coed): This was the last location to open and has lots of adventures such as Fforest coaster, zip safari and plummet 2
In this blog post we will be discussing Zip world Penrhyn Quarry, as this is the only one, we have been to.
To find out more about the other locations visit Zipworld.co.uk
Location & Setting
Above are photos of the Quarry and Blue Lake
Velocity 2 Zip line Adventure is set in north wales at Penrhyn Quarry, which once was the worlds largest slate quarry. The views of the quarry are spectacular, and you can see the zippers from the café/restaurant on site. Velocity 2 is the fastest zip line in the world and is right above the bright blue quarry lake.
As well as the zip lines, zip world at Penrhyn Quarry, offer a quarry tour so if zip lining isn’t your thing you can enjoy the amazing views.
As mentioned, there is a restaurant and bar on site, we had a coffee and watched the zip lines go by and enjoyed the views of the quarry while we were waiting for our allocated time. At this point I was very nervous but excited.
The experience & Process
We visited Zip World Penryhn Quarry on Monday 17th June 2019, we spent the weekend camping in wales for Rob’s 30th Birthday and he wanted to do the zip line experience for his birthday. We decided to do it on the Monday before we went home as it was cheaper than the weekend.
Ok so getting onto the experience. We were booked in for 12 o clock but was told to arrive half an hour earlier to check in etc. When we arrived we were given a wrist band and told to be at the reception area at 11:55, we were advised you couldn’t take any loose change or items with you but there is a pocket on your harness for your phone or keys which is very secure. There are lockers which cost a non-refundable pound, but we just left our things in the car.
While waiting we enjoyed the views and a coffee from the restaurant on site, we didn’t have food but did have a look on the menu and it was on the pricey side, but acceptable for these types of places. The restaurant had outside balcony’s which were a great for taking pictures, we did go on a windy day so didn’t stay out on the balcony’s for too long.
The first thing they do is take you in a room for briefing and kitting up, they explain what the process is and what you will be doing for the experience. On this particular day it was quite windy, so they explained that due to the weather conditions that you couldn’t take part if you weighed over 110kg, I also received a text message half way into the experience explaining this which was a bit pointless, luckily this didn’t affect us.
We then lined up to get weighed and received our kit, which consisted of overalls/boiler suit type outfit, harness, goggles and helmet. Once weighed they wrote the weight on our wristband. You then go outside and put your kit on, and the staff fit your harness which is then cross checked and ticked off on your wristband.
Once ready we walked over to the ‘little zipper’, this is the 1st zip line of the whole experience. Its like a little taster of what’s to come. There are 4 zip lines, you lay on a bed where they harness you up, which is then cross checked. They lower the bed, so you are hanging there on your front with your hands by your side. The staff then count from 3 and let you go, this zip line starts off slow and ends fast, you are down in no time I would say around 30 seconds.
When you get to the bottom there Is a red truck to take you up to the big zipper at the top of the quarry. The bumpy ride takes around 15 min to get to the top, where you can see the amazing views, we managed to take a couple of photos but was rushed to get briefed. I would have liked a little bit more time to get some videos of people doing the zip line from the top. We then had another briefing and lined up in 4s. This time they took our weight at this point you had to stay in the same place as the setup for the harness is based on your weight. Same as the small zip line you lay on the beds and get harnessed up, on your harness there is a fob you scan, going down the zip line it takes photos which you can get at the end. This zip line started off fast was slower towards the middle, at the end you are greeted by a member of staff with a hook which you grab hold off to be able to stand up. All in all, this took around 1 min.
At the end you walk back to the main building where you can view your photos, we didn’t purchase any photos but there is an option to get photos. You can also purchase head cameras to film the experience.
Overall verdict
Overall the whole experience was 2 hours, most of that was spent waiting around. The zip lines themselves were very quick, but that was expected for the nature of the activity. Overall, I really enjoyed the experience, this is the first zip line I’ve ever done and although I was nervous it really wasn’t as nerve-racking as I thought. On the zip line it really does feel like you’re flying although didn’t feel as fast as I thought it was going to be.
Would I do this exact zip line again? Probably not as Its one of those things I’ve done once, wouldn’t do it again for the price. I would do another zip line again in the future as it was fun. It was a great experience and I would recommend giving it a go.
The staff were very friendly and thorough with the safety and ensuring harnesses were cross checked etc.
Prices
On the zip world website prices are advertised as:
Weekends & holidays up to £99.00
Monday & Friday from £75.00
Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday from £65.00
When booking online it seems like times and days do make a different on price, I would say if possible, go on a weekday at get it cheaper.
They also offer extras such as:
Camera & Meal deal £28 each
Meal deal £15 each (2 courses)
Helmet camera hire £15 each
If you are thinking of getting food, it does seem like it would work out cheaper.
Photos are also at an additional cost
Have you been to zip world, what are your thoughts? Would you do a zip line?
Let me know in the comments.
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