When the team at Visit Wales invited me to spend a weekend in Bangor, I was very excited – but I don’t think I could have pictured just how amazing it was all going to be.
My holidays are usually based around food, beaches, museums, and architecture – I’ve never really gone on an adventure holiday before, and really wasn’t sure what to expect. In the original brief, I was going to be spending a weekend in Bangor, going on a high-speed RIB ride around the Menai Strait – and it was only as an afterthought that an afternoon on a zipline course was added, too.
I hadn’t really appreciated how stunning this part of the world is. Dramatic, snow capped scenery surrounded us on the RIB ride – a high-speed journey that had our hearts racing.
After a windy trip we headed for a bite to eat at Ye Olde Bulls Head Inn in Beaumaris, where we tried some of the amazing locally sourced seafood.
It was only over dinner that I looked at the itinerary for the next day – and my heart almost stopped.
I was expecting something along the lines of what I’d experienced a few months before at Go Ape. What I was not expecting was that Penrhyn Quarry is home to Zip World, the longest zipline in Europe. Not only that, but I would be five hundred feet in the air, at 100 miles per hour. As someone who is terrified of heights, the thought of what I had just signed myself up for filled me with total, utter fear.
It was only with a lot of encouragement from my boyfriend that I even managed to get there at all, I was so petrified. Even once I arrived, I remained unconvinced – I burst into tears around three times just at the thought!
The biggest challenge, though, was the Big Zipper – even the drive up to the top of the quarry was making me feel dizzy, and once I got up to the top I wasn’t sure I would be able to do it.
Despite all the tears, and all of the fear, I did it! It was definitely one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and I still can’t quite believe I managed it.
I had an absolutely amazing weekend in Wales, and had such an incredible time! It was truly unforgettable, and I can’t wait to go back.
I was invited to Wales, and to try the zip line and RIB ride for the purposes of review – all opinions are fully my own!