If you’ve been following us you’ll have heard us banging on about how 2016 is the
Year of Adventure in Wales, so decided to get in on the action by making the trip to Blaenau Ffestiniog during our recent break in North Wales, to tackle the imposing challenge of
Zip World Titian.
Even if we hadn’t seen the adverts on TV, it was hard to miss all the viral chatter about Zip World’s various zip line rides at sites across North Wales. They started in 2013 with the mile long
Velocity ride at Bethesda, which has riders hitting 100mph 500ft over a quarry on the world’s fastest zip line. Not long later they opened
Zip World Titan, at the astoundingly beautiful quarry town of
Blaenau Ffestiniog. With the chance to zip from mountain to mountain on three separate lines, this was the one for us!
Four adults (including Grandma!) from our group took up the Titan challenge, with the kids sent underground on a nearby mine tour instead, as they fell under the rider age limit of 7 years old. We were kitted out in helmets, harnesses and the familiar red flight suit, briefed on what to expect, then bundled in to a minibus which slalomed to the top of the first mountain. Awaiting us was Alpha, the first in a series of three zip lines and the longest run on Titan, ready to take us across the valley to the next hill.
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Zip World’s amazing staff strapped us in and unleashed us simultaneously into the teeth of a fierce wind as we whizzed out in to the sky, each rider trying to make themselves as small as possible to reduce the wind resistance in a race to the next hill. The first zip is an attack on the senses as you try to take in the unbelievable views, judge the distance to the quarry floor, fight against the ferocious headwind to keep yourself pointing forward and keep an eye on your zip-mates. Even with the protective goggles on you can expect the wind to find its way to your eyes, and you’ll battle with tears filling up inside. What a rush!
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With Alpha completed we made the short walk over to Bravo. Although shorter than the first ride, Bravo is much faster and before we knew it we were airborne once more. The walk from the end of Bravo up the hill to the start point of Charlie was tinged with disappointment knowing that this was our last ride, but we made the most of it, drinking in those final breathtaking views over
Snowdonia National Park as we descended through the sky to the finishing line.
Titan was a superb experience. Two of our riders were a little apprehensive about the challenge, especially when they stepped up for the first ride and saw the scale of the terrain we would be flying over, but the Zip World staff were fantastic throughout in reassuring the riders and double checking our safety gear each time. Once you hit the sky on that first ride, the fear disappears and it’s just high octane fun for the rest of the course. The whole thing took just over an hour to complete, although on busy days you’ll need to budget around 90 minutes to complete the course.
It gets pretty cold up in those hills, so don’t forget your gloves (although you can buy some onsite if you do). The other thing you’ll definitely need is your camera, as those views are exquisite. Make sure it’s a small one though, as you’ll need it to fit in the small pouch on your flight suit.
As we drove homewards between the slate tip hills of Blaenau Ffestiniog, all four riders were in agreement that this was the best fun we’d had in ages. Zip World Titan is over before you know it, but we guarantee you’ll never forget it! Check Zip World out for yourself Here.
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