Downhill and Zip - exciting ways to descend a mountain

There are so many great things to do in Blaenau Ffestiniog and yesterday, Sunday 13^th July, was a perfect opportunity to see people getting their adrenaline fixes; it was the weekend of the DH-Ffest organised by Antur Stiniog. I thought DH would stand for Down Hill but I’m told it’s Drum House, where the cables were wound round, lifting and lowering slate wagons up and down the mountain.

This is what it looked like at the top of the mountain:

The uplift road built for the downhill bikers is now also used by Zip World, getting people to the start of the first of three quadruple zip wires. The first leg is almost a kilometre and the red-suited riders are tiny spots in the distance by the time they reach the end.

If you fancy something as exciting but a little less scary why not try Bounce Below? A tram ride inside the mountain to a slate cavern with a triple-decker trampoline. The highest level is 80 feet above the floor! Walkways and slides lead between the levels with strobe and other lighting effects adding to the atmosphere. 

Next door is another cavern which will be developed this winter into Zip Below; a series of four zip wires reached by via ferrata (Italian for iron road).

Blaenau’s got to be the coolest place for seekers of thrill.