From high-speed zipwire zooming to coastline clambering and white-water whooshing, if you’re seeking holiday thrills then look no further than these adventure activities – all located within easy reach of Landal’s UK resorts.
Perfect for mixed-ability or larger groups, coasteering puts a big tick in the adventure box without being too intimidating. You’ll essentially be navigating the rocky coastline and caves through walking, jumping, clambering and sea swimming, but most instructors will be able to tailor your experience to your group members’ ages, abilities and appetite for risk. For those who are a little more cautious there’s usually an alternative route around obstacles, and buoyancy aids are a standard part of the kit. Meanwhile, adrenalin junkies can opt for the biggest jumps possible!
If you’re staying at Landal Piperdam, Intrepidus Outdoors and Adventure Aberdeen are close at hand; and for Landal Bude Coastal Resort you’ll find the National Trust-backed Cornish Rock Tors at nearby Port Isaac. Kernow Coasteering is within easy reach of Landal Clowance and Gwel an Mor, whilst for Landal Dylan Coastal Resort guests there are lots of options, including Celtic Quest Coasteering and Tenby Adventure.
Photo: Intrepidus Outdoors
If you want to kick things up a notch, why not tackle canyoning where you’ll need to abseil and slide your way around the course, as well as scramble, jump and swim! With canyoning, you’ll be swapping the open coastline of coasteering for atmospheric inland gorges and canyons, so it’ll be altogether darker, more enclosed and more challenging. There’ll be freshwater pools to plunge into, natural chutes to slide down, waterfalls to abseil down, cliff faces to climb and mossy rocks to clamber over. Obstacles aren’t so easily avoided in this environment, so you’ll need to have a reasonable level of fearlessness and physical fitness, but most instructors are more than happy to welcome beginners as well as experienced canyoners.
If you’re staying at Landal North Lakes, Whitbarrow or Barnsoul, Keswick Adventures is one of your closest canyoning experience providers. Galloway Canyoning is also easily accessible from Barnsoul, as well as from Landal Brunston. For Landal Piperdam, there’s the brilliantly named Nae Limits, plus the aforementioned Intrepidus Outdoors.
Photo: Intrepidus Outdoors
Getting darker still, caving offers a fascinating subterranean adventure through networks of underground caverns and streams, and past awe-inspiring stalactites, stalagmites and walls of fossils. Needless to say, claustrophobics will not enjoy this activity! But there’s a variety of caves and courses in the UK to suit different ages, abilities and fitness levels, from introductory experiences involving simple climbs and optional obstacles, through to advanced and adventure caving with vertical shafts to scale.
A good range of courses are on offer with Yorkshire Dales Guides close to Landal Woodland Lakes, and if you’re at Landal Marwell you can abseil, crawl and clip-climb through caves hidden deep below the Mendip Hills with Wild Wookey.
There are also plenty of caves across the UK that offer easy walking tours (where even a hard hat may not be required!) suitable for families with young children and for those of a less thrill-seeking disposition, such as at Wookey Hole and Kents Cavern.
Hit the rapids for one of the most popular of all adventure activities – white-water rafting! On an inflatable raft, you’ll tackle the twists and turns of a rushing river – with plenty of thrills and spills guaranteed. There tends to be a good range of experiences on offer to cater to everyone from beginner to total daredevil, and Scotland is a particularly good place to give it a try, with its high rainfall and choppy white-water rivers, waterfalls and drops. Landal Piperdam is therefore well served by several activity centres offering white-water rafting, including Nae Limits and ACE Adventures.
There’s also a specially designed, man-made white-water course at Northampton Active, where you can enjoy all the excitement of rafting and tubing… under slightly more controlled conditions! Perfect for families staying at Landal Rockingham Forest.
For the ultimate adrenalin rush, flying down an aerial zip line at high speed is an experience that cannot be beaten! And again, there are all kinds of different challenges available across the UK. The world’s fastest seated zipwire – the Phoenix (pictured) – is located in a former colliery site in south Wales at Zip World Tower, close to Landal Dylan Coastal Resort. It has two lines that total 1.5km, the first offering panoramic views of the Cynon Valley and boasting speeds of 70mph-plus, and the second line bringing you back to the main site. There are several other high-velocity attractions here too, plus a mini zipwire that’s more suited to children and adults who don’t feel quite ready for the Phoenix.
If you’re staying in Cornwall at Landal Leycroft Valley, Bude Coastal Resort, Clowance or Gwel an Mor, the Eden Project has England's fastest zipwire in addition to several other aerial adventures operated by Hangloose. At 660 metres in length and reaching 90 metres in height, this zip line is not for the faint-hearted – you’ll reach speeds of up to 60mph as you hurtle along, taking in panoramic views of Cornwall and the Eden Project’s famous biomes.
In Lincolnshire, Wild Pines Park boasts a whopping 21 zip lines in its treetop course – more than anywhere else in the UK! With lots more activities available too, and spectators welcome to watch the fun for free, it’s a great adventure attraction for kids and their families who are staying at Landal Kenwick Woods or Laceby Manor Resort & Spa. Meanwhile, there are plenty more forest adventures, including zip lines and high ropes courses, to be found nationwide at Go Ape’s 36 locations – there’s sure to be one within reach of your chosen Landal resort!
Photo: Zip World