Mud and guts and plenty of challenges
they say, you can be surfing in the morning and mountain biking in the afternoon.
While two activities in one day or over a weekend is the norm, bosses challenged a small group on ten of their 15 adrenalin sports.
From our base in Bala, the Tree Tops high ropes adventure course deep in the forest of Betws-y-Coed, Snowdonia, is a short drive away.
Brainchild of Sean Taylor, a former Royal Marine and one-time bodyguard to Baywatch’s Pamela Anderson, it offers a course of high wires, wobbly bridges and rocking platforms snaking between trees getting progressively harder and higher above the ground.
That completed, it was off to Sean’s piece-de-resistance, the Powerfan thrill ride.
Twenty minutes later, my heart still beating like a drummer on acid we had what I thought was the antidote, pony trekking.
John Wayne I’m not, and my steed Herbie probably sensed that. But with a little help from the reins, I managed to get him moving at a decent pace and he provided a gentle way to take in the sun-kissed rolling hills surrounding the riding school.
There is, however, nothing gentle about trekking the hills on a quad bike. Taking in the roughest of the rugged terrain, we were soon tearing along on chunky off-road bikes with our thumbs hammering the accelerator button.
Weaving through open countryside at full throttle was a mucky experience and you had to be careful not to smile near a puddle or it could be a mouthful of mud.
If quads don’t satisfy the need for speed, the area offers one of the UK’s premier outdoor go-karting tracks.
I did my best impression of Lewis Hamilton – blaming my car for finishing near the back of the grid – as the asphalt rushed beneath me at 60mph.
The motorised mayhem continued with a race around a 600m off-road track in handy 400cc all terrain buggies. The roll cage proved a welcome safety blanket as we bumped and bashed our way through the puddles.
Mud-splattered, we had chance to wash ourselves down a rafting at the National Whitewater Centre at Canolfan Tryweryn,
Anywhere calling itself a national centre is going to offer extreme kicks and with a kilometre run through rapids with the names like Graveyard and Donkey’s Kick this was the wettest white-knuckle ride you can imagine.
Returning to the picturesque Bala lake, we experienced more sedate watersports, first in a two-man canoe and then a sailing dinghy.
Amazingly, within 15 minutes on the water we were harnessing the power of the wind to send the boat skimming across the surface and, with a little help from the instructor, steering the craft to change direction, ending the day with a real sense of achievement.
Eagle-eyed readers will have only counted nine sports. Unfortunately it was too windy for archery so for our tenth activity we retired to the bar at the historic White Lion Royal Hotel 4 star inn to lift a pint or two. Now that was hard work.
Built in 1752, and with 25 stylish rooms the hotel provided the ideal central location for our adventures, a hot bath for our weary limbs and much-needed re-fuelling.
Thanks to the chef at the nearby Awel yr Aran restaurant, in Bala, we finished the challenge with the perfect taste of Wales – leek and potato soup and succulent roast lamb.
* Getting There
Adventure North Wales organises activity short breaks, weekends and events in North Wales designed to give a real taste of outdoor adventure for groups, clubs and families. All of the events include specialist clothing, equipment and qualified instruction. Accommodation ranges from hotels, to B&Bs, self-catering cottages to country houses. A package including whitewater rafting and quad biking with an overnight stay starts at £153pp.
For more details of packages or to arrange your own log on to www.adventure-northwales.com or call 0845 365 4265.
