Bounce Below – Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd

For those of you who haven’t seen Bounce Below on all the various local news broadcasts as slightly unwilling news presenters are ‘posted’ down net tubes, Bounce Below is a relatively new attraction in North Wales.

It is basically a series of trampoline like nets suspended in a cavern, left over as a remnant of slate mining. After a short walk down some dark and slightly damp tunnels, you emerge into a bounce fest of a play ground, light colours lights to create an other worldly feel.

The trampoline nets aren’t quite like the ones your kids might have at home but the effect is the same on a grand scale. Each level is reached by either scrabbling up a ramp or shooting down a tube.

It’s not for everyone, it took my usually fearless husband half an hour to get comfortable with the sensation of being suspend on the transparent nets while an over enthusiastic mum terrorised him, but give it a chance, its surprisingly hard work (I did not need to go to the gym afterwards!) but brilliant fun.

I must also mention all the staff. Everyone we met was friendly and enthusiastic, which is impressive when they must have to go over the same things time and time again throughout the day to each group of new ‘bouncers’.

Handy things at a glance:

Spectators (no bouncing or being suspend on nets!) are allowed
Make sure you wear long sleeves and trousers if you want to avoid a fetching pair of red overalls (They seem to have borrowed Fred from the Homepride adverts for their safety signs!)
Ditto, no flip flops!
£20 for an adult for 1 hour
If you have any mobility issues (or strongly dislike walking up very steep hills), make sure you park in the bottom car park
Pre booking essential during school holidays
On the same site as the Titan Zip wires but Velocity is a 45 minute drive away on a different site.
Historic cavern tour, adrenalin fulled cavern tour, downhill mountain biking and zipwires are also available on the same site
If you’re doing both sites, eat at Blaenau Ffestiniog where there is better choice rather than Bethesda (at least until the new visitor centre is built)