Six Irish adventure centres to visit this summer
Skypark Adevnture Centre, Carlingford, reopened this week.
It’s going to be another summer spent outdoors this year, but with so many amazing adventure centres located around Ireland, there’s plenty to keep you and your family entertained.
From water parks to orienteering and archery lessons - and Ireland’s first tubing course - here are just a few of the outdoor activity centres to check out this summer.
Smugglers Cove has been growing considerably over the past few years. With an adventure golf course, self-service golf driving range, and two outdoor mazes, this Rosscarbery spot is a hidden outdoor gem in West Cork.
On top of its existing activities, the centre will also be opening Ireland’s first-ever tubing park next Saturday, May 22.
“It’s really exciting. It’s basically like tobogganing except you’re sitting in a hard-bottomed tube. You go down four drops and it’s all about gravity and getting a nice speed and flow,” says owner Geoff Wycherly.
“I saw it somewhere and thought it would be great fun so started making enquiries and going to trade shows. Next thing I knew I was building one. The drop getting the most publicity at the moment is the speed jump that goes into the inflatable ski bag. That’s a real thrill. It’s really fast. It’s all about getting height and grip. It’s an adrenaline kick.”
Though that adrenaline kick might not suit everyone, there’s plenty of other activities to do at Smugglers Cove and everything at the centre is family-friendly.
“We’re open daily from now until September. I think everyone is ready to get going and especially when we’re outdoors it works great. People just want to get out and do things.
“Smugglers Cove is a great place for families and couples and groups of teenagers or groups of any age. We hope everyone has a great summer because everyone deserves it at this stage.”
It’s advised to book tubing online on www.smugglerscove.ie but every other activity can be booked and paid for on the day.
Open every day from 10am to 6:30pm and tickets start from €5.
Located outside Kenmare on the scenic Ring of Kerry, the Eclipse team are experts in outdoor activities and will lead your group on every adventure from coasteering, orienteering, and gorge walking to biking and kayaking.
"We are open and raring to go. Everything is available and we have the usual precautions in place. There are sanitising stations everywhere and we also avoid close contact activities and have removed a few of those for the next few weeks,” says owner Athos Tsiopani.
"It's been a long winter but we're all good and ready to go for the summer and hopefully, bookings will fill as quickly as possible."
Accommodation is fully booked at Eclipse from mid-June until the end of August and their mid-week slots are currently busy with school tours. However, there is plenty of space still available for individual and group day trips.
"Some packages need a little bit more notice but we can facilitate most bookings by the day before. If you're in a local B&B or hotel over the summer you can just pick up the phone and call us directly," says Athos.
"It's an escape from everything. We're lucky here because we have 90 acres with a river and lake, we couldn't have been in a better environment for lockdown. For those who are living in apartments and are sick of looking at four walls every day, we can cure them with some adventure activities."
To book or enquire about prices, see www.eclipseireland.com
Mallow’s Ballyhass Adventure Group began their outdoor adventure journey almost 35 years ago in Kinsale, County Cork. The team expanded their original yacht chartering business to buy Ballyhass Lakes, located outside Cecilstown in Cork, in the 1990s with the aim of offering their fishing clients another option if poor weather hit.
Eventually, the popular adventure centre was born. The owners installed a high ropes course and over water ziplines, created Ireland’s largest wakeboarding park in 2015, and created a floating inflatable obstacle course, known as the Aquapark, in 2017.
One year later, following the success of the Aquapark, they opened a second location in Coachford. The team is looking forward to welcoming people back to both locations this summer following a rough year.
"We are so excited to open again. We're actually booking out pretty quickly for summer camps and things like that," says team member Zoe.
"From this weekend onwards the Aquapark will be open for the public to book for pretty much any weekend. During the week it's just our school tours running for May and June but in July people will be able to book during the week as well.”
Capacity has been reduced because of social distancing protocols but the team will help to accommodate any queries.
"It's all outdoors so we can facilitate people safely but our numbers are a lot lower. Without Covid, we would have been able to fit maybe 60 but now our numbers have halved. The capacity is that bit lower but we can still accommodate everyone. We're open and running and we're doing our best to keep everybody active and get everybody outside."
For bookings and price information see www.ballyhass.ie
This Carlingford based adventure centre is one of Ireland's largest activity parks and offers a wide range of activities in the air and on the ground. From the longest aerial adventure course in the country to ziplines, footgolf, archery, and aeroball, there is something for all ages and abilities.
"After what seems like an eternity of lockdowns, the team is thrilled to be able to re-open for day-trippers from across Ireland," says Richard Allen of the Skypark team.
"We’re strong advocates for the mental health benefits of outdoor adventure activities and are looking forward to providing parents and children with a well-deserved break. We’re encouraging everyone to get off their devices and back out into the fresh air for outdoor adventure activities this summer."
The centre reopened last Monday, May 10, and are already planning new summer activities like a maze based on Ireland's Ancient East and more water sports.
"Our customers’ safety is our number one priority. We're following all of the Government's Covid-19 guidelines, operating with smaller group sizes to ensure social distancing and have increased the number of hand sanitiser stations situated around our facilities."
Skypark is now open Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 7pm and will be open daily from mid-June. Tickets start from €5 and bookings can be made on www.skypark.ie
This West Cork-based adventure centre is located in the Clonakilty Park Hotel and is open to the public.
Anyone can book a slot and experience the centre’s high ropes course, climbing tower, zip line, and power fan jump from just €15 per person or €55 for families. The hotel also recently opened an 18-hole maritime-themed adventure golf course on site which families can play for €22.
"The past two weeks since opening have been great. You just never know how these things are going to go but it's lovely just to have people around,” says Aisling Drummond of the hotel's marketing team.
“We've opened the adventure golf course for the evenings mid-week and from 10am at weekends. The adventure centre is just opening on Saturday and Sundays for the minute but we are planning on having everything reopen in line with the hotel on June 2."
The adventure centre has also had to reduce its numbers in line with Covid-19 protocols, but up to 50 people can participate in the adventure golf at a time and staff are following strict social distancing and cleaning measures.
"We're assuming that we'll be operating very similarly to last year in that we can have half the number of people for any time slot going forward. We've limited the adventure golf to 50 people out on the course at any one time and are keeping appropriate gaps between the groups going out. Groups of five can go out and that tends to be a family pod,” says Aisling.
"For the adventure centre there's a full two-hour-long clean down between slots, with three slots open on the weekends, and all the people who are participating have to go through the Covid guidelines in terms of staying separated. But for the most part, it's family units that are going to the adventure centre as well."
The centre is hoping to attract more day-trippers this summer and encourages anyone driving through the Wild Atlantic Way to book in for some activities.
"It's all outdoors. It's safe. It's a nice activity for people who want to do something different from the park or the playground and it's just a nice way to spend an afternoon and to get out."
You can book online at www.clonadventurecentre.ie or walk in for adventure golf.
Clonakilty Park Adventure Centre is open from 10am Saturdays and Sundays and seven days a week from June 5. Clonakilty Adventure Golf is open from 4pm Monday to Friday, from 10am Saturday and Sunday, and daily from 10am from June 5.
This Wicklow holiday park was first opened in Rathdrum in 2005 by the Williams family, who have created a four-star Fáilte Ireland approved facility at the site.
Besides glamping and lodge accommodation, the park also offers activities like laser tag, mini-golf, bungee trampolines, a rock-climbing wall, kayaking, and a boating lake. On top of all that, their Splash Valley Aqua Park has been a hit since opening.
“Our team is super excited to welcome our guests back and we have been ready for weeks now to get back open,” says owner Molly Williams.
“Hidden Valley Resort will fully reopen on June 2 with all activities and facilities reopening the same day. The Lakehouse restaurant and ice cream parlour will also be available from June 2.”
Hidden Valley will also be following Covid-19 protocols and are keeping up to date with announcements as they prepare to reopen.
“As per last summer all Covid rules must be adhered to as per government guidelines: face masks must be worn indoors, socialising distancing must be maintained, our activities will operate at reduced capacity and families should remain within their family bubble while on-site,” advises Williams.
“These guidelines may change as time goes on, and we will update our rules in line with the government guidelines.”
Bookings can currently be made on www.hiddenvalley.ie and day time activity prices start from €12.50.
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