Galway's Wildlands is a brilliant family getaway — the ultimate holiday all-rounder

Wildlands gives everything a family needs to bond, writes Vickie Maye

Sat, 27 Jul, 2024 - 02:00

She balances on the beam, manoeuvres her way through the rope swings, and finally, clutching on to the trapeze, flings herself on to the net for safety.

My nine year old turns to me, eyes blazing.

“I’m a ninja,” she roars.

Over and over they tackle the course: First they compete for speed, then, in their quest for perfection, they start to work together by helping themselves through this near impossible ninja course.

We emerge, almost striding, cheeks flushed, bonded and buzzing for more. This I think, must be what it’s like to take part in Ireland’s Fittest Family.

Welcome to Galway’s Wildlands. The family behind Delphi Adventure Resort have brought cabins, zip lines, ninja courses, escape rooms and so much more to Moycullen to create another brilliant family getaway.

Later, over pizzas at The Olive Tree restaurant we dissect the day.

Who had done the most to secure our escape through the challenge rooms, we wonder, breaking codes to leap across stones on the Giant’s Causeway, pummelling sliotars like Setanta into the hound’s open mouth?

Daughter number two — our daredevil — was victorious on the ziplines, careening 15m high. We sipped coffee on ground level at the Wildlands Wagon as she called out to us overhead, suspended in the air.

There is time to give her a quick wave, and she is gone, gripping the harness as she returns to her Zip ‘n’ Trek base.

There are baskets to score in the Net Park, a giant outdoor bounce zone, while the digital orienteering gives us another competitive challenge. In a wet Irish summer, Wildlands has pulled everyone away from the lure of devices. Instead we connect with each other.

The grey clouds really don’t matter — you can, as we discover, tackle a zipline in a rain jacket.

So, what’s the real difference between here and other activity getaways?

Wildlands succeeds at being the ultimate all-rounder, ensuring a ‘family holiday’ really is just that — a break for everyone including the adults.

Too often family fun means happy kids with less to engage the adults beyond seeing their happy offspring, or you often find a ‘family’ attraction that has a kids’ area added on as some kind of token afterthought.

Wildlands transforms the landscape. We all — parents and our kids — get full mileage from the meandering ziplines, the escape rooms, the ninja course, having yet to try the paddle boarding, the bushcraft, colourful climbing walls or archery.

We watch other families at dinner time, with the same flushed cheeks, animatedly discussing their Wildlands’ adventure.

Many are day trippers, but the addition of 14 stylish cabins has brought a whole new market to the activity centre. Now guests can travel and sleep over. Think shaker kitchens, Smeg fridges, stove fires.

Some of the rustic cabins even have standalone baths in the bedrooms with premium toiletries from the Handmade Soap Company.

Board games are provided for evening entertainment: Thanks to these, and the deck of cards we brought, the TV isn’t switched on once during our stay. Miraculous!

It’s obvious the people behind this destination have industry experience. The brainchild of the Bohan family, whose Delphi Resort set new standards in outdoor activities, Wildlands sits on 20 acres of their farmland in Moycullen, the gateway to Connemara.

Only 10 minutes from Galway City, it’s one of Ireland’s most scenic adventure centres, bringing together thrills and tranquillity.

Later this summer, a new retail store and food outlet will launch with local crafts, toys, clothes and souvenirs, as well as hot food to go.

It will add another dining option to The Olive Tree, a cosy space with a pizza oven from Napoli and a real olive tree that is the restaurant’s centre piece. Visitors can also look forward to street performances, including music, fire jugglers and magicians on-site too.

Like Center Parcs, you pay for each activity. And it all adds up — the climbing walls cost €20pp, the Celtic Challenge Rooms €26pp, the junior Zip ‘n’ Trek age five-plus, from €20.50pp — but the prices are competitive and the instructors exceptional.

We check out with a ninja spring in our step. And for a fleeting second I think that maybe, just maybe, we could put in that call to Ireland’s Fittest Family.