Once again, we headed north, arriving around 1pm at the Penrhyn Quarry in Bethesda, once the largest slate quarry in the world. The quarry is now used by a company called Zip World. Zip World has the longest zip line in Europe, and the fastest in the world. Here, participants experience the thrill of actually flying - at speeds of up to 115 miles per hour (185km per hour).
The Zip World site contains two specially constructed zip lines. The first is the Little Zipper, which takes you flying over trees, over a road, over more trees, and over a bending road to the bottom of the quarry where you finish the flight, and board a vehicle. The Little Zipper lasts about 15 seconds, you fly a distance of 450 metres at 72 km an hour, at a height of 72 feet (22 metres), and it acts as a useful preparation for the Big Zipper, which can be rather challenging psychologically.
The drive in the vehicle, which ascended a nearby mountain, took about 10 minutes. The Penrhyn Quarry is situated in the heart of the Snowdonia National Park. Many of the mountains that surrounded us were covered in snow. Our driver pointed out the second- and third-highest mountains in Wales, the highest being Mt Snowdon, some distance away. Soon, we arrived near the summit. We looked down. Way below us were trees, the steppes of the former quarry, a large lake, a forest beyond the lake, and, finally, a whole mile away (1,600 metres) from where we stood, the finish. We would be flying over all of that.
The four of us - Jess, Sam, our friend Tom, and I - allowed the strangers in our party to fly first. There being two actual lines, one left, one right, we watched what goes on. We all wore an orange flying suit that is wind- and water-proof, and helmets and goggles were also supplied. The staff ask you to get into a horizontal position, and then attach you to the zip line. They tell you to keep your hands at your sides, and hold onto a certain strap. If you are of a light weight, the staff attach weights to your harness. There was a head wind today, so extra weights were important. After counting down from three to zero, the staff release you, and off you go! Before the first couple were released, the woman told her man she loved him - just in case. We watched them fly quickly down the face of the mountain, over the trees and the steppes, heading for the lake. Soon, I could no longer see them. Perhaps they'd made it to the other end already.
Tom and I were next, and Jess and Sam were to follow. They strapped us in, attaching 20 kilos of weights to my harness. I thought there's no turning back now. This is it. Three, two, one, go! Off we went, we immediately flew over snowy ground, over the tops of trees, and appeared to be flying quite fast. In a way, I couldn't believe it. I felt like a bullet ripping through the cold, damp air. I was maybe 40 metres above the ground. I couldn't see Tom on the other wire - I was ahead of him. Distant trees stood at the edge of the ridge ahead of me, below which was the lake. The trees rushed towards me, below me, behind me, and I was now flying 500 feet above the lake. For many seconds I soared over the lake, and I thought this would not be a good time for my harness to fail.
The lake passed below and beyond me, I reached the other side, flying over more trees, and I looked out for the finish. I soon spotted a staff member with his arms stretched out in a 't' shape. This was the signal. I also stretched my arms out in a 't' shape, which slowed me down. I grabbed his sheep's crook with both hands, as per the instructions. After a roughly 60 second flight, it was over. I'd done it. And it was awesome.
See www.zipworld.co.uk
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