Zip World is an adventure activity company operating three genuinely distinct sites across Eryri (Snowdonia), North Wales, each built into a different piece of the region’s industrial slate heritage rather than constructed from scratch. Penrhyn Quarry, near Bethesda, is home to Velocity 2, long marketed as the world’s fastest zip line; the Slate Caverns at Llechwedd, near Blaenau Ffestiniog, hide an underground trampoline park and a four-person zip line inside a real Victorian slate mine; and the Fforest, just outside Betws-y-Coed, offers a gentler, more family-focused set of forest-based activities. All three are separately ticketed, separately located, and genuinely different experiences — worth understanding before you book, since “Zip World” isn’t a single site.

History of Zip World

From Slate Quarry to World Record: The 2013 Founding

Zip World was founded in 2013 by Sean Taylor, a former Royal Marine commando, who built the company’s first attraction directly into the disused Penrhyn Quarry near Bethesda — once one of the largest slate quarries in the world, and, by the early 2010s, a huge, dormant industrial site with a genuinely spectacular natural amphitheatre at its centre. Taylor’s original zip line, Velocity, quickly earned a reputation as the fastest zip line in the world, later relaunched in an upgraded form as Velocity 2, and gave the company both its name and its founding identity: repurposing post-industrial Welsh landscapes into genuinely world-class adventure attractions rather than building on greenfield sites.

Llechwedd: Reviving a Slate Mine

In 2014, Zip World expanded into the historic Llechwedd Slate Caverns near Blaenau Ffestiniog, an existing visitor attraction built around genuine 19th-century slate mine workings. Here, the company introduced Bounce Below, the world’s first underground trampoline park, strung across the vast open chambers left behind by Victorian slate extraction, alongside Titan, Europe’s first four-person zip line. Rather than replacing the site’s established Deep Mine Tour, which explored the mine’s genuine mining heritage, Zip World’s additions sat alongside it, adding a new, adrenaline-focused layer to an already historically significant attraction.

Fforest: A Family-Focused Forest Site

In 2017, Zip World opened its third major North Wales site, the Fforest, in woodland just outside Betws-y-Coed, centred on the Fforest Coaster — the UK’s first alpine roller coaster, running roughly a kilometre through the trees. Unlike the quarry-based sites, the Fforest was built specifically to broaden the company’s appeal to families and younger children, offering a genuinely different, gentler register of adventure activity than the record-breaking zip lines the brand had built its early reputation on.

Growth Beyond Snowdonia

In January 2019, Lloyds Development Capital, the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group, acquired a minority stake in Zip World, funding further expansion beyond its original three Eryri sites. The company has since opened Zip World Tower on a former coal mining site in Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales, a newer Zip World Conwy site combining soft play and climbing activities, and ventured into standalone attractions elsewhere in Britain, including a large tunnel slide near London’s Olympic Park. The three original Eryri sites, however, remain the company’s flagship locations and the clearest expression of its founding idea.

Visiting Zip World: Practical Information

Zip World Penrhyn Quarry

Located at Bethesda, Bangor (LL57 4YG), this is Zip World’s flagship site and home to Velocity 2, four parallel lines stretching nearly a mile (1,555m) across the old quarry and around 500 feet (150m) above its lake, with riders reaching speeds widely reported at over 100mph. The full Velocity 2 experience, including safety briefing and kit-up, takes around two hours in total, though the zip itself lasts barely a minute. Beyond the headline zip line, the site also offers Quarry Karts, a gravity-fuelled downhill karting track through the quarry, a historical Penrhyn Quarry Tour covering the site’s genuine slate-mining past, and the Blondin restaurant and café overlooking the action.

Zip World Llechwedd (Slate Caverns)

Near Blaenau Ffestiniog, this site combines genuine slate mining heritage with several distinct underground and clifftop adventures. Bounce Below strings trampolines and netting across the mine’s vast open caverns, genuinely unlike any other attraction in Britain; Titan is a 1,890-metre zip line descending from roughly half the height of Snowdon, with sweeping views across Eryri on a clear day; Caverns is an underground zip and adventure course through the mine workings themselves; and, since 2022, the site has also offered the world’s first underground golf course. The original Deep Mine Tour, exploring the site’s genuine 19th-century slate mining history, remains available for anyone who wants the history without the adrenaline, and a smaller, gentler mobile zip line, Big Red, caters to younger children.

Zip World Fforest

Set in woodland just outside Betws-y-Coed, the Fforest is built around the Fforest Coaster, the UK’s only alpine coaster of its particular type, running roughly a kilometre through the trees. Other activities include Zip Safari, a lower-level treetop zip line course; Plummet, a roughly 100-foot tandem freefall drop; the Skyride; and Treetop Nets, a genuinely popular choice for younger children not yet ready for the site’s more intense activities. Of the three Eryri sites, this is generally the most accessible for families with a wide age range.

Zip World Conwy

The newest addition to the North Wales cluster, Zip World Conwy combines an indoor soft play area with a range of climbing-based activities, aimed at a broader, more accessible audience than the record-breaking zip lines at the other sites. It sits outside the immediate Eryri National Park boundary but close enough to combine with a visit to the other three locations.

Booking and Pricing

Every activity at every Zip World site is booked and priced individually rather than through a single all-inclusive park ticket, so costs depend entirely on which specific experiences you choose. Advance booking is strongly recommended, particularly for headline activities like Velocity 2 and Bounce Below, which regularly sell out during peak summer weekends and school holidays; walk-up availability exists but is genuinely unreliable at busy times. Check the official Zip World website directly for current pricing on your chosen activities and date, since costs vary significantly by experience and season.

Age, Height and Weight Restrictions

Restrictions vary significantly by activity rather than following one blanket policy across the company, and this is genuinely important to check before booking, particularly for families with younger children. High-speed zip lines like Velocity 2 and Titan carry minimum height and weight requirements for safety-harness reasons; Bounce Below and the Fforest’s gentler activities are generally more accessible to younger children, though specific minimum ages still apply. Check the exact requirements for each specific activity on the official website before booking, rather than assuming a child who meets one site’s restrictions will automatically qualify for another’s.

What to Wear

Closed-toe shoes are required for essentially all activities, and warm, weather-appropriate layers are genuinely worth bringing regardless of the forecast: the underground caverns at Llechwedd stay cool year-round, and both Penrhyn Quarry and the Fforest are fully exposed to Eryri’s notoriously changeable weather. Waterproofs are a sensible addition outside the height of summer.

Getting Between Sites

Penrhyn Quarry, Llechwedd and the Fforest sit roughly 30 to 50 minutes apart by car, depending on the specific pair — genuinely too far apart to treat as one combined visit without careful planning. Most visitors realistically manage two of the three sites comfortably in a single day; attempting all three in one day is possible but leaves little time to properly enjoy any of them.

Managing Body

Zip World is a privately held company, majority-owned by its founder Sean Taylor, with a minority stake held by Lloyds Development Capital since 2019. It operates as a commercial adventure tourism business rather than a heritage or conservation body, distinct from the separate, publicly funded slate heritage attractions elsewhere in the region, such as the National Slate Museum.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Zip World locations are there in Snowdonia?

Three main sites within or near Eryri (Snowdonia): Penrhyn Quarry near Bethesda, the Slate Caverns at Llechwedd near Blaenau Ffestiniog, and the Fforest near Betws-y-Coed, plus a newer Zip World Conwy site just outside the National Park boundary.

What is Velocity 2 and how fast does it go?

Velocity 2 is a zip line at Penrhyn Quarry, widely marketed as the world’s fastest, running nearly a mile across the old quarry with riders commonly reported reaching over 100mph.

What is Bounce Below?

An underground trampoline park at the Llechwedd Slate Caverns, strung across vast open chambers left by 19th-century slate mining, billed as the world’s first attraction of its kind.

Can I visit more than one Zip World site in a day?

Two sites in one day is realistic for most visitors, given the 30-50 minute drive between locations. All three in a single day is possible but leaves little time to properly enjoy any of them.

Is Zip World suitable for young children?

It depends entirely on the specific site and activity. The Fforest near Betws-y-Coed is generally the most family-friendly of the three sites, while high-speed activities like Velocity 2 and Titan carry stricter height and weight requirements. Check specific restrictions before booking.

Do I need to book in advance?

Advance booking is strongly recommended, particularly for popular activities like Velocity 2 and Bounce Below, which regularly sell out during peak periods. Walk-up availability exists but isn’t reliable at busy times.

What should I wear to Zip World?

Closed-toe shoes are required for all activities, and warm layers are genuinely worth bringing regardless of season, since underground sections stay cool year-round and the outdoor sites are fully exposed to Eryri’s changeable weather.

The Fforest site sits right beside Betws-y-Coed, and Llechwedd is a short drive from the National Slate Museum in Llanberis, for anyone wanting the slate heritage story alongside the adrenaline. Browse the full Wales guides collection for more of the country’s landmarks and landscapes.