Deep underground, in the heart of Snowdonia, beneath fairytale cottages carved into looming cliff sides, cozy welsh villages nestled into valleys sheltered from the rain, and rolling hills and mountains blanketed by moss and fern, lies a secret.
A subterranean playground, a cavernous neon wonderland, accessible only by mining train, in which a network of rope trampolines, spiral staircases, chutes, and ladders, hangs suspended hundreds of feet above the damp dark chasm of an abandoned Victorian slate mine.
Bounce Below is an ingenious re-imagination, an explosion of colour and an exercise in the arts of playfulness and exploration. The latest attraction to arrive at the Llechwedd Slate Caverns, home already, amongst other things, to Europe’s longest zipline course, at Zip World, and more traditionally, a Victorian mine tour, and slate workshop, Bounce Below offers a truly unique experience, set against the most unlikely of backdrops.
For £20 per person, you don shoe covers, a red boiler suit, which, as of October, is now optional, and a not-so-optional helmet, and after a short safety briefing, descend via a rattling mining train to three levels of rope nets, 180 feet in total, stacked on top of each other like some vast web, and connected via a series of giant slides, ladders, and a spiral staircase. All thoughts of claustrophobia and vertigo are forgotten, as you emerge out into the cold cathedral-like chamber, as multicoloured LEDs cast eerie shadows around you, bouncing off the cavern’s jagged walls at improbable angles and illuminating the scene into some glowcave dreamscape. For an hour, you’ll experience an entirely surreal, and enjoyably exhausting, adventure, spent bouncing, plummeting, and climbing.
We had an unforgettable time at Bounce Below, it hugely exceeded our expectations, and was an unexpected highlight of our Wales trip. We super appreciated the time spent playing deep underground and protected from the wintery conditions above, with our small group of eight people. The staff were knowledgeable and a lot of fun, and the caves were a truly magical environment to explore. We would for sure recommend you visit in the winter, and sooner rather than later, as word will quickly spread about this bizarre and beautiful day out. In the near future, Bounce Below is planning on opening an accompanying adventure course, where you will zipline, bounce, and slide, through a
series of underground tunnels. It sounds wild!
How Much: £20 per person. We recommend you book online, but we bought tickets on a whim, the day we arrived, and there was lots of room.
Restrictions: If you’re under 18, you’ll need a guardian.
When to go: Avoid the school holidays, go in the winter, or on a week day. Available booking slots are between 10am and 5pm.
What to know: Arrive half an hour early, for the safety briefing and for getting dressed.
What to bring: Bring water, a camera, and wear something with long sleeves that you don’t mind getting dirty. The nets get a little slippy. If you choose to wear a cotton boiler suit, keep in mind that they’re kind of smelly.
Here’s the Bounce Below site.
and here’s our flickr set of our Bounce Below adventure!
