Apparently we Brits are reserved / shy / conservative / slow to take up anything new…so lets show the world this isn’t true by taking up some of the craziest activities around this Summer.
1) Zorbing – If you’ve seen the latest Aero adverts, you’ll have a clue what this is, but if not think going down a hill strapped (or not) inside a giant inflatable ball which like all giant inflatable balls, tends to bounce, fly through the air a little and generally go very very fast towards the bottom of the hill…and hopefully not a big wall.
If you chose the right hill you can easily get to speeds of 20mph or even 30mph although you really do want to be in expert hands there, but even for a ‘prefer to sit at home in front of a computer’ person like yours truly, this actually looks like a heck of a lot of fun! Perhaps my idea of zorbing off the top of Striding Edge in the Lake District however is a little more than extreme?
2) Sandboarding – Not snowboarding, but a similar concept for those areas of the world which seem to be a tad lacking in snow. Sandboarding has apparently been practiced since the Ancient Chinese times, but only really took off in the 1980s with the introduction of new coatings on the boards to make them go very fast.
All you need for sandboarding is, well, a sandboard and a very steep sand dune although do check beforehand about any nature reserve regulations. Popular places for sandboarding in the UK are Holywell Bay by Newquay, Porthdinllaen Dunes near Bangor in Wales, Rhosnigor Dunes on the Isle of Anglesey and Braunton Burrows close to Barnstaple in Devon.
3) Power kiting is another beach based activity, but instead of sliding down the dunes, you’ve got to fly along the sands on what looks very much like a basic go-kart being pulled by a giant kite. It does require very wide open beaches with few people, but there are quite a number of places where this could be found such as the beaches off the north Northumberland coastline especially between Holy Island and Alnwick.
4) Zip-wire’s are becoming more and more popular, as you dangle off a wire and hurle yourself into the abyss, or at least down through some trees towards the ground. One of the companies which has taken this to the next level is Go-Ape who have centres around the country for this and other high adrenalin activities. Just make sure you go to a well established centre such as Go Ape or similar, as being 30 metres off the ground is quite a long way to drop.
5) Blokarting could be seen as an alternative to power kiting, but less chance of being dragged off the sands or losing your kite. You sit on a 3 wheeled contraption lying very close to the ground, and a sail which is similar to a yacht effectively “sails” you across the sands. Once you get the hang of this you can really start to pickup some serious speed and a major adrenalin rush.
If this has given you some ideas for getting out and about this Summer and putting down the iPad while on holiday, see Enjoy England for even more things to do.
More resources around Britain:
Visitor attractions for all weathers in Britain
UK hotel accommodation
Luxury of self-catering in the UK
Camping & caravanning in Britain
