Adventure Activities For Children In North Wales
Outdoor Adventures in snowdonia suitable for age 4+Which Activities Can We Choose As A Family?
We’re specialists when it comes to proper adventures for children. Whilst we do have recommended age guides for all our activities, these are general guides because we know everyone is different. Furthermore, variable water levels in the river can make a trip more or less suitable for younger ages. Age 4 is about the youngest we can take on our adventures, children younger than that are generally not mobile enough!
What Are The Height / Weight Restrictions?
We do not have specific height restrictions. Everyone is different and you’ll have the best idea whether an activity is suitable for your child. The exact route on our Gorge and Canyon trips is variable and can be altered dependant on water conditions; small people may need to avoid certain sections in high water (easy walk arounds). The age guide is only a guide; in our experience a very capable 5 year old could be more confident and able than a very scared 8 year old; everyone is different!
Do I Need To Accompany My Children?
For each of our adventures below we’ve given some advice on how suitable it is for children. Under 18s will need to be accompanied by a parent / legal guardian. Whilst we don’t require a 1:1 ratio between parents and children it’s always a better adventure when there are more people to share the experience with! If you have particularly small children it’s worth having a few adults in the group to help with them.
Gorge Scrambling
This is Canyoning for kids; all obstacles are avoidable, none of the features are technical (eg no ropes) and small people starting from age 4+ should be able to enjoy this adventure. Bear in mind that it’s a 15 minute walk in (and out again!) and ideally children need to want to get in the water.
We can often (but not always) run a mixed Gorge/ Canyon trip when we’ve got a mixed ability group age 4-12 years. The ‘Canyon’ section is right at the end of the Gorge and the small people can easily walk around the big slides and waterfall to meet the team in the pool below.
Canyoning
The perfect adventure for families with children approximately age 8-12 years. During dry periods the big slides are less powerful so confident smaller people may be able to join but equally during heavy rain nervous participants will want to bypass this final section. Fortunately, stepping out of any of the obstacles is easy on the Canyon trip and commitment is low.
Canyon Extreme
We generally recommend that anyone age 11/12+ (confident) chooses the Canyon Extreme trip. Whilst there is a mandatory slide off a 5m waterfall all the big jumps are optional. This is the best adventure activity in North Wales and it’s guaranteed to be a truly memorable experience.
Again, we accept gung-ho smaller people at our discretion but they need to have seen the photos and videos and know exactly what they’re letting themselves in for. This is an adventure of a lifetime but it’s not for everyone!
Rock Climbing & Abseiling
Rock climbing is a great activity for all ages. It’s really easy for us to adjust the challenge level (and climb different routes) and nobody is ever under any pressure to complete a climb; participants can come down at any point they choose.
The abseiling is only really suitable for age 8+ because smaller people struggle to operate the abseil device. Many children have tried climbing indoors and this will really help with their confidence when climbing outside. Remember though, previous experience is absolutely not required. Neither is a head for heights!
Kayaking & Canoeing
Nervous children not accustomed to adventure?! This is as relaxing as things get for us. Join us on a steady paddle up the gently flowing tidal estuary. Spot animals, learn about the flora and fauna and listen to the local myths and legends. This trip is best enjoyed in the sun! Suitable for anyone age 4+ but small children are basically passengers (in either a tandem kayak or Canadian canoe).
