adventure

A BRAND new visitor attraction is coming to a UK city – and it is opening tomorrow.

Zip World – a UK outdoor adventure giant – is opening its first ever city-centre site in Wales.

The new destination will be located on top of the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

The attraction will open tomorrow and will have three experiences.

The first experience is a Stadium Walk, where visitors can step across the rooftop of the Principality Stadium and gain panoramic views of the city.

At Stadium Drop, visitors can abseil down the side of the stadium.

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Finally, at Stadium Flyer, visitors can head on a zip line across a 60 metre high canopy.

Unlike other Zip World attractions, the Cardiff site will sell tickets to each experience individually – so visitors can chose one experience, two or all three.

Tickets will start from £25 per person.

The opening of Zip World Cardiff at Principality Stadium will be Zip World’s second city-centric location, following the opening of Helix and ArcelorMittal Orbit 360 in London last year.

The attraction is opening in partnership with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU).

The attraction was previously branded under the name Scale and was operated by Wire & Sky.

Zip World will now be the new operator of the Principality Stadium roof top attraction after securing a deal with the WRU.

Andrew Hudson, CEO of Zip World, commented: “Bringing Zip World to Cardiff is a proud moment for us.

“It’s our first stadium location and our first city-centre location in Wales.

“It’s chance to bring something new to the capital, in a place that means a lot to our team and to the wider Welsh public.

“Taking on the rooftop operations at Principality Stadium marks the start of an exciting new chapter – one where Zip World will act as a strategic partner to help shape the stadium’s next phase.

“This is just the beginning.

“Our team is working hard behind the scenes, and we can’t wait to introduce even more adventures to the stadium and bring a bit of Zip World magic to Cardiff – watch this space!”

Sean Taylor, founder and president of Zip World added: “As a lifelong rugby fan, I’ve got fond memories of watching Wales play as a young lad.

“The atmosphere was electric and the Andy Haden dive in 1978 is something I’ll never forget.

“To now be taking on the rooftop adventures at Principality Stadium marks a significant step forward for Zip World.”

Zip World also recently announced a new adventure attraction in one of the UK’s best loved beauty spots – with a huge underground zip wire.

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A HEART-SHAPED lake in one of the UK’s most loved beauty spots is set to become an underground attraction.

Located in the Lake District, Elterwater Quarry will be getting a new ‘Cavern Explorer’ experience.

As part of the attraction, several steel staircases and platforms will be installed across the quarry’s cavern.

The ziplines will then take visitors from one platform to another.

The experience is said to allow visitors to see parts of the cavern that were previously inaccessible.

Other plans for the attraction include ‘The Quarryman’s Viewpoint’, which will offer visitors a place to look out across the Lake District.

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There will be a natural history trail, venturing through parts of the nearby countryside as well, and a visitor centre with information boards.

Proposals were first submitted two years ago by Burlington Slate, which owns Elterwater slate mine and Zip World.

In the application, the mine said: “The proposed experience at Elterwater will provide a blend of heritage-based adventure through the caverns and offer a unique immersive experience within an underground mine that dates back to the middle of the 19th century.”

However, the first proposals were rejected.

A year later they were resubmitted and approved.

The proposed park isn’t without its controversy though as campaign group Friends of the Lake District has attempted to stop the project.

The group claimed that the planning permission has been wrongly granted and that the new experience would “take us a step closer to a Lake District of noise, chaos and degraded landscapes”.

However, this month, judgement from a judicial review was published and ruled in favour of the Lake District National Authority – meaning that the zipline was still allowed to go ahead.

Michael Hill, CEO of Friends of the Lake District said: “This ruling is a setback for the Cumbrian landscape, but in our 90 years’ history Friends of the Lake District has seen many of those.

“We remain unbowed in our determination to campaign for a Lake District that is tranquil, rich in cultural heritage and environmentally healthy and for protections in law for this and other National Parks to be maintained and strengthened.”

The International Council on Monuments and Sites – which is an advisory board to UNESCO – has also commented that they are opposed to the planned zipline.

The council explained that the zipline “would transform the quarry or part of it into a theme park and would trivialise the experience of an important aspect of the Lake District’s heritage”.

The ultimate worry is that the attraction could lead the Lake District losing its UNESCO World Heritage Site status, which is what happened to the Liverpool Docks in 2021.

The lake itself reveals a heart shape when the water levels drop, also exposing the 500million-year-old rock.

The site of the new attraction is a 40-minute drive from Windermere and an opening date is yet to be revealed.

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The period piece has garnered much praise

Fans of historical dramas can’t afford to miss out on this cracking series of ITV films that are streaming now, after others have enjoyed a 10/10 period drama and a “superbly filmed” BBC series.

The film saga has many fans, who’ve previously lauded the series on IMDb.

One person titled their 10/10 review: “One of the all time great seafaring adventures!”

The user added: “It ranks up there with the original Mutiny on the Bounty,The Sea Hawk and Master And Commander as one of the greatest of its kind.”

Another person said in their 10/10 review: “This is one of the most realistic historical dramas out there.

“Everything in Hornblower is played to perfection, from the sets (fantastic, towering ships) to the costumes to the cast. The actors are all so believable in their roles that it’s hard to pull yourself out of that world. I had only flicked onto it by accident on TV, but I couldn’t pull myself away.”

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A third described the drama as a “True Swashbuckling Adventure” and added: “A great cast and the sight of the beautiful sailing vessels in full rigging — I’d forgotten how much I love them.”

Someone else commented: “Storytelling at its best!” and elaborated: “The first in the Horatio Hornblower series, this installment is absolutely stunning. After watching this, you will find yourself longing for more. There is enough action, drama, and humor to satisfy just about anyone [sic].”

Yet another person hailed the show as “top notch entertainment” and said: “I viewed this show with some trepidation, as the name Hornblower to me (as with many others) is synonymous with Gregory Peck.

“But this is a different Hornblower and the magic is very much the same – fancy uniforms, good guys and bad guys, lots of sailing ships and lot of blood and thunder. What more can one ask for?”

Hornblower was a series of historical films led by Hollywood star Ioan Gruffudd and was based on the three of the 10 novels written by C. S. Forester.

The drama followed the fictional title character Horatio Hornblower, a Royal Naval officer during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

The films ran on ITV from 1998 to 2003, and there were eight in total.

Other cast members included Robert Lindsay, Paul McGann, Paul Copley, Sean Gilder, and Jamie Bamber.

There were also some other big names who made appearances, including Denis Lawson, Ian McNeice, Samuel West, Cherie Lunghi, and Greg Wise.

Prior to the ITV films, there were other adaptations of Forester’s novels, with Hollywood star Gregory Peck taking on the character in the 1951 movie Captain Horatio Hornblower.

While David Buck starred in an American TV series as the character in 1963 and Michael Redgrave appeared in a radio adaptation in the 1950s

Hornblower is streaming on ITVX now

A BRAND new vintage fairground-themed playpark has just opened its doors in the UK.

The new Adventure Play Fair in Norfolk is “one of East Anglia’s largest themed play areas,” according to the attraction’s Instagram account.

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Sprawled across the 30,000-square-foot park, wooden huts have been converted into all the things you would expect to find at a funfair.

A towering red and yellow Helter Skelter stands out in the play area and has a small climbing wall and exit to a bridge walkway on the side as well.

Then there is a wooden shed standing as a ‘Popcorn Hut’, with a rope bridge leading it to the ‘Hook a Duck’ hut with a slide and another exit to the ‘Hall of Mirrors’.

Another spot is ‘Tin Can Alley’, where kids can bang on long metal tubes that vary in length to create differently pitched sounds.

The Ferris Wheel, dubbed ‘The Big Wheel’ has a network of tunnels, bridges and different wooden ‘pods’.

While the giant play structure doesn’t move like a Ferris Wheel does, the different cabins have a variety of things to do, including one with a slide out of it.

The carousel also stands stationary, with wooden horses and a long rope bridge coming from its roof and stretching to another part of the park.

And scattered across the park are a number of multicoloured teacups.

Adding to the vintage steam rally theme, there is a train that kids can crawl through, and on hot days, they can have a splash in the UK’s first water fountain organ.

Classic playground elements are in the ‘funfair’ too, such as swings, pedal quadracycles and trampolines in the ground.

For the parents, there are plenty of picnic benches with parasols to perch on and a cafe to grab refreshments or a light bite at.

One visitor, who headed to the open day yesterday, said: “[T]his is outdoor play on a whole new level.”

Tickets cost £4 per adult and £8 per child and the Adventure Play Fair is open Sunday to Thursday, 10am to 5pm.

While there, families can also explore the museum that has the world’s largest collection of steam engines.

For half price adult admission and free tickets for kids under 12, you can show your Adventure Play Fair tickets.

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Thursford is also popular in the festive season for its Christmas Spectacular, which includes a three-hour show with over 130 performers.

There is also Santa’s Magical Journey, which includes a meet-and-greet with Father Christmas.

From November, visitors can head on The Enchanted Journey of Light – an immersive light trail with fairytale characters, lanterns and lit-up seesaws and swings.

And if you are looking for something else to do nearby, head down the road to Pumpkin House which has a maize maze, mini golf, tractor sand pits and pumpkin picking in October.

Or you could discover Hindringham Hall – a moated Tudor manor house with fishponds and historic walled garden.

There are holiday cottages at the house too, if you wanted to extend your stay in the area.

Norfolk was also recently named a must-visit destination for August.

Plus, on the Norfolk coast there is a countryside hotel with an underground spa.

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