Westport Adventure Park: Taking a giant leap of faith into a new experience
Climbing at the new Westport Adventure Park
We are dangling, legs hanging, metres in the air. Our harnesses have been checked, and checked again. We are secure but still I grip onto the metal bar for dear life. The instructor yells up at us — pull the red cord.
My brave nine-year-old tugs at the string, releasing us. We bolt forward. We roar as, for a split second, we begin to fall towards the depths of the quarry below. And then, magnificently, we soar through the air. It’s as though we are flying.
Our screams turn to laughter, then giddy Tarzan chants. This feels beautiful.
Welcome to the Giant Swing at Westport Adventure Park, the newest Irish attraction for daredevils.
Earlier, my 13-year-old had stepped off a three-storey platform for the Quarry’s Edge Leap. The closest to a bungee jump I’ve seen on Irish shores, the free fall is short, terrifying — and utterly exhilarating.
The twin zipline is another adrenaline rush. After the initial fear, we are so confident we begin to race each other to the finish line.
We all wear rose tinted glasses when it comes to holidays, and the nostalgia is especially real when it comes to getaways with our children.
Over the decades, many Irish families will have experienced the pirate adventure park at Westport House.
Its water slide was a holiday institution. And the Panda kids’ club at the adjoining Hotel Westport was one we still talk about as a family.
Science experiments, evening walks through the stunning grounds, movies at night time. It was one of our most magical getaways.
Even the history was captivating — imaginations ran wild on the tour of big house with tales of Grace O’Malley, the pirate queen.
So when we heard the pirate park was no more, we felt a little disappointment.
We weren’t alone.
As we made our way to the ticket booth, we heard families discuss the good old days — none of us, it was apparent, like change.
An hour in, as we stumbled across the same faces, all of us were beaming, exhilarated from the net park, the climbing walls, the giant slides.
And if you still need your nostalgia fix, the swan pedalos, train and tour of the big house are still there for the taking.
This new iteration of Westport House is progress that should be embraced, with new memories to make at the adventure park.
Opening for the first time just this summer, this is one of the first developments in an ambitious €100m plan for Westport House.
It had remained in the same family for centuries until it was sold to the local Hughes brothers a decade ago. Their plans are ambitious, yet community-focused.
Last year a glamping park was opened on site, with Gracie’s restaurant and a host of food trucks on hand for a dining experience.
This year, as the adventure park opened, the hotel closed down for a complete renovation. Set to reopen next year, there are plans too to bring the house itself back to its former glory.
The next stage of development is perhaps the most exciting of all.
The Wild Realms by the renowned Mary Reynolds — a uniquely Irish landscape experience — is set for completion by the end of the decade.
Based on the Tree of Life it will have The Upper, The Middle and The Lower Realms.
Each realm will offer a one-of-a-kind experience including tree top walks, fire pits, a pontoon walkway, and ways to reconnect with the land and Irish mythology.
It will see Westport House become one of Ireland’s must-see experiences.
In the meantime, treasure the pirate park nostalgia, and go make new family memories.
We drove away still chanting those Tarzan roars.
- Ticket prices start from €27 (for four years and upward when booked online) for an individual Net Park Combo Pass which includes the Net Park, Giant Slides, Climbing Tower & Foot Golf.
- For parties of three or more, a group ticket offers the best deal.
- For the month of August, Westport Adventure is offering a brand-new Quarry’s Edge Combo which includes Quarry’s Edge Leap, Zipwire & Giant Swing all for €35 (duration 90 mins, minimum height 1.3m, maximum weight 120 kg).
- See westportadventure.ie
