Be prepared to feel mixed emotions in Wales. Yes, it's beautiful, and its absolutely enthralling when it comes to history. But don't be fooled that it's all centuries-old villages, stone-arched bridges, and 600-odd castles against scenic backdrops of misty green and slate-capped mountains. Although enchanting in the looks department, Wales can be a terrifying place: it's the UK's epicentre of full-throttle adventures. Experiencing a Welsh state of mind - feeling a rush and being charmed simultaneously - is very much a thing. Here are six ways to do it.
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Fly like a bird on the world's fastest zipline
I'm suspended in a harness, my arms glued beside my body and legs stretched out, hoisted on a bar. I'm a wingless butterfly, nervously waiting at the top of Penrhyn Quarry, about to soar on the world's fastest zipline.
Adventure park Zip World Penrhyn Quarry's zipline Velocity stretches 1.5 kilometres and reaches speeds up to 189kmh. The journey starts 222 metres above the disused slate quarry. Two zipline assistants crosscheck each other, ensuring that my fellow wingless butterfly to the right and I are securely fastened. They count down in unison in Welsh. They make it sound like a happy jingle, "Tri, Dau, Un," and we're off!
I'm zooming through the air with Snowdonia's mountains on the horizon. Below me, mounds of black slate. In seconds, black turns to blue as the quarry's aqua lake is under my belly - but not for long. I am both screaming and laughing; this is terrifying. Those who cannot stand heights would not have a bar of this. In less than a minute, it's all over. Can I do that again? zipworld.co.uk/location/penrhyn-quarry
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The UK's only alpine coaster
Muscle flexing is kept to a minimum on Zip World Betws-Y-Coed's Fforest Coaster - a toboggan-style roller coaster on the edge of Snowdonia National Park. Appealing to young and old, the UK's only alpine coaster zips down the Conwy Valley at speeds up to 40 kilometres per hour.
Not one to miss an opportunity for a shot of adrenaline, I push my levers forward to reach maximum speed. At each bend along the one-kilometre track, I ignore the signs to slow down (Araf!) and blitz through the pine tree forest that towers over me, comfortably seated in my coaster cart. Snippets of sunbeams through the trees add an extra sense of magic.
It's a quick joy ride (roughly six minutes) - and one that I get to do again, and again, with three trips down the mountain included in the coaster pass. zipworld.co.uk/adventure/fforest-coaster
Tandem scream-and-coo whitewater rafting
I look like a seal in my 5mm-thick wetsuit in the middle of the gorgeously preserved Llangollen, but I'm prepared - bring on the cold. The North Wales town is the starting point to journey the River Dee, one of the UK's best rivers for whitewater rafting. Local operator Whitewater Active offers half-day trips to ride the grade three rapids along a 4.4-kilometre section of the 110-kilometre long river.
From the get-go, it's a fast-moving adventure, with instructions quickly given: Get down, lean left, right, paddle forward, stop! The water is warmer than anticipated. It's all so exhilarating, yet I'm also in wonderment. Between each rapid with a quirky name - Serpents Tail, Magical Mystery Tour, Tombstones, to name a few - are beautiful riverside builds: historical stone structures and viaducts. whitewateractive.co.uk
Bounce in the underground
Whoever was the brains behind turning a disused mine site into a multi-storey Super Mario-esque concourse park deserves a medal for innovative thinking. Located in the Llechwedd slate caverns, the world's largest underground trampoline park, Zip World Llechwedd's Bounce Below, is an extraordinary spot for a cardio session.
The hidden playground features six trampoline nets and spiralling slides suspended in the slate cavern twice the size of London's St Paul's Cathedral. Psychedelic strobe lights add to the immersive arcade-game experience of moving between massive trampoline nets and steel tube slides in the otherwise dark cavern.
Sessions run for one hour - but that's if you can last that long. It's wicked fun, but only in small doses. zipworld.co.uk/adventure/bounce-below
Test your upper-core strength along Llyn Padarn
Some settings are best explored in old-fashioned ways. I use paddle power for a three-hour kayak ride on Eryri National Park's Llyn Padarn.
The kayak ride provides 360 degrees of stimulation with Snowdonia's mountains, clifftop Dolbadarn Castle, nearby village Llanberis's colourful buildings, towering slate mounds and green forests all encircling the lake. Not a bad spot for a workout. boulderadventures.co.uk
High-speed adventures through history
From mountains to sea, it's time to take to the waterways for another high-speed thrill. Rib Ride offers fast-boat adventures along the Menai Strait and includes a guided tour, which only adds to the cultural immersion.
I straddle the seat like a kid on a carousel pony, holding on for dear life with each thud as we zip under the 176-metre-long Menai Bridge - the world's first suspension bridge built in the 18th century - connecting Bangor to the Isle of Anglesey.
It's all happening in quick succession. We pass the rapid tidal movements dubbed "Swellies" for their washing machine movements, go under historic Britannia Bridge, spot waterbirds and a sunbathing seal, and marvel at the 18th-century Gothic mansion, Plas Newydd House that sits channel-side. Here, the history lesson is fast-paced. Despite covering a small distance, the one-hour ride packs a punch. ribride.co.uk
The writer travelled courtesy of Visit Britain and Visit Wales.
