The best adventure thrills in the UK

Craving an adrenaline rush? Don’t wait for the adventure-travel heartlands to reopen – you can try abseiling or bungee jumping right here in the UK, says Maya Oppenheim

Bungee jumping: just as thrilling in Yorkshire (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Post-lockdowns, my approach to UK travel really changed.

Eager to recreate the intrepid highs of travelling abroad that I’d had pre-Covid, I became consumed with recreating the conditions here at home – with finding the same thrill you get from being around the new smells, sounds and street signs of a different country without leaving this island. I wasn’t so bothered about getting on a plane, or the weather playing ball. What I wanted was the buzz of adventure.

As it turned out, we do have some pretty heady thrills here in the UK. From bungee jumping off a 120ft-high bridge in North Yorkshire to abseiling on Brighton’s seafront, I more than managed to find excitement. So, for anyone who’s also fine sticking to these shores for now – but keen for some high-stakes exhilaration – here’s where to find it.

One giant leap

Bungee jumping is the embodiment of the saying, “One person’s trash is another’s treasure.” It’s an activity that some pay to do, while others couldn’t be paid enough to do it. I’d been wanting to give it a go ever since I found out what it was, as a fearless 11-year-old visiting relatives in the heartland of extreme sports: New Zealand. Of course, I was way too young at the time.

But even that burning, lifelong desire did nothing to quell my tremors as I stood on a 13-arch, 120ft-tall bridge, waiting to take my leap of faith. Up that high – shuffling along like a penguin, with a bungee cord strapped to my ankles I switched teams, and suddenly started to wonder why this had ever seemed like a good idea.

I was perched on top of Larpool Viaduct – a towering, intimidating structure just outside Whitby, Yorkshire, which has been home to UK Bungee (from £75pp) since the 1990s. Whitby is a lovely North Yorkshire seaside town that’s well worth a visit, with a litany of attractions aside from leaping to your (almost) doom.

Both the town and its viaduct famously feature in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. “The little river, the Esk, runs through a deep valley, which broadens out as it comes near the harbour,” Stoker writes. “A great viaduct runs across, with high piers, through which the view seems somehow further away than it really is.”

Looking around at the 360-degree views, I could see why it had made its way into the pages. Not that I was fully focused on the panorama. As you wait to take your leap, a member of staff tells you just to jump when you get to the edge of the platform, and not overthink what you are doing.

Reader, I did not do these things. Instead, I walked back and forth, panic-stricken, asking if it was safe and crying that I didn’t want to do it. Even for someone as bungee-curious as me, something felt altogether wrong about overcoming the instinct not to jump off a bridge the height of seven double-decker buses.

A member of staff I’d met earlier said that there is one person every week who, at the last minute, chooses not to jump. Usually, she said, it was the loudest and the most arrogant of a group who chickens out at the eleventh hour. I did not want to be that person. How could I tell my pals that I’d travelled over 250 miles to do a bungee jump, then bottled it?

After what felt like a lifetime, I dived forward – my hands outstretched as if I was merely leaping off a diving board. It is hard to recollect exactly what was going through my mind in those heady seconds of free-falling. But if the images the Bungee Club took of me are anything to go by, I look scared as hell: mouth firmly set in a giant O, face reddened, eyes scrunched up in sheer terror.

But the biggest shock to the system was how much I enjoyed it. Even if I was shouting, “Let me down, let me down” as I pinged up and down like a human pogo stick. If you go, make sure you have a good scream. It adds to the adrenaline and joy.

Once I finally stopped bouncing, the staffer on the bridge gently let me down into a boat where another team member was waiting to transport me to the riverbank a few metres away. The high you feel after jumping is unparalleled. I was giddy and a bit delirious; ecstatic and euphoric. The joy was no doubt strengthened by the triumph that I had managed to feel the fear and do it anyway.

Brighton’s i360 (British Airways)

The long way down

Pre-pandemic, abseiling off an observation tower on the Brighton seafront would not have been high on my list of bucket-list activities. But it’s something I’d recommend to anyone who doesn’t suffer from vertigo. The shiny, futuristic-looking British Airways i360 tower, which opened in 2016 and was designed by the architects behind the London Eye, is 162 metres high with the best views in Brighton. And you can descend from its heights for a brilliant waterfront thrill.

First, you can take a mellow ride in the moving pod that ascends the tower, and simply soak up the sights, with a bar on hand for good measure.

It could not have been a more perfect day for abseiling. The sky was a bright, boundless blue, with not a cloud in sight. It was set to be an absolute scorcher, but the 8am air felt fresh and crisp.

The preparation for the jump is thrilling in and of itself. As the last of my group to go, I was forced to watch dozens make the leap – some getting visibly more nervous as they edged towards the drop – before taking the plunge myself. While I was acquainted with abseiling in the context of rock climbing, this was a whole different ball game – essentially involving stepping off a ledge into mid-air. And, unlike with other types of abseiling, there is no wall to bounce off as you make your way down.

Fortunately, there are lovely instructors to guide you off the edge. Once I was suspended in mid-air, like a pair of socks hanging off a washing line, it was wonderfully quiet and tranquil. My downwards descent was pretty gentle, too, with great views out to sea as I was lowered down.

Gorge walking in Wales (Maya Oppenheim)

Chasing waterfalls

Last to tick off on my list of UK thrills was gorge walking: an activity I had never heard of before stumbling upon it this side of the lockdowns. I tried it in what is known as Waterfalls Country – a lush green portion of the Vale of Neath, in south Wales.

To put it simply, gorge walking involves a mixture of activities to get you across this beautiful landscape – gently floating down river rapids, traversing across waterfalls, scrambling across rocks, hiking, and the cherry on the cake: cliff jumping.

The latter is optional, however, and there is no pressure to leap off any cliffs into water if that’s not your thing. Our tour guides, Daniel of Big Blue Adventures and Pete Savage of Savage Adventures, explained that they can tailor-make a trip based on the fitness, experience level and preferences of your group.

At the time of setting off from the van, sausaged into a wetsuit, I had little idea what I was about to do. Waterfall Country was breathtaking.

The activity kicked off with a bang with each of us taking it in turns to dive into a beautiful pool. This was followed by climbing along a lengthy portion of waterfall, clinging on as best we could before the fast-flowing water plunged us in. It was far less daunting and more fun than I’d ever have predicted – and, well insulated in my wetsuit, I didn’t feel the cold.

The day was topped off with the grand finale: a cliff jump. Scary, to say the least. There is something about cliff jumping which has always intimidated me – perhaps it’s the whole “not being attached to a rope” bit. What if I jumped in the wrong bit of water? Was it really deep enough? The alarm bells were ringing.

This was despite the fact that everything we did on our outing had been vetted and safety checked a million times over – it was no doubt far safer than other activities I do without batting an eyelid (cycling in London, for one).

After a fair bit of gentle coaxing, I eventually managed to fling my reluctant body off the cliff, hurtling through the air before crashing into the water.

Though I don’t plan to make cliff jumping part of my weekly to-do list, there was something incredibly meditative and even cathartic about floating down rapids to the chimes of crashing waterfalls, and hiking and scrambling across mossy rocks. And it’s an ideal way to soak in the emerald Welsh scenery. Looking around, we could easily have been on some exotic far-flung tropical island – but with a swift trip home on hand to recover from the adrenaline surge.

Travel essentials

Staying there

For those looking for a cosy, homely place to stay in Whitby, Riviera Guesthouse is ideal. It’s located on the town’s seafront and has gorgeous rooms with sea views.

Claremont boutique guesthouse is situated on a quintessentially quaint Brighton street. The hotel is beautiful inside and out, with comfortable, spacious rooms.

For South Wales gorge walking, Penarth is a stunning seaside town just outside of Cardiff and an hour drive from Waterfall Country. Stay at its four-star Holm House Hotel, which has a lovely spa, restaurant and opulent rooms.