Quarry Karting at Zip World

Published on: 03/01/20

Imagine hurtling down a gravelly mountainside in a small kart alongside the world’s longest zip line! At Zip World you can do just that and get a breathtaking view of the Snowdonia mountain range at the same time.

The UK’s only mountain cart experience

The dirt track at zip world takes you on a 3 kilometre kart ride unlike anything else you’ll find in the UK. There’s twist and turns, chicanes, banked corners, tunnels and more!

The Quarry Karting experience lasts for 2 hours and you get not one but two runs down the unique track. You can have a group of up to 12 people and there are great package options if you want to combine karting with another activity.

The karts are powered purely by gravity, so you’ll have loads of fun speeding down the mountainside, through the tunnels and around the twists and turns.


A stunning location

Zip World Penrhyn Quarry used to be the biggest slate quarry in the world and is a stunning setting for mountain karting, with views across the Snowdonia mountain range and beyond. With a certificate of excellent from TripAdvisor, free car parking and great accessibility (it’s open 7 days a week) it’s a fantastic place to have a karting adventure.

The quarry is just off the A5 and has a caravan and lodge park nearby if you want to make a weekend of it. It’s also close to the historic city of Bangor, the oldest city in Wales, which is now a buzzing University city and a great place to base yourself for the weekend.

Top Tips for your quarry kart adventure

  • The minimum age limit is 15 and teenagers aged 15-17 need a participating adult with them
  • Zip World recommend you wear long sleeves and trousers to protect against grazes
  • If you’ve got long hair, tie it back
  • Minimum height is 1.3m, maximum is 2.1m
  • If the weather is wet you can still ride, but bring a waterproof top layer and you’ll be much more comfortable


What else can you do on the site? 

Zip World Quarry Karts is based at Penrhyn Slate Quarry, which is near Bethesda in North Wales. We highly recommend booking to go on the Velocity 2 while you’re there – it’s the fastest zip line in the world and the longest anywhere in Europe!

If you haven’t got a head for heights, you can just hang out at the viewing platform or grab some food at Blondin Restaurant which is onsite. You can even take a Quarry Tour in an awesome huge red truck!

As well as having Penrhyn Slate Quarry, you can also go to Zip World Fforest which is near Conwy and also Zip World Slate Caverns near Snowdonia.

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