Ian Waller and his youngest son enjoy a weekend of amazing scootering at Europe’s biggest adventure sports venue. Well, his son did while Ian watched…
I love skateparks! Indoors or outside in the elements, locally or increasingly around the country, as a family we’ve been to quite a few now, thanks to our boys being a skateboarder and a scooter rider, and enjoying everything that the pastimes offer.
Locally, Campus Pool and Park in Bristol are the favourites, while Spit and Sawdust and RampWorldCardiff have also been regular destinations.
This weekend, however, it was a return trip to Corby in Northamptonshire for a birthday treat trip at Adrenaline Alley, Europe’s largest action sports venue! Yes, you can do it in a day, but it’s three hour drive from Bristol and with the park closing at 9pm, it means a late return too. So we decided to find an AirBnB nearby and go for a two day visit.
Adrenaline Alley is HUGE!!! It’s set out over six acres with more than 120,000 sq.ft of skateparks – which basically means once your kids scoot off, they’re gone, only to be seen again when in need of snacks and fizzy drinks, or the place closes! There’s an amazing variety of halls offering different styles and abilities of scooter riders, skateboarders and BMX riders to show their skills and learn from each other.
OK, my skateboarding days at are distant nostalgic blur, but as an you wander around – trying not to look too old and uncool (I failed at this bit…) it’s impossible not to be wowed by the skills on display, from backflipping BMXers to beginners attempting their first drop-in and everything in between. The stunts into the foam pits are always worth watching…
World champions are sharing air and ramps with newbies, and the best bit is the support that they show to each other, following unspoken rules about when it’s their turn, checking out they’re OK when the inevitable fall occurs and floor tap signs of appreciation when a new trick lands well.
“It’s fantastic that there are so many great riders who you can meet, as well as sections of all levels, from beginners upwards,” said my son’s friend Felix who joined us for the trip. “It was really good to visit for two days as, if I couldn’t land a trick on the first day, I had another chance on the second to get it right.”
For the newbies, there’s also coaching available, alongside special events, which during our stay included Halloween all nighters, as well as scooter camps and the upcoming BMX Freestyle National Championships.
For the oldies, there’s plenty of opportunities to embarrass your young ‘uns by cheering them on from the spectator areas, while the Drop-in Diner offers American diner style meals and snacks, as well as decent wi-fi which means that you can catch up with work or the latest Netflix must-watch.
Adrenaline Alley is a cracking venue, either as a one-off super treat or more regular visits. My youngest and his mates certainly love it – he disappears as soon as he gets there then generally crashes out pretty much the moment he leaves. Still, he’s always up for a return visit, which is certainly a good sign…
So book your trip up now. Seriously, the amount of parenting brownie points on offer for this trip are too good to turn down!