We were guests of Wild shore Delamere for this experience, all opinions are our own.
Wild Shore Delamere is a water based adventure center. There are a variety of activities on offer including an inflatable Aqua Park, Aqua Chimp, Wakeboarding, Paddleboarding and open water swimming.
We were booked to go on the Aqua Park. Unfortunately one adult in our party had injured their knee so they were allowed to swap to the Paddleboarding when we got there.
We filled in disclaimers online before we went so check in was easy, we just gave our name at reception and were then directed to collect our wetsuits.
Full body wetsuits are provided for everyone. There are changing rooms and lockers. The lockers are free but you need a padlock. If you don’t take one with you then you can buy them at reception.
Having had a recent experience at another water park where I accidently managed to put my wetsuit on wrong twice, I was really happy to see that there were step by step instructions with pictures describing how to put your wetsuit on, in every changing room.
Once we were changed into our wetsuits, we collected our life vests and headed over to the meeting area for our activities. For the Paddleboards this meant collecting a paddle and going straight to the Paddleboard launch area. For the Aqua Park this meant attending a safety brief near to the Aqua Park.
The adult doing the Paddleboarding loved his experience. They are stand up Paddleboards so flat boards that you can stand on, or you are able to sit on them and use your paddle to explore a large section of the lake.
Once our safety brief finished, we were allowed to swim out to the Aqua Park. This was made up of three inflatable sections which you could swim between as you pleased. This meant that although there were quite a few participants, it never felt crowded.
The first section was a series of obstacles you could climb over or under and two slides, one smaller and one large slide. We were allowed to jump off any part of the inflatable too. The slides on this section were pretty fun and I liked the fact there was a smaller one so we could try that first before moving on to the larger slide.
The middle section of the Aqua Park was a big platform with various ways of climbing up to the top and a big slide into the water. We were allowed to jump from any part of this but the teens loved the slide more.
The last section of the Aqua Park was what set this park out from others we have visited. It was a launch pillow. Me and my son had a go at this activity. The first time I wasn’t sure what to expect as I was nominated to be launched into the water. The lifeguard instructed me on how to get down onto the pillow and move to the end and how to sit ready. He then told my son how to jump onto the other end. When my son landed I was launched into the air and, much to the amusement of everyone watching, landed head first and backwards into the water! I was then given the opportunity to get my revenge and send my son flying into the water. This was great fun and a brilliant addition to the Aqua Park.
We were on the Aqua Park for an hour which was a perfect amount of time.
The other activities at Wild Shore Delamere looked great fun too. Whilst we were on the Aqua Park, we could see people on tubes being dragged up and down by a pulley next to us. A little further up the lake was the Aqua Chimp. This was like a high ropes course with no harnesses so people were falling into the water.
There was also Wakeboarding where participants held onto a pulley and were dragged around the lake and over jumps.
Between the Wakeboarding and Paddleboarding was a wild swimming area.
There are so many activities at Wild Shore Delamere. We really enjoyed the ones we tried and would love to go back and have a go at the Aqua Chimp and Tubing. There were toilets and a small cafe as well as seating areas. You could easily spend a whole day at the center trying all the activities.
Wild Shore Delamere is located in rural Cheshire, 12 miles east of Chester. It is advisable to book your activities online in advance as participant numbers are limited.
Taking an autistic child to Wild Shore Delamere?
The whole center is fairly relaxed and spacious. There was no background music and no queue when we checked in at reception.
There were step by step instructions on every changing room wall, explaining how to put on the wetsuits.
Disabled parking is available but not signposted from the entrance. Blue badge holders should turn left at the entrance instead of driving into the car park and then follow the road round to the top.
There is a need to attend a safety brief before being allowed on the Aqua Park. This is short but there are some safety rules that need to be followed.
The lifeguards blow a whistle to indicate when your time is up. They will blow this more if there is an incident and they need everyone to sit down while they deal with it.
The Tubing is next to the Aqua Park so there is a mechanical pulley running up and down the lake and sometimes people on the tubes screaming.
The whole center is large. The water is easily accessible. It would be advisable to take part in activities with your child so you can help them and to supervise closely if they are likely to wander.
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