Tag: alpine coaster

Posted on by

Local school children to name Ireland’s first Alpine Coaster

Ireland’s leading outdoor adventure park, Colin Glen, is calling on local schools to name Ireland’s first alpine coaster and longest zipline ahead of launch.

As anticipation builds for the Summer ahead, Ireland’s leading outdoor adventure park, Colin Glen has launched a school’s competition to name its three newest attractions.

Ireland's first alpine coaster

The West Belfast community trust is calling on school children across the North to submit their ideas for naming Ireland’s first alpine coaster and Ireland’s longest zipline ahead of their official opening in May 2021 (subject to government restrictions). The prize? A free day of adventure at Colin Glen for their whole class!

The competition, #ColinAllCreatives, challenges primary school children (P4 to P7) to name the pioneering coaster with secondary school students (Years 8 to 10) set to tackle the park’s two new ziplines.

As Ireland’s first and only alpine coaster, this adrenaline-pumping woodland course will see visitors zooming through the dense woods of Colin Glen forest at 25 miles per hour, twisting and turning through tunnels and trees to experience the outdoors like never before!

The all new 235m and 700m ziplines at Colin Glen will also offer thrill-seekers the unique chance to skim the treetops as they soar above the Belfast skyline at speeds of up to 55mph.

Announcing the competition today, Colin Glen Chief Executive, Colin O’Neill says, 

We offer adventures for all, and we want our world-class attractions to be shared by everyone, right down to their names! That’s where our local schools come in, and we can’t wait to read everyone’s creative entries.

Think you’ve got a winning name for the all new Colin Glen attractions? To be in with a chance to win a day out for you and your classmates, ENTER NOW and follow the instructions to submit your #ColinAllCreatives entry. The competition closes on Tuesday 23rd March, with the winners announced week commencing 29th March on Colin Glen’s digital channels.

The project has been supported by Belfast City Council’s Belfast Investment Fund, DAERA Rural Tourism, DAERA TRPSI Rural Affairs and the Department for Communities. 

Competition Terms & Conditions

The #ColinAllCreatives competition is open to primary school children (P4 to P7) and secondary school children (Years 8 to 10). Entries can be submitted by individuals or by teachers on behalf of a class. Entrants must include the name and contact details of their school in order to verify entry.

The winner will visit Colin Glen with their entire class when attractions open again – Winners can visit Colin Glen as a class late 2021/early 2022, subject to COVID 19 restrictions.

The competition closes on Tuesday 23rd March, with the winners announced week commencing 29th March on Colin Glen’s digital channels.

ENTER COMPETITION NOW!!
Posted on by

Colin Glen prepares to launch world class attractions

Construction is continuing to progress and is nearing completion across the sites of our new attractions with a number of exciting developments happening this week.

Toboggan track: The toboggan track has now been completely installed and we are now awaiting the return of the Austrian contractor In the next few weeks to complete the testing and commissioning in preparation for its launch.

Top Station: The building has now arrived, in the last few weeks contractors have been busy with internal fit out. Just this week the building has been connected to main electricity. Once the Top Station is operational it will only be a matter of weeks before the first Colin Glen Coaster passengers will be hurtling down through the Forest Park.

Car park/ Path network: The First layers of tarmac have been laid for the approach road to the site, the final layer will be laid once all heavy machinery are taken off site. The Car park will be constructed of thousands of special environmentally friendly ‘Grasscrete’ tiles which will be laid in the next few weeks. Work will begin on the new connecting paths to help customers navigate the entire site.
In the new year we will finish upgrading the current path network and providing connectivity to the Top Station in preparation for the arrival of our Land Train solution.
We hope to secure a Land train, which will be a great addition to help transport people around the Top Station site.

Zip line: The zip line planning application was approved in November. It came with a long list of planning conditions which we glad to announce we have satisfied. The final ground surveys have been completed this week. The steel has been procured for the takeoff and landing towers and will be shipped in sections into Northern Ireland to coincide with work starting next month.

The Dome: The Dome covered pitch is now complete and open for bookings. Customers can book a Full size pitch or 2 smaller 7 a side pitches. There is a huge net to separate both pitches but the configuration of the Dome means that we can host a wide variety of sports disciplines, bookings have been received from a wide variety of sports clubs and societies including from Football, Gaelic Games, Rugby and Cricket. We have also hosted a Music video for a local band, held Irish Dancing events. The demand and opportunities for this unique space are endless. During lockdown it has been used by elite athletes allowing them to continue their training in a safe environment.

Cycle Track: Work on the cycle track was suspended during the construction of the toboggan and top station. Parts of the track have been removed to accommodate the toboggan track but will be reinstated. Works are due to to be completed by March 2020.

Colin Glen hopes to launch all attractions from Spring 2020 and will continually update on construction progress over the forthcoming weeks.

To keep track of our developments and to support our organisation, please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

These projects are being funded by Belfast City Council, Department for Communities (DFC) and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, ( DEARA) through the Rural Tourism Programme.