Closed-down attraction to reopen as £21million resort with beaches, holiday lodges and indoor sports zone
AN attraction that was forced to close last year has revealed plans for its £21million reopening.
Surf Snowdonia, which opened in in Wales in 2015, was forced to close last summer.
And the world’s first inland surfing park could be set to reopen as a slightly different attraction.
The multi-million plans include making the surfing lagoon smaller, by turning it into an inland beach.
The existing wave pontoon will be removed, with two separate surfing zones instead.
Around the lagoon and beach will be 21 holiday lodges, adding to the current lodges as part of Adventure Parc Snowdonia.
The planning statement says: “Part of the existing surfing lagoon would be filled to create a new plateau to accommodate a new lodge development, together with a shore-side/beach area for visitors to enjoy.
“The redesign of the surfing lagoon will significantly reduce the lagoon’s footprint.”
And the Adrenaline Indoors venue will be turned into an new leisure attraction called Snow Tunnel, along year-round skiing and snowboarding.
A surf academy and bike pump track would remain at the site as well.
The application continued: “A major feature of the redevelopment is the introduction of the Snow Tunnel, a revolutionary indoor skiing and snowboarding facility.
“This state-of-the-art attraction provides a year-round opportunity for visitors to experience alpine sports in a controlled environment, regardless of weather conditions.”
The on-site Hilton Garden Inn hotel has remained open, as well as the indoor activity zone which was taken over by Zip World.
Surf Snowdonia opened in 2015 after £4million of funding from the Welsh government.
It hosted a number of events including Red Bull Unleased in 2015, the first stadium surf contest in the world.
And in 2016, the first Pro UK Surf Challenge was launched.
What was it like to visit Surf Snowdonia?
The Sun’s Head of Travel Lisa Minot visited back in 2022.
As I steadied myself on my surf- board, Ross, my instructor, floating about five feet to my right in a bright red wetsuit, shouted out: “Remember, when it hits your feet, I want you to give it four more mega-paddles.”
Seconds later, the thunderous wave was upon me and, like an aquatic rocket, propelled me forward with a mighty force.
The water roared, engulfing me as I battled to ride the torrent.
This wasn’t the mighty surf of Hawaii or Bondi or even Cornwall, but instead the world’s first inland artificial lagoon on the outskirts of Snowdonia.
Guests in this Welsh wonderland were treated to premium comfort — slick modern rooms and 31 chic glamping pods which sleep up to four people, are ideal for those who want to feel close to nature without losing the mod cons.
There was also the Zephyr Bar & Grill on site that serves up hearty comfort food such as Welsh-reared sirloin steaks and surfers’ burgers served with fries.
But the attraction was forced to close last year because of ongoing issues with the wave machines, resulting in huge losses.
The company’s commercial director James Wood said at the time that they were “extremely disheartened” to have to close.
They added: “Despite the success that we’ve enjoyed since our launch in 2015, the ground-breaking innovation our wave machine represented and the fun and adventure enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world – recent issues have been financially draining through downtime, repairs, and lost business.”
In the mean time, another surfing attraction is set to open in Kent.
The Wave in Bristol opened in 2019.
And Lost Shore Surf Resort in Ratho, near Edinburgh, opened earlier this year and is Europe‘s largest inland surfing lagoon.