Visit Derry: Oakfire Adventures -

We had so many exciting plans for our week in Northern Ireland and having made a brief visit to the Derry Visitor Information Centre to get our bearings, we were straight into a cab and took the short ride to Oakfire Aventures based in the most beautiful woodlands and offering a range of outdoor activities from zip trekking to paint balling. And as you can imagine, the kids, and us grown ups, couldn’t wait to get stuck in!

Oakfire Adventures is a family run business with the land centring around the old family home The Oaks. Built between 1785 and 1790 it has been home to many families over the years and now the current owners have huge plans for the site to not only expand on Oakfire Adventures, but to work together with the Woodland Trust to cater for and provide facilities for the growing number of trails and woodland walks nearby. The idea is that in the coming years it will be a recreational destination of epic proportions allowing anyone and everyone access to the countryside. I can’t wait to return to see that!

For now, Oakfire Adventures is the perfect place or adrenalin junkies to embrace the outdoors, challenge themselves and most of all – have some fun! Our children are fearless when it comes to heights, unlike me, and so we booked on to try the Zip Trekking Experience and the Tree Trek Adventure. First we were fitted with our safety harnesses, signed our waivers, checked the children were tall enough for both activities and then taken over to watch a short safety video as a group.

Before you’re allowed to hit the zip lines or the tree tops everyone must complete the safety circuit where a member of staff demonstrates how to attach yourself to the course and runs through all aspects of safety. Oakfire Adventures use a clip on clip off system so that you are always attached by at least one safety attachment at all times which means that for families like us with more children than adults, we can be certain that our kids are safe on the course even when they are in front or behind us.

The Zip Trekking Experience takes you across four epic zip lines, through 1.5km of pure adrenalin and was unlike any zip lining we have done before! The course spans the Faughan Valley across woodland, water and cliffs and each one completely takes you by surprise. It feels incredibly high up when you’re on the edge of the platform and whist the kids jumped off without a moments hesitation I’ll admit I checked my safety ropes at least fifty times before I made the leap!

The great thing about the course, and Oakfire Adventures as a whole, was the encouragement from the members of staff who were there every step of the way to advise, encourage and support us through the circuit. They were absolutely fantastic with the kids, cheering them on down the biggest zip lines and creating fun challenges along the way for some added excitement. Having done several of these activities before elsewhere it was such a refreshing change to receive such a personal experience from the staff.

Once we had completed the Zip Trekking Experience we made our way over to the Tree Trek Adventure where you’ll find 24 crossings finished off with one giant tarzan swing. Again once you’re on the course it’s the same system where you clip on and off and are attached at all times by at least one of the safety cables. This meant that Harry was able to speed on ahead whilst I clambered over each obstacle although he did take pity on me a couple of times to stand and shout words of encouragement!

Again, we have done several of these tree top course over the years from those with well known chains to smaller independent companies across the UK and Europe, but I can honestly say that the Oakfire Adventure Tree Trek Adventure was our favourite. Not only did it have some really unique and challenging crossings but it has been designed in a way to really maximise the natural landscape. Using these majestic 200 year old Oak trees they have been able to create inclines and declines unlike any we have seen before!

There are rope ladders and zip lines, climbing walls and ladders, things that move, wobble, shake and slide, and all of it is thoroughly terrifying in parts but just the most amount of fun! Even for someone like myself who hates heights, completing each crossing just leaves you feeling so exhilarated and all three of the children were on a real high every time we completed another circuit.

As much as each crossing was so exciting, we all agreed that our favourite part was the cliff face where you had to literally scale the side of a cliff at quite some height. We have never come across anything like this before and it added such a unique element of fun. Even now the children talk about the cliff face and it has really sparked an interest in them to try rock climbing and similar challenges going forward.

For those who live local Oakfire Adventures also host kids parties, group activities, school visits and corporate events. You can choose from any of the activities or build a custom package to really make a day of it.They can also add in optional extras such as catering, photo opportunities and team building activities too so it’s definitely worth getting in touch or enquiring via their website here.

We absolutely loved our day here at Oakfire Adventures and would recommend it to all adventure-seekers both young and old. By the time we left we were all completely exhausted but so proud of ourselves and that’s the best kind of feeling isn’t it? I have no doubt that the next time we visit Derry and I ask the children what they’d like to do, Oakfire Adventures will be right at the top of our list!