Of all the family days out around Cheshire, Wild Shore Delamere is our absolute family favourite. It is the perfect blend of adventure, adrenaline and fun.
There is a wide range of activities to do, so you can happily spend an entire day here, and there is plenty to keep different ages engaged. Younger children will have a great time on the Aqua Park and Ringo, whereas older kids will love the wakeboarding and Aqua Chimp. There are even more sedate activities like wild swimming and paddleboarding available!
We have been a number of times, and the staff here always feel welcoming and friendly. From picking up the wetsuits and safety gear to the guidance of the patient instructors, you get the sense that the team really enjoy working there.
If you want a family day out to make some waves and some memories, this is the place for you.
The Most Important Question: Kids, did you enjoy it?
Georgia: YES!
Eva: YES!
What was your favourite bit:
Georgia: All of the slides in the Aqua Park (but not the humungous one).
Eva: The Ringo because it was fast and fun.
Kirsty: Learning to stand up on a wakeboard.
Adrian: The big jump at the Aqua Park.
Getting To Wild Shore Delamere
Wild Shore Delamere is easy to get to; it is just off the A556, about halfway between Chester and Northwich, and about a 20-minute drive off the M6.
When you arrive, there is a large, if somewhat rough, free car park and it is just a short walk over a small hill to the park reception. The path over is wide and easily navigable with a pram.
Greenbank is the nearest train station with a bus link if you are coming by public transport. From here, you can catch the 82 bus (£2), which will take you to Fourways Quarry, a short walk away.
What to Bring and Getting Ready
If you don’t own a wetsuit, don’t worry! Happily, the hire cost of any equipment you need is included in the activity cost, so there is nothing extra to pay.
When you arrive, the friendly and knowledgeable team will get you kitted out with the right size equipment, such as a life jacket and helmet if needed. Then, the fun of wiggling into a wetsuit begins! There is no graceful way to do this, so be prepared!
Apart from a change of clothes and your swimmers, we would also bring a pair of water shoes (we use these) to get you to the water and a warm towel, as it can get chilly when you get out. You can always get a dry robe if you want to show off!
The only word of warning is that the lockers are not coin-operated and require a thin padlock to use. You can buy them for £5 from the reception or get something from Amazon for much cheaper. Also, most of the lockers are pretty small, and you will need at least two for a family of four if no larger lockers are available.
For food, a small cafe called “Wildshack” offers a range of drinks and light bites. Although the food is good, it can be jam-packed, and the service is not quick, so we recommend bringing a picnic. Maybe just get an ice cream from there if you can face the queue!
Parties at Wild Shore Delamere
Wild Shore is great for parties, and we have seen groups of children celebrating birthdays and even hen and stag parties on our visits.
To help the party, you can hire a large, covered party shelter which can seat up to 18 for £15 and is booked directly through Wild Shore.
Another option is the Wild Hut, a heated, lockable hut with a large table and bench seating that can seat up to 12 kids. It also has bean bags and an Alexa to get the party started! The Wild Hut is a separate business from the park, and you can book by emailing wildshackdelamere@icloud.com.
The Activities at Wild Shore Delamere
Now to the exciting bit! There is so much to do at Wild Shore there is something for just about everyone.
Aqua Park
A family favourite! The Aqua Park is a giant inflatable assault course that costs £21 for 50 mins, and it is great fun. A group of us went and had a brilliant time slipping, sliding, jumping and throwing each other off the inflatables! It felt like we laughed the entire time we were on there, and the time went so quickly.
The Aqua Park is the one to do when planning a group party.
The most daring thing is the jump from the tall inflatable into the lake. It is only a few meters, but it feels much taller when you are up there.
There is a 25m open water swim from the shore to the inflatables. The girls managed it with no problems, but if you have anyone who is a nervous swimmer, this is worth remembering.
Ringo
We tried this the first time we went, as the girls were a bit too young to try the wakeboarding, and they loved it! The Ringo is a giant inflatable ring that is dragged over the lake by a winch and can go surprisingly fast. We got a great video of the girls giggling their heads off as they zoomed around.
As they get used to the speed, the instructor encourages you to try and go hands-free or even kneel up! Be warned: hitting the water at speed can knock the air out of you!
The Ringo costs £25 for a 15 min session for up to 9 people and is excellent as an add-on for other activities.
Wakeboarding
Wakeboarding at Wild Shore is a great way to try this sport or hone your skills. There are two cables; one is great to get to grips with the basics. The other is more advanced and has jumps you can tackle. A 15-minute lesson is £18, or it is £30 for 30 mins.
With the easier cable, you are powered over the lake by the same winch as the Ringo. This means the instructor can control your speed to make it easier to master getting on your feet whilst giving you pointers.
It is a fantastic feeling when you finally get it right and zoom over the lake!
You can move to the more complex cable when you get more confident. You can try jumps and other obstacles if you want to show off!
Our good friend did an intensive course (10 lessons for £140), and by the end, she was skipping up and down the lake on the advanced cable!
Our only comment would be as there is no wake from a boat, it is not quite the same as the real thing, but it is an excellent place to start and master the basics.
Wakeboarding is surprisingly physically taxing, so be careful not to overdo it on your first try!
Aqua Chimp
The Aqua Chimp is a more grown-up version of the Aqua Park and is packed full of rope swings, ladders, scrambles and much more. It really is “Go Ape” on the water. No safety harness is required, so get ready to get wet if you fall!
It is more of a physical challenge than the Aqua Park and is available for ages 8+ with a minimum height of 1.2m. It is more suitable for teenagers and above rather than young children and would be perfect for a birthday party.
As with the Aqua Park, there is a short, open water swim to the start point and it costs £21 per person for a 50-minute session.
If you are looking for some more ideas for a great family day out, check out our articles Wild Wonder: A Fun-Filled Family Visit to Chester Zoo and A Weekend in the Yorkshire Dales: A Family Guide to Bolton Abbey and Beyond.
If you are looking for some more ideas for a great family day out, check out our articles
Wild Wonder: A Fun-Filled Family Visit to Chester Zoo
and
A Weekend in the Yorkshire Dales: A Family Guide to Bolton Abbey and Beyond.
Paddleboarding
Paddleboarding is an excellent option if you are looking for something more sedate. Priced at £31 for a 1.5-hour session, it is ideal for beginners looking to try it out. As the lake is so well sheltered, it makes for smooth water, so it is perfect to get to grips with the basics.
If you already have the equipment and know what you are doing, you can book a self-launch for just £11 for two hours.
All in all, Wild Shore Delamere is a great day out for all the family. There is something available for all thrill appetites.
It is not a cheap day out, but there is plenty of space to watch, eat and relax before and after your activities. It feels like good value for money, especially as you don’t get charged extra for the equipment or parking.
Our little adrenaline-seeking water babies absolutely love it here and are always asking to go back! Now they are a bit older, they are keen to have a go at wakeboarding and paddleboarding, so that is where we will be heading to on our next visit!
