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Adventure Parc Snowdonia, formerly called Surf Snowdonia, has announced that it will close to the public. Though it was the first facility of its kind, the park was plagued with mechanical issues that proved insurmountable. “It’s with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of our Parc on Monday the 4th September,” read a post to Snowdonia’s Instagram page “To all who’ve been part of this journey, we’re truly sorry. This shall be the last weekend of Adventure.”
The park first opened as Surf Snowdonia in 2015 with £4m of Welsh government funding. Located on the site of a former aluminum factory in Dolgarrog, the facility was the first wavegarden artificial wave lagoon open to the general public. However, the park faced repeated mechanical issues with the wave generating machinery that led to multiple closures. Then, in 2021, the park rebranded to ‘Adventure Parc Snowdonia’ and expanded to include a number of additional outdoor and indoor activities, as well as a 106-bedroom Hilton Garden Inn.
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However, issues with the machinery continued. According to Snowdonia’s announcement, “the machine has cost us a fortune in downtime, repairs and loss of business. More importantly it has cost us a loss of reputation with our employees, people we’ve worked closely with since the start of this journey in 2015.”
For customers who are affected by the closure, Snowdonia is offering refunds or vouchers for use at the Hilton Garden Inn Snowdonia and Wave Garden Spa, which remain open.
Update 9/6/23:
In response to questions regarding mechanical issues with the machinery at Adventure Parc Snowdonia, Wavegarden released the following statement:
“The surprising news regarding the closure of the surf lagoon at Surf Snowdonia in North Wales has been in the media recently, prompting questions about the reasons behind this decision. This facility, which first opened its doors in 2015, used Wavegarden´s 1st generation wavefoil technology which has since been superseded by a new electromechanical system, the Wavegarden Cove. As is customary with any machinery, regular inspections and maintenance are crucial. Despite our offer to provide essential ongoing machinery preventative maintenance services, a practice that is now standard across all our global facilities, the operators of Surf Snowdonia opted to carry out this work independently.”
“Since 2019, all our subsequent projects use our Wavegarden Cove technology, water treatment system and comprehensive preventive maintenance service. This strategic shift has yielded the desired results for these facilities, with machine availability consistently exceeding 99%. This remarkable performance extends to locations operating 18 hours a day during the peak season.”
“In light of this development, we would like to thank all the surfers who visited the inaugural Wavegarden surfing lagoon. Surf Snowdonia became a highly frequented spot for both UK surf enthusiasts and tourists, where countless memorable waves were ridden, and the warm and welcoming hospitality of the Welsh people was experienced by all.”
