It was a high wire 20ft above ground that perfectly illustrated the real character difference between our two sons. One thinks before he does, while the other does before he thinks. The result was that one of the boys skipped across the trapeze-like obstacle course above our heads while the other took deep breaths and furrowed his brow before tackling each individual challenge.
The venue was Wildlands, the activity park on the edge of Moycullen, Co Galway which is poised to expand its offering to 29 luxury self-catering cabins. It boasts a plethora of activities, from Ireland’s only ninja course to one of the longest ziplines in the country.
Our family of five visited earlier this summer and were blessed with great weather for our Friday to Sunday break, so we took full advantage by focusing mainly on the outdoor activities available for our three little ones, aged three, seven and nine.
All three loved the Nets Adventure, an enclosed bouncing net structure that had multiple tiers with slides, tunnels, swings and nooks to play in (€16/hour). As only kids can do, the boys made instant friends to play dodgeball and army games with.
Our three-year-old Clodagh was cautious at first but the separate area for kids under four (€7.50/hour) was ideal for her to play with my husband Richie, while still being within shouting distance of her rowdier brothers.
The net adventure will keep the kids entertained at the purpose-built adventure centre near Moycullen, Co Galway.
Outdoor activities
Wildlands offers a full schedule of activities from Friday to Sunday, on bank holidays and during school holidays and so we had lots to choose from.
The Zip ’n’ Trek Junior (from €22.50/80 minutes), where the boys diverged in their approach to high wire action, is open to children over 3ft 3’’ and aged over five years. Equipped with safety harnesses, they walked across telegraph poles, tackled rope nets and wobbled their way across moving rope bridges for well over an hour at a time.
Each loop of the course, which they completed at a faster rate every time, culminated in a 100m zipline descent into a forgiving pile of woodchip. Then it was back to the start again.
Happily for parents, the Zip ’n’ Trek Junior is located right beside the Olive Tree Kitchen, which has plenty of seating outside to enjoy a coffee and make encouraging noises towards your energetic offspring.
Clodagh was too vertically challenged for the Zip ’n’ Trek, so she and I ventured into the Baile Beag, a play area for kids aged three to eight (from €13/hour). This is an indoor village consisting of a miniature shop, café, hair and beauty salon, theatre, post office Garda station, fire station, hospital and garage.
Each destination in the village is packed full of props and the kids can wander through, dressing up as mechanics, doctors, chefs and much more. Our fellow villagers all looked under five, which made it a more serene venue than the more adrenaline-fuelled outdoor areas.
There are plenty of activities for anyone with an adventurous spirit in this new purpose-built adventure centre.
Trip highlight
Wildlands proved that while you can take the boys out of the country, you can’t take the country out of the boys. Just like at home, our kids spent several hours each day running through the woods, building farms in the sand of the playground and excavating quarries using the token-fed mini-diggers.
With this in mind, we signed them up for Bushcraft (from €18/90 minutes) where they were taught how to gather materials in the wood to build a shelter and how to build and light their own campfire. This was one of their favourite parts of the weekend, and all the more so because of their instructor Oisín, whose enthusiasm was infectious.
The staff in general were the real highlight of our trip – unfailingly helpful and friendly to both adults and kids throughout the weekend.
Canoeing at Wildlands, a purpose-built adventure centre near Moycullen, Co Galway.
With Moycullen in a Gaeltacht area, many of them were teenagers with Irish names and genuine attitudes that epitomised the céad mile fáilte Ireland is famous for.
Our last day brought the only rain shower of the weekend, so we signed up for the Celtic Challenge rooms (from €27/90 minutes).
There are 24 rooms to complete in 90 minutes and the challenges are a mix of physical, mental and skills-based tests, all based on Irish myths and legends.
Suffice to say we scored highest on the ‘brawn’ challenges like pucking a sliotar down Cú Chulainn’s throat.
However, we left rooms mystified when we utterly failed to solve some puzzles. We were reassured that our score was above average, but I’m sure they say that to everyone!
Richie Morrissey pictured with his children; Thomas, Tadhg and Clodagh.
About Woodlands
Food and activities: We ate lunch and evening dinner in the Olive Tree Kitchen, where the food was top class and came with plenty of choice for both kids and adults. It is listed in Lucinda O’Sullivan’s Great Places to Eat 2022-2025. The warm weather made the outdoor terrace feel like we were in a Mediterranean destination and the restaurant’s close proximity to the sand playground meant the kids could go and play within sight as soon as they finished their meals.
Our stay at Wildlands was very enjoyable, but our advice to parents is be prepared to be pestered. There is a huge range of activities on offer and most come with a charge per hour or per 90 minutes so the bill for lots of activities could add up quickly.
Caitríona Morrissey pictured with her children; Thomas, Tadhg and Clodagh.
Activities must be booked with Wildlands at least seven days in advance and they fill up quickly so we could not try out some of the indoor offerings like the wall climbing. However, all cabin guests have complimentary access to the playground, digital orienteering, disc golf, fairy trails and walks.
Luxury cabin accommodation: We stayed in a large studio cabin on site, which featured a split-level layout with the kitchen/living room with sofa bed at ground floor and the king bed on the higher level. There was also a twin room, and a family bathroom.
The cabin was beautifully decorated and had two separate outdoor balcony areas with seating, as well as free WIFI.
The kitchen was well kitted out with appliances and utensils to cook a meal, including microwave, dishwasher, toaster, SMEG fridge freezer, oven and hob. In the evening, the electric stove made the place extra cosy.
Moycullen has a range of shops and supermarkets to stock up within a two-minute drive or a five to ten minute walk. There are also plenty of takeaway options in the village, or you can order from the Olive Tree Kitchen.
The cabin site is a compact car-free zone but parking is nearby. Our kids loved the free book library, to which they could safely run to and fro from our cabin.
Caitríona and her family were guests at Wildlands. See wildlands.com.
It was a high wire 20ft above ground that perfectly illustrated the real character difference between our two sons. One thinks before he does, while the other does before he thinks. The result was that one of the boys skipped across the trapeze-like obstacle course above our heads while the other took deep breaths and furrowed his brow before tackling each individual challenge.
The venue was Wildlands, the activity park on the edge of Moycullen, Co Galway which is poised to expand its offering to 29 luxury self-catering cabins. It boasts a plethora of activities, from Ireland’s only ninja course to one of the longest ziplines in the country.
Our family of five visited earlier this summer and were blessed with great weather for our Friday to Sunday break, so we took full advantage by focusing mainly on the outdoor activities available for our three little ones, aged three, seven and nine.
All three loved the Nets Adventure, an enclosed bouncing net structure that had multiple tiers with slides, tunnels, swings and nooks to play in (€16/hour). As only kids can do, the boys made instant friends to play dodgeball and army games with.
Our three-year-old Clodagh was cautious at first but the separate area for kids under four (€7.50/hour) was ideal for her to play with my husband Richie, while still being within shouting distance of her rowdier brothers.
The net adventure will keep the kids entertained at the purpose-built adventure centre near Moycullen, Co Galway.
Outdoor activities
Wildlands offers a full schedule of activities from Friday to Sunday, on bank holidays and during school holidays and so we had lots to choose from.
The Zip ’n’ Trek Junior (from €22.50/80 minutes), where the boys diverged in their approach to high wire action, is open to children over 3ft 3’’ and aged over five years. Equipped with safety harnesses, they walked across telegraph poles, tackled rope nets and wobbled their way across moving rope bridges for well over an hour at a time.
Each loop of the course, which they completed at a faster rate every time, culminated in a 100m zipline descent into a forgiving pile of woodchip. Then it was back to the start again.
Happily for parents, the Zip ’n’ Trek Junior is located right beside the Olive Tree Kitchen, which has plenty of seating outside to enjoy a coffee and make encouraging noises towards your energetic offspring.
Clodagh was too vertically challenged for the Zip ’n’ Trek, so she and I ventured into the Baile Beag, a play area for kids aged three to eight (from €13/hour). This is an indoor village consisting of a miniature shop, café, hair and beauty salon, theatre, post office Garda station, fire station, hospital and garage.
Each destination in the village is packed full of props and the kids can wander through, dressing up as mechanics, doctors, chefs and much more. Our fellow villagers all looked under five, which made it a more serene venue than the more adrenaline-fuelled outdoor areas.
There are plenty of activities for anyone with an adventurous spirit in this new purpose-built adventure centre.
Trip highlight
Wildlands proved that while you can take the boys out of the country, you can’t take the country out of the boys. Just like at home, our kids spent several hours each day running through the woods, building farms in the sand of the playground and excavating quarries using the token-fed mini-diggers.
With this in mind, we signed them up for Bushcraft (from €18/90 minutes) where they were taught how to gather materials in the wood to build a shelter and how to build and light their own campfire. This was one of their favourite parts of the weekend, and all the more so because of their instructor Oisín, whose enthusiasm was infectious.
The staff in general were the real highlight of our trip – unfailingly helpful and friendly to both adults and kids throughout the weekend.
Canoeing at Wildlands, a purpose-built adventure centre near Moycullen, Co Galway.
With Moycullen in a Gaeltacht area, many of them were teenagers with Irish names and genuine attitudes that epitomised the céad mile fáilte Ireland is famous for.
Our last day brought the only rain shower of the weekend, so we signed up for the Celtic Challenge rooms (from €27/90 minutes).
There are 24 rooms to complete in 90 minutes and the challenges are a mix of physical, mental and skills-based tests, all based on Irish myths and legends.
Suffice to say we scored highest on the ‘brawn’ challenges like pucking a sliotar down Cú Chulainn’s throat.
However, we left rooms mystified when we utterly failed to solve some puzzles. We were reassured that our score was above average, but I’m sure they say that to everyone!
Richie Morrissey pictured with his children; Thomas, Tadhg and Clodagh.
About Woodlands
Food and activities: We ate lunch and evening dinner in the Olive Tree Kitchen, where the food was top class and came with plenty of choice for both kids and adults. It is listed in Lucinda O’Sullivan’s Great Places to Eat 2022-2025. The warm weather made the outdoor terrace feel like we were in a Mediterranean destination and the restaurant’s close proximity to the sand playground meant the kids could go and play within sight as soon as they finished their meals.
Our stay at Wildlands was very enjoyable, but our advice to parents is be prepared to be pestered. There is a huge range of activities on offer and most come with a charge per hour or per 90 minutes so the bill for lots of activities could add up quickly.
Caitríona Morrissey pictured with her children; Thomas, Tadhg and Clodagh.
Activities must be booked with Wildlands at least seven days in advance and they fill up quickly so we could not try out some of the indoor offerings like the wall climbing. However, all cabin guests have complimentary access to the playground, digital orienteering, disc golf, fairy trails and walks.
Luxury cabin accommodation: We stayed in a large studio cabin on site, which featured a split-level layout with the kitchen/living room with sofa bed at ground floor and the king bed on the higher level. There was also a twin room, and a family bathroom.
The cabin was beautifully decorated and had two separate outdoor balcony areas with seating, as well as free WIFI.
The kitchen was well kitted out with appliances and utensils to cook a meal, including microwave, dishwasher, toaster, SMEG fridge freezer, oven and hob. In the evening, the electric stove made the place extra cosy.
Moycullen has a range of shops and supermarkets to stock up within a two-minute drive or a five to ten minute walk. There are also plenty of takeaway options in the village, or you can order from the Olive Tree Kitchen.
The cabin site is a compact car-free zone but parking is nearby. Our kids loved the free book library, to which they could safely run to and fro from our cabin.
Caitríona and her family were guests at Wildlands. See wildlands.com.
SHARING OPTIONS