{"id":1008738,"date":"2026-06-06T07:52:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T07:52:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1008738\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T07:52:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T07:52:23","slug":"i-threw-myself-down-the-uks-longest-tube-at-heaton-park-this-is-what-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1008738\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I threw myself down the UK’s longest tube at Heaton Park – this is what you need to know’"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Prestwich park is abuzz with excitement now the UK’s longest tubing slide is in the woods. We headed down to give it a try.<\/p>\n

We tested out the new Tube Ride at Zip World in Heaton Park (Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

When I was told I would be heading to Zip World at Heaton Park<\/a> to try the UK\u2019s longest outdoor tubing slide, I wasn\u2019t entirely sure what to expect. I certainly wasn\u2019t thinking that I\u2019d enjoy it quite as much as I did.<\/p>\n

From the moment I arrived, there was a buzz around the place. Families, groups of friends and younger children were already queuing up.<\/p>\n

I also saw a number of people turn up without a booking hoping to get a space, but several were told the sessions had already sold out. That was the first thing that stood out, how busy it already was a couple of days after opening – and since then slots have all sold out over the May half term holidays<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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I headed along to give it a try and to see exactly how it all works. Before getting anywhere near the slide itself, you\u2019re taken through a safety process.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

Riders are weighed, asked to sign waivers and given instructions from staff, including tying long hair back and removing jewellery. Anything that can\u2019t be removed has to be taped for safety.<\/p>\n

Anyone under 18 had to be accompanied by an adult, but it very much felt like an attraction built for all ages, not just thrill-seekers. After collecting an inflatable ring, you walk up towards the launch platform where staff explain how to sit, how to hold on and what\u2019s about to happen.<\/p>\n

Even though it\u2019s clearly designed to be family-friendly, there\u2019s still a bit of nerves because you don\u2019t really know how fast it\u2019s going to be or what the ride will feel like. I sat down in the ring, crossed my legs as instructed and was told to keep facing forwards.<\/p>\n

Then, almost before I had time to properly think about it, I was pushed off. The first few seconds were surprisingly quick.<\/p>\n

The ring picked up speed fast, twisting around, bouncing off the sides and spinning as it went. Halfway down, jets of water sprayed across the slide, something I wasn\u2019t expecting, but on a warm afternoon it made the experience even better.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The water jets were brilliant(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

As it went on, any nerves just disappeared. It wasn\u2019t scary, just fast, fun and a bit chaotic in a great way.<\/p>\n

Before I knew it, I was at the bottom. You pick your ring up and head straight onto a travel escalator that takes you back up to the top and that\u2019s where the atmosphere really hits you again.<\/p>\n

Going back up, you can see everyone\u2019s reactions properly, kids laughing, shouting over each other trying to explain what just happened, adults smiling and shaking their heads like they didn\u2019t expect it to be that good.<\/p>\n

There was a real sense that nobody wanted it to stop, with people trying to squeeze in as many rides as possible within their session, which are for an hour.<\/p>\n

Thomas Kenny, area manager for Zip World North West, said the team test the slide every day and described it as something he personally enjoys, adding it is \u201creally fast and different\u201d and riders can reach speeds of up to 30mph.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It’s really fast!(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

He explained that the slide took around six weeks to build and that around 25 people are allowed in each session at any one time.<\/p>\n

He said that despite only opening recently, it has already been extremely popular, with sessions fully booked on multiple days since launch and strong demand continuing through the holiday period.<\/p>\n

Children were talking excitedly to each other as they came back up, while adults were just as animated, surprised at how much they enjoyed it.<\/p>\n

As the session came to an end, you could see the next group already waiting, all smiling, watching the slides and clearly excited for their turn.<\/p>\n

How much it costs<\/p>\n

The slide opened on Friday, May 22 at Zip World Heaton Park and has quickly become one of the most popular new attractions in the area. Tickets start from \u00a320 per person, with early bird deals available for advance bookings.<\/p>\n

Children aged four and above can take part, but must be accompanied by an adult. The attraction also sits alongside other activities at Zip World Heaton Park, including treetop nets and rope courses, making it a full day out rather than just a single attraction.<\/p>\n

By the end of it, I realised just how much I actually enjoyed the experience. What I expected to be a quick try-out ended up being something I would happily do again and it really struck me how simple but effective it is as an activity.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a great way to spend your free time, especially in good weather<\/a>. Whether you go as a family, with friends, or even on your own, you\u2019re almost certainly going to enjoy it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Prestwich park is abuzz with excitement now the UK’s longest tubing slide is in the woods. We…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1008739,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[8813],"tags":[748,12232,393,4884,22283,2465,485,3044,1290,16,15],"class_list":["post-1008738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-manchester","tag-britain","tag-days-out","tag-england","tag-great-britain","tag-heaton-park","tag-manchester","tag-manchester-family","tag-prestwich","tag-salford","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116702083101595969","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1008738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1008738"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1008738\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1008739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1008738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1008738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1008738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}