Colin Glen
Colin Glen
4.5
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Full view
About
Are you ready for adventure? Nestled in the heart of Belfast, lies Ireland’s best kept secret... Colin Glen is Ireland’s leading adventure park. Spread over two sites is a land of storytelling and a state of the art sports park with world class attractions. From Alpine coasteering to laser tag, golfing to the Gruffalo Trail, Colin Glen has adventure for everyone. Step into the spectacular 200-acre Forest Park at Stewartstown Road - just 5 minutes from Belfast City Centre. Here, you’ll find Ireland’s only official Gruffalo Trail, SKYTrek high-ropes, Ireland’s first Alpine Coaster and Ireland’s longest Zipline - so bring your comfy shoes and nerves of steel! Up for a challenge? Don your sports gear; be it football, GAA, rugby, and enjoy state of the art sports facilities at our Black’s Road entrance – home to Ireland’s first TopTracer Driving Range, 9-hole golf course, Belfast’s first state of the art indoor 3G Sports Dome, top class gym, outdoor pitches and more.
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
412 reviews
Excellent
321
Very good
39
Average
16
Poor
14
Terrible
22
NelsonMcC
Belfast4 contributions
Jul 2020
Can't recommend this enough. I have visited both the forest park and the leisure facilities many times.
With regards the forest park, It is hard to believe we have such an asset in Belfast. The kids love visiting it. The Gruffallo is only a small part. The forest and river are much larger. I recommend taking the time to walk to the top of the park where there is a small lake.
On the leisure facilities, the golf course is well maintained and great value for money, while the driving range is very impressive. The outdoor Dome and its 5G pitches are also fantastic.
Definitely recommend this to anyone.
With regards the forest park, It is hard to believe we have such an asset in Belfast. The kids love visiting it. The Gruffallo is only a small part. The forest and river are much larger. I recommend taking the time to walk to the top of the park where there is a small lake.
On the leisure facilities, the golf course is well maintained and great value for money, while the driving range is very impressive. The outdoor Dome and its 5G pitches are also fantastic.
Definitely recommend this to anyone.
Written July 27, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hilary Patterson
Ballymena, UK5 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
I booked the Gruffalo guided tour. There was only times at 11 and 2. We got snacks and drink at cafe while we waited for other families to arrive, which is located inside. Once they arrived we started off with the Gruffalo story, the lady done great impressions of the characters. We then got a map and the lady leaded us through the woods to find each character till we reached The Gruffalo. The kids were also given a task to collect leafs and sticks for the crafts at the end. We then crossed a bridge for the stickman bit. Then we made or way back and went into a room to do various arts and crafts. My son made a Gruffalo out of pinecone with clay and a stickman. My daughter coloured in a mask, made a Gruffalo pinecone and a stickman. This was a 2/3 hour experience, we stayed 2 hours. We would've stayed longer however where we live it is a 2 hours journey home by public transport. Would recommend it, if you don't drive there is a glider running every 10 minutes from Belfast to Glenoland and back which is outside Colin Glen Park.
Written July 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Hilary,
Thanks for the lovely feedback. We are glad you enjoyed your experience with Colin Glen and hope to see you back again soon.
Regards, Shannon, Customer Liaison Officer.
Written July 25, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
jim790
Derry, UK120 contributions
Aug 2021
Went to the zip lines that had only opened a month previous and it was a good couple of hours with the family, Staff was really friendly and professional and would try this again. They are adding more activities at this centre which will broaden the appeal and car park is only a stones throw away. Booking system they have in place is good as you can only go there within certain times which means it will not be over crowded at any one time.
Written September 12, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi jim790,
Thank you for your kind feedback and for the five stars. We are glad you enjoyed the zip line experience and hope to see you back at Colin Glen soon.
Regards,Shannon,Customer Liaison Officer
Written September 13, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
ADORIS
BELFAST UNITED KINGDOM55 contributions
Aug 2021 • Family
While the actual ride itself was enjoyable for kids & adults alike, the overall experience was disappointing.
For a start, we didn’t receive an email confirmation with the details of our booking. Then, upon arrival in the the car park, there was very little clear signage and no employees to direct us to where we had to go. In fact, the only sign for the Black Bill Run was very small and pointing in the opposite direction to where we had to go. We had to ask a group of fellow visitors for directions to the Black Bull Run.
Once there, we had to join a long queue. It took over half an hour for us to get our first ride. As such, we were standing in an exposed area on a mountain side on a cold evening waiting a long time with young children. We were waiting so long that one of the children ended up running & falling, getting a scrapped knee. After the first run on the ride, we had to get off and rejoin another queue. I can’t understand why you don’t get three runs without having to get off and re-queue each time. It’s tedious and takes away from the enjoyability of the ride. Queuing for the three runs took approximately one hour altogether. The ride itself takes a few minutes, so we spent a lot longer queuing than we did on the ride. Given that you book a time slot when you book the tickets, it’s very frustrating to have to wait in a queue for so long.
Another disappointing thing was the look of the area around the Black Bill Run. If it was nicely landscaped, it would make the overall experience a lot more pleasant and enjoyable. Instead, there’s no landscaping and it seems like very little thought or money has been put into the presentation of the site where the ride is. For example, there are two tunnels on the ride and they were basically just ugly corrugated iron. The areas where we queued and the area the ride goes through were both mucky and rocky, making them not particularly safe for children and not attractive to look at. This aspect needs a lot of work to improve the visitor experience.
Finally, there were no obvious COVID protections in place. No social distancing, no hand sanitiser, no staff wearing masks. Very disappointing. We’d been at Tayto Park the day before, and the difference was staggering.
The staff were friendly and efficient and the ride is fun, but there are lots of issues that need to be addressed for this attraction to be first class and worth the price. As it currently stands, it’s extremely overpriced and not worth the money until improvements are made in terms of the look of the location, the signage, and the queuing issues. I decided to write this review in the hope that, with the necessary improvements, this attraction will be a place I’m happy to return to and happy to recommend to others.
For a start, we didn’t receive an email confirmation with the details of our booking. Then, upon arrival in the the car park, there was very little clear signage and no employees to direct us to where we had to go. In fact, the only sign for the Black Bill Run was very small and pointing in the opposite direction to where we had to go. We had to ask a group of fellow visitors for directions to the Black Bull Run.
Once there, we had to join a long queue. It took over half an hour for us to get our first ride. As such, we were standing in an exposed area on a mountain side on a cold evening waiting a long time with young children. We were waiting so long that one of the children ended up running & falling, getting a scrapped knee. After the first run on the ride, we had to get off and rejoin another queue. I can’t understand why you don’t get three runs without having to get off and re-queue each time. It’s tedious and takes away from the enjoyability of the ride. Queuing for the three runs took approximately one hour altogether. The ride itself takes a few minutes, so we spent a lot longer queuing than we did on the ride. Given that you book a time slot when you book the tickets, it’s very frustrating to have to wait in a queue for so long.
Another disappointing thing was the look of the area around the Black Bill Run. If it was nicely landscaped, it would make the overall experience a lot more pleasant and enjoyable. Instead, there’s no landscaping and it seems like very little thought or money has been put into the presentation of the site where the ride is. For example, there are two tunnels on the ride and they were basically just ugly corrugated iron. The areas where we queued and the area the ride goes through were both mucky and rocky, making them not particularly safe for children and not attractive to look at. This aspect needs a lot of work to improve the visitor experience.
Finally, there were no obvious COVID protections in place. No social distancing, no hand sanitiser, no staff wearing masks. Very disappointing. We’d been at Tayto Park the day before, and the difference was staggering.
The staff were friendly and efficient and the ride is fun, but there are lots of issues that need to be addressed for this attraction to be first class and worth the price. As it currently stands, it’s extremely overpriced and not worth the money until improvements are made in terms of the look of the location, the signage, and the queuing issues. I decided to write this review in the hope that, with the necessary improvements, this attraction will be a place I’m happy to return to and happy to recommend to others.
Written August 16, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello, Thank you for your feedback. We're sorry to hear your experience was less than 5-stars. I believe our operations manager has been in contact with you to discuss your experience further.
Regards, Shannon, Customer Liaison Officer.
Written August 23, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
R C
2 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
Family visit to NI for a family of 5 taking in a number of listed family fun adventures…. Colin Glens black bull run has been the only disappointment. Hugely overpriced for a 1 minute trip ! Paid for 3 turns which we were made to get out of the cart each time and queue again for the next turn with a queue of 30 mins in between each turn, making it over 1.5 hours for 3 mins of fun. Poor organisation from Colin Glen although all staff were friendly and helpful the company needs to work on its booking system and website to make visits easier and more enjoyable for all
Written July 23, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sean Kennedy
17 contributions
Jul 2021
My girlfriend and I (both in our late 20s) visited Colin Glen during a trip to Northern Ireland in July. We saw an ad on Instagram which sold the Black Bull Run very well and we were excited for it.
Only that we had google maps and we used the WEBSITE'S ADDRESS, we'd never have found the place. Once we did, the facilities were very nice, clean and well maintained.
We lined up for the bull run, went down it, and were immediately disappointed. The run down is fun-ish but lasts all of 1 minute. You spend longer being dragged back up the hill than you do actually Bull Running down it. We had paid for 3 runs but after 1 run we were already quite bored and disappointed.
The staff were very good to us, and allowed us to swap our remaining 2 bull run tokens for a run on the Zip Line instead. This was much more fun and did save the experience, but even it was very short, not especially high, and wildly expensive (had we had to pay for it individually).
The facility is clearly aimed at kids, and there was a kids-camp group there who seemed to be having a great time. But the Social Media ads were targeted at us and sold it as a great forrest adventure for all ages. Which it absolutely is not.
It's also WILDLY overpriced for what it is.
The review is saved hugely by the staff allowing us to do the Zip Line Instead - but we won't be in a rush to return or recommend to others.
Only that we had google maps and we used the WEBSITE'S ADDRESS, we'd never have found the place. Once we did, the facilities were very nice, clean and well maintained.
We lined up for the bull run, went down it, and were immediately disappointed. The run down is fun-ish but lasts all of 1 minute. You spend longer being dragged back up the hill than you do actually Bull Running down it. We had paid for 3 runs but after 1 run we were already quite bored and disappointed.
The staff were very good to us, and allowed us to swap our remaining 2 bull run tokens for a run on the Zip Line instead. This was much more fun and did save the experience, but even it was very short, not especially high, and wildly expensive (had we had to pay for it individually).
The facility is clearly aimed at kids, and there was a kids-camp group there who seemed to be having a great time. But the Social Media ads were targeted at us and sold it as a great forrest adventure for all ages. Which it absolutely is not.
It's also WILDLY overpriced for what it is.
The review is saved hugely by the staff allowing us to do the Zip Line Instead - but we won't be in a rush to return or recommend to others.
Written July 21, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Claire1624
Dundrum, UK6 contributions
Aug 2021 • Family
First time at the Bull Run today with my 3 children. Overall very disappointed in how it’s organised. Such long queues to wait your turn and after your first go is over you’ve to join the back of the queue to wait your next go. There could already be 30 people in the queue in front of you. The weather was awful today very wet so we only done 2 out of the 3 goes.
Staff are very friendly but the health and safety brief is very short and not well explained. The track itself is short, you’re round it and back within 3 mins if even. The system is also slow in loading people into the carts and long waits between each better starts.
I would think it would be better to have an hour booking slot and let 10 people in max and have all 3 goes together. The queuing is awful and lets the whole experience down.
Not sure I’d rush back, even in the better weather.
Staff are very friendly but the health and safety brief is very short and not well explained. The track itself is short, you’re round it and back within 3 mins if even. The system is also slow in loading people into the carts and long waits between each better starts.
I would think it would be better to have an hour booking slot and let 10 people in max and have all 3 goes together. The queuing is awful and lets the whole experience down.
Not sure I’d rush back, even in the better weather.
Written August 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Claire, Thank you for your feedback. We're sorry to hear your experience was less than 5-stars. If you're open to discussing this further, please email me at reception@colinglen.org.
Regards, Shannon, Customer Liaison Officer.
Written August 23, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Corinne
Belfast, UK1 contribution
Jul 2022
What an amazing experience!!
I booked the SKYTrek Ultimate for 6 children plus 2 adults, when we arrived we were greeted by 2 staff members (Robert and Jake) both could not have been more helpful and friendly. They stayed with our group throughout our time at Colin Glen they interacted so much with the children and the positive encouragement was amazing. My daughter was a little scared and both Robert and Jake took as much time as they had to to ensure she felt safe and encouraged her to take part - by the end she did not want to leave!!
Fantastic day out the staff were amazing! I have already booked to come back next week and do the Zipline and Black Bull Run.
Thank you for an amazing experience.
I booked the SKYTrek Ultimate for 6 children plus 2 adults, when we arrived we were greeted by 2 staff members (Robert and Jake) both could not have been more helpful and friendly. They stayed with our group throughout our time at Colin Glen they interacted so much with the children and the positive encouragement was amazing. My daughter was a little scared and both Robert and Jake took as much time as they had to to ensure she felt safe and encouraged her to take part - by the end she did not want to leave!!
Fantastic day out the staff were amazing! I have already booked to come back next week and do the Zipline and Black Bull Run.
Thank you for an amazing experience.
Written July 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Caoimhe,
Thanks for the five stars and for the lovely review. I will let Robert and Jake know about your kind feedback. Hope to see you back at Colin Glen soon.
Regards, Shannon, Customer Liaison Officer
Written July 25, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
CBGS
Belfast6 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
Fab from start to finish. Alanna, the instructor, had a superb rapport with the children. Confident and knowledgeable and knew how to challenge them without seeming bossy. Children enjoyed it so much they are already talking about going again. The course is challenging and so its completion really boosts their confidence. We will certainly be back.
Written August 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mary O
1 contribution
Aug 2021 • Family
Excellent day out! We did the ropes course (sky trek) followed by the Mountain Adventure (Black Bull Run & Forest Zip line). Very well organised with excellent training & support from all the staff & loved the banter with Anto!
Reasonably well priced - but I thought the extra £22.50 for a child on the mountain package was a bit pricey & beware that there is no exchange or part refund if anyone is too scared to do the zip line as happened to us.
Restaurant facilities at the River entrance is gone, but is limited to vending machines at the mountain entrance.
Overall, the staff are working so hard & are very friendly & helpful. Great day out
Reasonably well priced - but I thought the extra £22.50 for a child on the mountain package was a bit pricey & beware that there is no exchange or part refund if anyone is too scared to do the zip line as happened to us.
Restaurant facilities at the River entrance is gone, but is limited to vending machines at the mountain entrance.
Overall, the staff are working so hard & are very friendly & helpful. Great day out
Written August 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi MaryoH9054BH,
Thank you for sharing your kind words with us. It means the world to us and to our entire team! We look forward to welcoming you again soon!
Regards, Shannon, Customer Liaison Officer.
Written August 31, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lulina
Dublin, Ireland
Hi planning to visit Colin Glen but we have no car. We are staying in Belfast city centre. Is there a bus which goes there or any idea how much would taxi cost??
Written April 30, 2022
Hi,
The main forest park building is on the Glider route from the city centre westbound.
So easy to get to for the trails, skytrek etc.
However our zip lines and black bull run are based at our mountain entrance. So if arriving by public transport, you may need to walk through the forest park to the mountain entrance. Which can be a 20min walk.
Costs for a private taxi from the city centre to our mountain entrance could range from £10-£15
Written May 2, 2022
Do you need to book the gruffalo trail? Also, would it be suitable terrain for a pram?
Written July 18, 2021
What is the distance between the River Entrance & the Mountain Entrance? Is it walkable? Can you drive a car between the two? Want to book activities & want to get the timing correct.
Written July 13, 2021
Hi, I'm planning a visit with my 2 & 4 year old and possibly my sister who is disabled (uses crutches can't walk long distances) is the walk suitable for people with walking difficulties? The official website says 20min walk which would be fine as long is it's not along hills etc
Written January 31, 2017
im not sure how suitable it would be for crutches. you might encounter problems cos its not a smooth surface. uneven in parts
Written February 5, 2017
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