Beyond the Trees – An Enchanting Attraction in Wicklow

I have vivid memories of rolling down endless grassy hills, dizzy from repetitious rolling and not knowing where I would stop. Standing up and falling back down off balance and looking around to see where my sister and brother ended up – then running back up to do it all again.
Sundays in the early 1980s were spent on road trips with my parents, picnic basket full, pillows for us to snooze on as we went on visits to places like Avondale in Wicklow. There was no playground, no coffee shops and definitely no tourist attractions, just pure green hills to roll down.

I was curious to see how the new Beyond The Trees attraction would fit in to my childhood memory of Avondale. The carpark is bigger, the house is still intact and the additional ticket building, restaurant, gift shop and transformation of Avondale is spectacular. I was blown away with the transformation and the treetop walk and slide at the top (which we all did 😊) It’s €2 pp to go down the slide and an excellent way to arrive at the bottom of the viewing tower.

Before you arrive at the tower, you walk along the breathtaking treetop walk and the views are incredible. There are information stops along the walk with many interesting facts about the wildlife and forest. What I loved most was they were not just info posts to read but also interactive so the children actually stopped to read or move levers to hear sounds of birds. For children and adults with difficulty reading, the audio effects are a great addition. There are also obstacle sections which add to the fun and excitement before you reach the viewing tower.

You then walk through a tunnel and look up at this huge tower (I kind of expected Rapunzel to throw down her hair) and you can hear excited screams, and children running up to get a mat to bring up for the slide at the top. We walk into the middle and look up to the sky and contemplate if we are all going to slide down to the end point. We walk up slowly, gradually getting higher, grasping our mats nervously and watching people descend from the end of the slide. On reaching the top we all bravely stand in line (we had a 5 minute wait) and go straight down the slide, squealing and running back up to do it again.

The gift shop at the bottom of the tower is full of beautiful handmade gifts, souvenirs, trinkets, plushies etc. The hand made items and the payment desk are all designed from timber, it’s like the forest blends to the inside the shop. We buy some mementos and head to Seeds Restaurant and the playground. The décor in this spacious building has a Swedish vibe from the seating, tables, to the eye catching lighting fixtures. It’s completely wheelchair friendly, as is the treetop walk and tower, so everyone gets to experience this amazing attraction. We spent the whole day here and we could observe the children outside in the playground while the mammies enjoyed some peaceful time to chat and drink tea. The windows in the restaurant are huge and right beside the playground.

Beyond the Trees is fantastic value particularly if you purchase an annual pass which is €110 for two adults and upto three children. It’s €42 for one visit, €5 for all day parking, €2 for the slide. For families I think the annual pass is super value as there are many family events on throughout the year. I promise, you will be back. This is for adults, children, grandparents, wheelchair users and anyone that loves the outdoors (no dogs allowed on the walk and tower) but you can bring your dog on walks around the rest of the park.

It was a breath of fresh air and lots of fun, up in the tree tops in Wicklow.
#gifted