If you are planning a family trip to England and want to give your teens/young adults something different to do, take them Zorbing...
www.zorbsouth.co.uk

It looks brilliant fun!

I'm going down to that area for a few days next week with a load of 12 and 14 year olds, so that looks really great, if quite expensive. Thanks.

But have you (or your kids) tried it? It seems you only get 2 runs for your money - how long does the run last and is it good value? And is the harness ride better than the wet ride?

BTilke - Thanks for posting this. I'll be in Weymouth this afternoon so I'll check it out ...

Always looking for somewhere different to take my nephews

Steve

No, I haven't done it myself, I have a bit of inner ear damage on one side (airbag incident), so I'm afraid I would get too queasy (no rollercoasters for me, either). But it does like like fun!
I heard about it, of all places, from German TV (Euromaxx on DW, channel 821 if you get Sky Satellite). They did a long piece about it. From what they showed, the wet ride is more "stable" than the harness ride.
Interesting that singer Peter Gabriel likes it so much he incorporated a Zorb into his last tour.
I would like to take my nephew to that too. He's 15, just the right age for that kind of madness.

My kids went zorbing in NZ in 2001. They still talk about it as being one of the best things they have ever done. They prefer the one where you slosh around in the water compared to the dry one.

OK, I'm sold on it. Not for me but the kids next week.

Booking seems to have to be done in advance on the internet, right now they are offering 2 for 1, for 55 GBP.
It still seems quite expensive though, but for a treat....

Steve - please post when you have had a look at the place. How long is the run, etc.

'I came, I 'zorbed', I conquered ...'

And I'll never be the same again

Julia - To answer your question - the run's about 200m and you're down in about 30-40 seconds. But you probably wouldn't want it last any longer, trust me!

It's a bit cheaper during the week than at weekends - but still very expensive. I didn't book in advance - but I went midweek.

Ask away if you want to know more ...

Steve

P.S. Here's another fun idea down there ... if you're interested:

www.weymouth-whitewater.co.uk

Glad you enjoyed it (at least it seems like you enjoyed it)! Which version did you do--harness or wet? Do you think it was worth the cost?

Steve, thanks for checking out the Zorb! Brave man!

Thanks for the Weymouth whitewater website. That looks good fun too, and better value that the Zorb.

We are staying near Poole for a few days, but I think we might go and have a look at the Zorb, and we'll almost definitely do a T2 ride in Weymouth. Obviously you didn't have any problem just turning up at the Zorbsite - the website suggests booking 3 weeks in advance! We will be down there Tues-Sat.

Bt/Julia - I did the harness one. Brave man?? My sister thinks I'm barmy!
Never again

Was it worth it? The jury's still out on that one - but then you pay for the novelty value. I'll definitely take my nephews though - they'll love it.

If you want to do the water one, don't forget a change of clothes!

Julia - You might be interested to know it's Weymouth Carnival next Wednesday (- with the 'Red Arrows', Harrier jump jets, air-sea rescue demo, parachutists fireworks and all sorts going on ...)

Have a good stay!

Steve