JUMP warehouses and trampoline parks may be all the rage these days.

But if you really want to unleash your inner child take a visit to Bounce Below in North Wales.

With trampoline-like nets hung in a 176-year-old disused slate cavern, twice the size of St Paul’s Cathedral, it is an experience like no other.

I found myself grinning within seconds as I started bouncing around like Tigger on a honey rush.

It takes a bit of getting used to – you get flung around a fair bit – but if you are jumping in unison with others it is amazing how high you can get.

The £4million attraction, the only subterranean playground of its kind, is deceptively large too. From where you start you can only see one other net above you.

But the labyrinthine cavern is linked up by walkways and slides and with a bit of exploring you will find all kinds of rooms and passages over numerous levels. Be sure to look out for the giant spider.

The system of walkways – to go up – and slides – to go down – makes it feel like a game of Snakes and Ladders illuminated with florescent lights.

The highest point is 180ft up and all you can see below you is the spiky edges of the slate cavern so it is not for those who are scared of heights.

It does feel completely safe though and it is quite a work out too.

You get an hour on the nets and the experience never loses its appeal. Nevertheless I was glad when it ended simply because I was exhausted.

I had to take a breather every so often between bouts of jumping which gave me newfound respect for youngsters who make it look so easy on bouncy castles.

I was invited to Bounce Below as part of a trip to ZipWorld in Blaenau Ffestiniog.

One of the other key attractions – as you might guess from the name – is the longest set of zip slides in Europe which I was also lucky enough to have a go on.

ZipWorld Titan features more than 8km of zip lines where four riders can race down at the same time.

After suiting up and being given a safety briefing, a minibus laboured its way up to one of the highest points of the mountainous terrain, a short drive from the Llechwedd Slate Caverns site.

Taking a peek over the edge and looking at the staggering heights I would be flying down at speeds of up to 70mph was admittedly nerve-wracking.

But all three zip slides, with views from above over moor, mountain and mine, were exhilarating. You can even have your experience filmed and buy a DVD to take home with you.

The only downside is that it is over too quickly but the attractions at ZipWorld offer one of the best days out in the UK.

The trip also got us interested in the Welsh slate industry so we paid a visit to Inigo Jones SlateWorks, which was founded in 1861 to make writing slates for schools.

Remarkably, despite cheaper man-made products replacing slate, it is still a working site and the company has customers from all over the world for everything from plaques and wine racks to kitchen work tops and hearths.

We went on a fascinating self-guided tour, learnt the history of slate which dates back 500 million years and even tried our hand at engraving a piece of slate.

I was pretty pleased with my attempt at a door number for my mum until I saw the immaculate ones in the shop. I decided to leave it to the experts and bought her one instead!

- Weekend was invited on three-night trip to the Attractions of Snowdonia. The second part of our travel feature will be in next week's paper.

- Bounce Below is suitable for those aged seven and above but a Junior Bounce is available for youngsters aged between three and six.

The zip slides are suitable for adults only. Visit bouncebelow.net and zipworld.co.uk

For more information about Inigo Jones go to inigojones.co.uk

DAVID MORGAN