Surf’s up for new hotel drains, at top Welsh tourist site

Drainage engineers from Lanes Group plc have been creating waves at a new hotel soon to open next to one of the world’s top inland surfing centres.

They have been flushing out surface water and foul drains serving the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel which is due to open at Adventure Parc Snowdonia, in Dolgarrog, Conwy, in May 2021.

The visitor attraction is home to Surf Snowdonia, a giant lagoon that creates artificial waves for surfing.

The new 106-bed hotel, which also includes the new Wave Garden Spa, has been built at a cost of £12m and continues the rapid development of Adventure Parc Snowdonia as an important tourist attraction.

Lanes Area Development Manager Ian Clapham said: “We were commissioned to carry out all the drainage investigation and cleaning work associated with Surf Snowdonia when it opened in 2015.

“So we’re very pleased to be carrying out this pre-opening drain cleaning work on the Hilton Garden Inn Snowdonia Hotel, which maintains the adventure site’s rapid development.

“This represents an important moment with COVID-19 restrictions due to lift allowing the hotel and the Adventure Park Snowdonia to open in May and we aim to make sure the hotel’s drainage system is in first class condition, ready for the big day.”

The drainage team from the Lanes North Wales and Chester depot uses a high pressure water jet to ensure the 500m of underground pipe were clean and in good working order.

The building contractor, H H Smith, had surveyed the drains as they were installed but wanted them to be flushed through before the building was handed over to be sure they were clear.

The two-day drain cleaning operation gave the drainage system, made up of drains with diameters of 150mm, 225mm and 300mm, a clean bill of health.

The reopening of tourist attractions like Adventure Parc Snowdonia is a critical moment in the UK’s recovery form the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Tourisms is the main industry and a major employer in North Wales and the region is likely to benefit from the expected trend for summer staycations as foreign travel is still restricted.

Adventure Parc Snowdonia’s other attractions include indoor and outdoor climbing, indoor caving, zip wires and freefalls, mountain biking, gorge walking, and indoor extreme slides.