GYG Karting – Extreme North Wales fun for all ages

Nestled alongside the A5 near Cerrigydrudion is a hidden gem of North Wales attractions.
In this adventure rich area, not too far from the likes of publicity laden attractions such as Zip World and Surf Snowdonia, sits Glan y Gors Park home of GYG Karting and we have to say it has us smitten.

We’d been karting before of course, in fact we’ve been to several of the indoor tracks over the years and had a good time. But GYG, well GYG is different.The circuit – As seen on SKYSPORTF1, ITV, MOTO TV & S4C, is one of the Largest Karting Circuits in the UK and used in the British Championship Series, this is a real circuit!

When you arrive, just looking at the circuit puts a smile on your face, and I couldn’t help but hum the Formula 1 theme tune out loud as we approached the main building and club house.

The circuit is family run and although they have several other local staff to help out, the family are very much “hands on” and incredibly welcoming.
The Clubhouse itself is exceptional.It’s worth calling on the way past just for a piece of the homemade carrot cake in the cafe. They have a 5 Star Food Hygiene rating and not only do they bolster the local economy by hiring local staff and bringing in visitors from all over but they serve a range of local produce and products including Welsh Meat, Welsh Farm Cheese, Welsh Beaned Coffee and Welsh Loose Leaf Tea.

Having arrived and signed in we went down to the kit room and were given our suits, gloves and helmets then returned to the clubhouse for our safety briefing and instruction. There was a group of 7 of us including a range of ages from 10 to 50 and a range of abilities, we were totally put at ease by the staff and couldn’t wait to get out on the circuit.

One of the aspects that impressed us most about our afternoon at GYG was that at no point did we ever feel hurried or rushed along. We knew that as a family pass and arrive and drive session, we would only be out on the track for ten minutes or so and so thought before arriving that we might be shepherded along quickly to make way for the next group. This certainly wasn’t the case, these guys know how to treat people. There was always someone to ask if we were ok with everything. Even once we were all seated in our karts several staff members were walking up and down our line making sure we were understanding of the controls and could reach the pedals comfortably. This was especially beneficial to the two youngest members aged 10 and 13. From the moment we were allowed out of the pit lane, they and indeed all of us felt at ease and excited at the thought of tackling the circuit.

So for the next 10 minutes we raced around the clearly marked route of the circuit which offered straights long enough to get the odd overtake in and tight turns to make you fight against the spins. By now the formula 1 theme tune had long gone from my head, I was on full blown Murray Walker mode commentating my way around each bend.

By the time our 10 minutes were up we all had a personal story to tell about one spin, overtake or burst of speed that had taken place…….and although I was the only one to get stuck on the grass, I’m sure I won!!!! Well that’s my story, I’m sure the other 6 in our group made the same claim.
Once we returned to the pits and de-kitted we went to the cafe for coffee and cake and spoke with Gemma who was good enough to take the time to show us around the full facilities of this great complex. She told us the history of the place and how they still run the circuit as a family with everyone involved.

They’re a very busy bunch and if anything welcome the shorter days of winter for a very well deserved break. But we have a feeling from now on we’ll be keeping them busy because every single one of us wants to return and perhaps do one of the longer sessions next time.

There are a range of different packages available, all of which are great value, so we would thoroughly recommend you take a look at their website if you want to know more.