I’ve been fortunate to be able to go on a selection of experience days recently so I wanted to take the opportunity to share these with you, in case you were looking for a gift for a friend or loved one, or wanted to know what to spend any experience days yourself. 

The first experience day I was able to join was for my Dad’s 50th Birthday, a present from a number of his friends who had gifted him a Red Letter Days voucher. Overwhelmed by the selection on the website, he finally narrowed it down to a 30 Minute Helicopter flight experience over Snowdonia. The voucher was initially for a 2 person flight, however, as a family, we agreed to treat ourselves and top up the voucher so that the 4 of us could enjoy the flight together, especially as none of us had been in a helicopter before.

With Snowdonia, Betws-Y-Coed to be precise, over 2 ½ hours away from our house, we decided to stay overnight in an AirBNB the night before our flight, to allow us a stress-free morning before we were due to fly. The cabin that we stayed in was quaint and perfect for the short stay. There was a BBQ outside so we had brought along some burgers and BBQ nibbles for our evening meal, and all felt settled in the cabin.

Unfortunately, this stress-free morning was sacrificed when we received a 7.00am call, on the day we were due to fly, to inform us that the helicopter that was due to fly the four of us was broken and in for prepare and unable to fly us. Fortunately, the compromise would be that we would be able to fly that day, but only with 3 out of 4 of us. It was gutting, but they had offered us another future flight for the 4 of us (Whizzard Helicopters are yet to phone back and deliver on this promise but that is a different story!). With my mum very kindly sacrificing her seat, my dad, sister and I set out to prepare for our flight. 

The flight was 30 minutes long which was plenty of time to get settled in the air. We were given a safety briefing beforehand and were provided with headsets so that we could talk among ourselves, as well as asking the pilot any questions. The pilot was incredibly helpful and friendly, as gave us a running commentary of where we were flying, and some key places to look out for. We did a loop from The Riverside Hotel in Betws-y-Coed, passing Beddgelert town, to Portmeirion Village and back, passing through the mountains. Passing Portmeirion was extra special as we had visited Portmeirion on the morning before our flight, so was great to see it from a different perspective.

I thoroughly enjoyed the helicopter flight and the views were truly stunning, my photos cannot do them justice. We were also so lucky with the weather as there were clear skies and views for miles.  If you can stretch your budget to a helicopter flight, such as this one, I would highly recommend this experience. I certainly would not be complaining if someone treated me to another flight! You can also get shorter 15-minute flights if you are on a more restricted budget.

Have you ever been on a helicopter? 

You can purchase this experience directly HERE or from Red Letter Days HERE

(Not sponsored/ compensated for in any way, just would highly recommend the experience!)