Last Updated on 20 August 2026 by Colette
This summer, Zip World Manchester have added a brand new Forest Tubing experience to their Heaton Park site offering up the longest tube slides in the UK! We’ve visited Zip World Manchester several times before for both Treetop Nets and Treetop Trek so we were really interested to see what the newest attraction was like – if it was good for teenagers and if it was worth the money!
Finding things to do in the summer holidays with teenagers can get a bit tricky and what they enjoy can often be a bit hit and miss depending on their mood so I’m always wary of dropping a lot of money on a high ticket activity only for them to sulk . . . Forest Tubing was in fact one of the only things I booked for the summer holidays for all three kids and I must admit I was kinda gutted to wake up to torrential rain this morning but, if you’ve been to Zip World Manchester in the rain before, you’ll know that the trees provide a fairly good level of shelter and most activities just go ahead regardless!
Check out these handy links to plan your next adventure …
What is Forest Tubing at Zip World Manchester?
Forest Tubing opened at Zip World Manchester in May 2026. You’ll find it located within Zip World Manchester which is at the top end of Heaton Park (you want the car park off St Margaret’s Road).
To get an idea of what Forest Tubing is, think about those big water slides where you get in a donut – but it’s outside, through the woods and not into a swimming pool! For the Heaton Park tube slides, you basically sit inside a large inflatable donut to ride the slides and whilst there is no splash down at the end, you are still going to get a bit damp thanks to the mist that is sprayed at you when you set off!
Zip World Manchester now have two separate slides measuring 77m and 88m making it the UK’s longest outdoor tubing slide! The slides run alongside one another meaning you can race your friends too!
What age is Zip World Manchester Forest Tubing suitable for?
Forest Tubing is accessible for children age 4+, over 1m tall and weighing over 20kg. There is no upper age limit however there is a maximum weight limit of 120kg (just shy of 19 stone). Due to the physical nature of the experience, you do need to be physically fit and able to walk – those with injuries or conditions such as weak ankles or knees are advised not to take part in this adventure. I have a bit of a dodgy back so decided it was best to avoid this time!
If you’re tubing with little ones, you can share a ring as long as your combined weight doesn’t exceed 120kg (you will be weighed at check in with your weight written on your wristband).
Do bear in mind that there are strict supervision rules and most children will need an adult to be taking part with them: for children ages 4-6 years, 1 participating adult is required for every 2 children, for children age 7-11 years, 1 participating adult is required for every 3 children and for teens aged 12 – 17 years, 1 spectating adult is required for every 7 children. My gang are now aged between 12 and 17 so I was able to spectate this time (though I must admit, I did half wish I’d booked myself a slot too as it looked like a lot of fun!)
So that’s the rules on who is actually allowed to particpate in Forest Tubing at Heaton Park but I guess you also want to know, who would have the most fun and perhaps more specifically, “is Forest Tubing good for teenagers” and honestly I’d say anyone who enjoys being outside, physically active and a bit of a thrill would enjoy the tube slides – as I say, with teens you never quite know how they are going to feel about days out but Ben (who is quite the trill-seeker) was all smiles after his first ride and told me it was “surprisingly good” – which we all know is actually high praise! The fact that all three kids would have chosen to continue sliding after their hour was up tells me they were happy too.
How much does Forest Tubing at Zip World Manchester cost?
An hour’s Forest Tubing costs £20 though through the summer holidays but if you book online you’ll pay £17.50 per person.
I thought this was pretty good value to be honest – when the kids were little I’d have wanted a full day out for that money but these days a couple of hours is probably about as much patience as they’ve got for each other and they all really enjoyed the experience. I did ask the girls to count how many goes they got on the slides but they forgot – I would say a conservative estimate would be 10+ rides though. The queues weren’t huge and the way the experience was set up meant you were spread out and couldn’t really overtake anyone else so everyone will have had an equal number of slides.
Where is Forest Tubing at Zip World Manchester?
Zip World Manchester is inside Heaton Park – you’ll want to use the St Margaret’s entrance and park near the Northern Play Area: 17 St Margaret’s Rd, Manchester, M25 2SW. You can of course use other car parks in Heaton Park but that one is the closest to Zip World and honestly, Heaton Park is enormous so if you park somewhere else you might end up being late for your slot!
Parking is relatively cheap – I paid a couple of quid I think for two hours. You can pay by cash or card at the machine – but don’t forget as they are hot on parking tickets!
Our Forest Tubing experience
You are asked to arrive half an hour before your booked time slot but in our experience, if you’ve already filled in the online waiver, this is usually really early and you just end up stood around. We rocked up about 15 minutes ahead of our slot this morning and that gave us plenty of time to get checked in.
Check in basically involves getting weighed, a wristband and a quick reminder about shoes / jewellery before being sent through to wait for your safety briefing.
The safety briefing is very straightforward and staff explain how to sit on the slides, how to use the travellator to get back to the top, a reminder that the floor can be slippy (especially on a wet day like today) and then you’re allowed to crack on.
There are two sizes of tube – these have individual weight limits. Obviously if you’re going to be travelling down in a pair you’ll need the larger of the two tubes which has a maximum weight limit of 120kg. Tubes are piled neatly on the platform so you just grab a tube and drag it by its leash up to the steps. This means you can swap tubes if you want to ride in single or double tubes – you don’t have to stick to one choice. Each tube has a lead so you don’t have to carry it around, you just pull it by it’s lead which makes it much easier for little ones to manage by themselves.
I had anticipated there would be a lot of steps but actually you’re talking about a normal staircase worth of stairs to the start of the slide and then, once you’ve done the slide, there’s a travellator which you stand on to be carried back up to the starting platform making the whole experience a lot less labour intensive than you might expect! The travellator is quite slow and there is a temptation to want to walk up but but you’re asked not to do that as it maintains a distance between customers and stops a big queue building up on the steps. I had thought the walk back up each time would be exhausting but it just isn’t an issue.
Once you’re sat in your ring, you need to wait for the go ahead from staff before launching yourself down the slide – Amy was too small to set herself off so she needed a push from a staff member each time (Ben and Chlo especially loved that he purposely span Amy on a couple of goes for their amusement!)
The slides drop a total of around 10m but they don’t look too terrifying – the screams were definitely of laughter rather than fear. As you are looking down the slides, the left one is faster and more likely to spin – this was obviously Ben’s favourite! Because of the way the queue works, you don’t really choose which slide to go on so much as just heading to which one is free next – this did mean that my kids were counting the number of people ahead of them and occasionally swapping about in the line between themselves to try and get the slide they wanted.
Because they were in a three, sometimes they were next to each other and raced down the slides, other times they were on their own but this wasn’t really a problem. They only time it bothered them was when they ended up separated and Ben was queuing on his own for a few rides so the girls hung back and let some other people past so they could queue together again.
If, like me, you’re just watching there is a spectator platform where you can see the tops of the slides to watch the initial drops and down to the bend making it a good spot for photos and videos. There is also a single picnic bench to sit at (though this is on quite a slope so isn’t very comfortable at all).
Is Forest Tubing worth the money?
Obviously it’s hard to answer if something is worth the money has it’s so subjective however I did feel the spend was worth it this morning – the kids had a good laugh, they were entertained and didn’t argue with each other (which you know is worth it’s weight in gold anyway!). They got plenty of goes on the slides without feeling like they were stood around queuing and whilst the experience only takes an hour so I guess £17.50 might feel like a lot for that but you could easily make the most of the rest of the day in the park if you wanted to make a full day out it. Essentially, I didn’t feel stung and would pay it again!
Zip World Forest Tubing – our tips and tricks for making the most of your day
- Book ahead during weekends and school holidays to make sure you get the best price and a guaranteed slot.
- Make sure you complete the online waiver for everyone in your group ahead of time so you’re not faffing about doing that when you arrive.
- Wear trainers (but not your best ones!) – this isn’t an adventure for flip flops or wellies. Open toed or loose footwear are not allowed.
- Dress for a day outdoors – you don’t want to spend the day worrying about getting dirty. Covered legs and long sleeves are preferable too.
- Take a change of clothes with you on a damp or wet day – my three were soaked by the time they’d finished!
- Take your jewellery off beforehand – no rings, earrings or watches are allowed. The team on reception will provide you with tape if necessary so if you’re freshly pierced then you can cover them.
- Leave everything in the car – there is nowhere to store your stuff at TreeTop (unless you’ve got a parent who is simply spectating from below who can be on bag watch) and you don’t want anything loose in your pockets
- The nearest toilets are down near The Stables cafe and farm which is about a five minute walk so make sure you go before you start check in at Zip World Manchester and don’t wait until you’re bursting!
- Dose up on antihistamine if tree pollen is your nemesis!
- Consider a quick spritz of insect repellent too!
- Consider combining Forest Tubing with the rest of Heaton Park rather than heading straight home afterwards.
Making a day of it at Heaton Park
Because the weather was fairly rubbish today, we rocked up at Zip World, did the tubing experience and left again but there’s so much to do in Heaton Park that it would be easy to spend the whole day there without really spending any more money (do make sure you’ve paid for enough parking though!)
Heaton Park is home to two substantial playgrounds, a free to visit animal centre, a boating lake (you can hire boats to go out on the lake though we’ve never got round to doing this!) and of course there’s plenty of picnic spots!
Forest Tubing Manchester FAQs
What is the new attraction at Zip World Manchester?
Two of the longest outdoor tube slides in the UK – your chance to slip, slide and spin through the forest in Heaton Park!
How long is the Forest Tubing slide at Zip World Manchester?
The slides are 77m and 88m long with an overall drop of around 10m.
How many tube slides are there?
There’s two slides which run along next to each other.
What age is Forest Tubing suitable for?
Suitable from age 4+ but fun for anyone!
Can adults go on Forest Tubing?
Yes adults can go on the tube slides at Heaton Park – and in fact depending on how old the children are, you might have to as under 12s must have participating adults (which is a great excuse to join in the fun!)
Can two people share a tube?
Yes two people can share a tube but only if their combined weight is less than 120kg which meant my teens all had to ride alone – they were kinda gutted as riding in twos looked like a lot of fun!
Is Forest Tubing suitable for teenagers?
Absolutely – my three aged 12, 15 and 17 had a brilliant time. Anything which gives them the chance to get outside and be a bit silly is a win in my book!
How long does Forest Tubing last?
Your tubing experience is an hour long – you need to arrive up to half an hour before your booked slot to get checked in but this is quicker if you’ve already filled out your waiver online.
What should you wear for Forest Tubing?
Wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty and wet – even on a dry day I think you’d get quite damp from the misting. You don’t want to wear anything loose – leggings and a hoodie is ideal. You probably don’t want a cap on either as it might blow off on the slide and you’d struggle to get it back. You also need sensible footwear – nothing open toed or loose so no sandals or crocs. Do consider wearing gloves if you think you’ll find holding onto the tube leash or the handles a problem in terms of getting cold / wet / dirty hands – my kids were not at all bothered.
Does Forest Tubing run in the rain?
Yes Forest Tubing does run in the rain – it had been torrential before we set off this morning but had luckily settled down to showers by the time we started the activity. Thunderstorms had been forecast and I think if the weather was that severe they would have cancelled but unless you hear otherwise, your tubing experience will take place come rain or shine. I just told the kids to make sure they were dressed for it, to accept they were going to get soaked and to enjoy it!
Where do you park for Zip World Manchester?
Use the St Margaret’s Road car park near the Northern Play Area: 17 St Margaret’s Rd, Manchester, M25 2SW
Are there toilets at Zip World Manchester?
There are no toilets at Zip World Manchester. The nearest toilets are down past the Nothern Playground at The Stables cafe and farm which is about a five minute walk so make sure you go before you start your tubing experience and don’t wait until you’re bursting!
Do you need to book Forest Tubing in advance?
You can just turn up and pay on the door but it’s cheaper to book in advance and also means you know you’ve got a guaranteed slot!
Is Zip World Manchester Forest Tubing worth it?
Yes, I do think Zip World Manchester Forest Tubing is worth it – the kids had a great time and I’m sure we’ll book to do it again – I might even have a go myself next time!
More things to do in Manchester with kids:
Treetop Nets at Zip World Manchester – Review & Tips
Treetop Trek at Zip World Manchester – Review & Tips
10 Reasons You’ll Love Heaton Park
25 of the Best Parks and Playgrounds in Manchester
Cool Things to Do in Manchester with the Kids This Summer
Things to Do in Manchester with Teens
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