A 91-year-old grandmother from Portishead has braved the world's fastest zipline.

Margaret Carroll, a former primary school headteacher, is not your typical 91-year-old.

Since becoming a grandmother, Margaret has completed a wide range of thrilling activities.

The long list includes:

  • Riding in a helicopter in the Grand Canyon.
  • Climbing the Great Wall of China.
  • Swimming with sting rays.
  • Completing a 100ft abseil down a mountain cliff.
  • Riding in a hot air balloon.
  • Taking part in the Homs Race.
  • Climbing Snowdon.
  • Watching the northern lights.
  • Travelling to the most northern point of Europe.
  • Swimming in the Dead Sea. 

Josh Sullivan, Margaret’s grandson, says: "To the untrained eye, my grandma appears to be like any other.

"She loves going on walks and swimming, she loves birdwatching, and she always goes to church on Sundays.

"But under all that typical grandma facade is a born thrillseeker."

Zip World Velocity 2 in Wales is known for being the fastest zipline in the world - an opportunity that Margaret simply couldn't pass up.

North Somerset Times: The zipline is not for the faint hearted.The zipline is not for the faint hearted. (Image: Josh Sullivan)

Josh continues: "As a surprise for her 90th birthday, we decided that we would book her the world's fastest zipline.

"Unfortunately, this was off the back of Covid so we ended up postponing the zipline to the following year.

"On a pretty cold and wet Saturday morning, the whole family heads off to Wales to undertake the adventure. We check in, get geared up in the harness, and are loaded onto the bus to take us to the top of the mountain.

"On our ride up the heavens open and it's pouring with rain. Fortunately for us as soon as we arrive at the top the rain stops and it stays dry.

We walk down the gantry to the tower and are greeted with the most fantastic view of the Welsh hills, and a rather large drop to a lake below. We're connected up to the wire and before we know it 3... 2... 1... we're off.

"Grandma is last out the gate but for reasons unknown picks up the most speed and shoots past us all. After 30 seconds of ziplining, we're down, we look over to grandma and she has the biggest grin on her face. She loved it!"

Next on the list is skydiving.