Tree-top adventures
What do you get someone, who is notoriously difficult to buy for? Last year, as part of their Christmas, I got my sister and her husband gift vouchers for GoApe. My sister and I had done it before, about 10 years ago and I knew my BIL would love it to. Gary and I thought it would be fun to do with them, as we don’t get to see them as often as we like (life) and we NEVER see them without the girl band present (we have 4 daughters between us) Go Ape kindly gifted me two Gorilla (adult) passes and my parents agreed to take the girls…the day was already off to a great start.
Go Ape describes itself as “2-3 hours of daring ropes course challenges, stomach-churning swings and electrifying zip wires.” and this description does not let it down.
We arrived at 9.45 (our session was at 10am) and were de-briefed about what to expect. We were fitted into our harnesses and shown how to use the equipment provided. This included how to attach ourselves safely to each element and when to use the different tools attached to the harness…it seemed daunting initially but actually just became second nature once you we done it a few times.
Once the instructor was happy that we were competent enough, we attached ourselves to the first zip wire and flew off into the forrest one at a time. The views are truly spectacular and I completely forgot that I was dangling from a single wire by cable runner that i had attached myself (did i remember to clip the blue carabiner first)- ok so i didn’t completely forget!
Once landed, extremely gracefully with my legs in the air, we were basically left to continue with the course at our own leisure. There are several instructors on the ground that can help or point you in the right direction if needed so you’re not totally alone. I also liked that there were water fountains dotted about, as it’s pretty thirsty business.
I have honestly not laughed so hard in ages. Wether it was at Gary’s inability to maintain composure on the stirrup walk or my own jelly legs, it really lifted our spirits and made us feel like us again.
It was just what we needed as a couple, and as individuals. Gary and I are both fairly active and very competitive. He was definitely better at climbing (those rope ladders are hard when yo have no upper body strength) but I reckon on a whole, i had better balance.
We completed the course at Aberfoyle, Stirlingshire which boasts absolutely breathtaking views. It has 2 of the longest zip lines in the UK, the longest of which is 426m! the highest platform that you climb up is 22m about the forrest ground and the longest crossing you have to complete is 11.5m. It also has 3 big Tarzan
swings, which is really surreal, and you have to put a lot of trust in yourself that you’ve attached the ropes properly!
When we got back to the starting point, we handed in our harnesses, received our certificates and had a well deserved cake and coffee at the on site restaurant…brilliant end to an incredible morning!
In total, there are 33 locations across the UK, 3 of which are in Scotland. To help celebrate Autumn in the forrest, Go Ape is offering 20% off all adventures for a limited time only. pre-book between 1-14th of October to guarantee your discount for adventures from 8th October-4th November . Just use TREAT10 at the online check out for 20% off via this
link
I cannot recommend this enough and i honestly cant wait to go back again, maybe we will try out the other locations, or even a junior trail so Lily can join us!
Lots of love.
Suzy x
