A few weekends ago, Sam and I ticked off something that had been on my bucket list ever since my old flatmate had gone up near Newcastle with her family in 2011: a Go Ape adventure.
For those of you who have never heard of Go Ape before, it’s a tree-top platform, obstacle, high-rope activities and ziplining course through some beautiful countryside around the UK. In fact, there are now 31 locations in the UK to choose from. Luckily, our nearest location is at Dalby Forest, the great Yorkshire forest just on the doorstep of York.
You’re 30 metres high for some sections of the course, and you are in charge of clipping and unclipping your own safety wire and carabiners. Which proves especially un-nerving when you’re that high up and clipping yourself on to a 250 metre long zipline that goes across a valley in Dalby Forest.
But the exhilaration and fun outweighs any fears that you might have. I dragged Sam along because I was 99% sure that he’d have a great time despite his crippling fear of heights and in the end, he did! He said because you were clipped in to various safety equipment, it really did help with the fear factor: though truth be told, it is still scary!
The day starts with a safety briefing and lesson. After an instructor helps you in to the rig you’ll be wearing throughout the day, all the different carabiners and attachments are demonstrated and you are quizzed on them. Then you go to a practice course that is only a few feet off the ground so that your supervisor can check and monitor how you are handling yourself on the course. Once they and you are satisfied with your abilities, you are sent off on your own up in the trees! (With a whistle in your rig, just in case you do find yourself in a sticky situation.)
I’d like to give a special shout-out to our instructor, Stevie, who was wonderful, patient and funny. He was also a great calming presence. We had a woman in our group who was there with her daughter, and the mom had a paralysing fear of heights. The instructor stuck quite closely to her, especially on tarzan swings and zipwires and showed incredible patience and understanding of her fear.
We were there for about 3 hours in the end, 30-45 minutes of the safety lessons, the rest of the time out on the course. And hand over heart, I cannot wait to go back again some day. Yes, I was terrified at various points in time, but the joy of sailing over the treetops completely outweighed it for me. It was one of the best afternoons that I’ve had out in a long, long time.
I was a given a giftcard by BuyAGift to book an excursion of my choice, and I am so, so glad that I decided to go to Go Ape. With the holidays looming in front of us (is it too soon to say Christmas?) I absolutely love the idea of gifting someone an experience instead of more stuff. I chose a very active day out, but there’s a wide-range of things that suits a huge variety of interests; from afternoon teas, to driving race cars, to Michelin starred restaurants to stadium tours to spa days.
Plus, if you are choosing an activity for someone and not just more stuff, you’re cutting down on the potential for clutter that they don’t want and excess plastic.
So hint, hint: I’d definitely go back to Go Ape again! Here’s where you can buy someone else a Go Ape adventure with BuyAGift.
Sam, looking just a smidge nervous about what we were about to do!
Practising before being turned loose on the course!
If you squint closely at the photo above you can see one of the zipwires at the top of the picture. Pretty darn high!
Would you go on a tree top adventure?
***I was a guest of BuyAGift, but all thoughts and opinions are forever my own. ***
