Go Ape
Reviewed by Tanya Moyes
When we first arrived at Go Ape, I have to admit we were both a little nervous. I went with my mum and we weren’t sure exactly what to expect; how fit we would have to be to complete the course, if it would be scary, would it be better as a group rather than a couple, and of course will we look like in the harness!
Our minds were immediately put at rest when the man behind the counter spoke to us, he was very friendly and we were made to feel very comfortable. After completing some safety forms we were lead round to get harnessed up and practise crossing one of the wires. We then moved on to practise climbing a rope ladder up to a platform half way up a tree, cross over to another tree by walking along another wire then zooming back down to the ground on a zip-wire. After this we felt confident enough to move on to the actual course. The team at Go Ape are very safety conscious and I am certain that if anyone did not feel confident enough to move on at this point then they would be able to keep practising as much as they needed.
The general gist of each course is pretty much the same – climb up, move along the course on various types of wires or obstacles hanging from the trees, then zip-wire back down to ground. However, it gets a lot scarier and harder as you move round the course! I am not scared of heights but it certainly challenged my sense of bravery. On two occasions I sat on the edge of a platform for about 5 minutes willing myself to jump off. I did in the end and it’s funny how amazing it feels once you’ve actually let yourself go, it makes you wonder what the problem was… until you have to jump off again!
I think there were four courses in total and we managed three. We decided to leave at this point because our hands were hurting quite a bit from holding on so tight, and we didn’t have gloves. I do think the website should mention that gloves are recommended. I am sure certain obstacles are easier to do without gloves but I would definitely advise anyone who is going to take a pair, just in case.
Our concerns about us having a better time if we were in a group as opposed to just two of us were unnecessary. We had such a fab time just the two of us and as you are only allowed one person on each wire, and two people on a platform at a time then it doesn’t really matter if you are in a pair or a group of 20.
I think it’s safe to say we were both aching the day after; we used muscles I don’t think we even knew we had! I would describe myself as overweight and neither of us do any exercise at all, yet we both managed to complete everything we attempted. The hardest part for me was climbing up and along the rope ladders (after Tarzan swinging in to them!) – but I managed it and we both said afterwards how proud we were of what we had achieved that day.
On first thoughts I think that the cost is quite expensive but after completing the experience, I would now say it is worth it.
I have already recommended Go Ape to other family members and some friends, and we are looking to go again in the Springtime.
For more information or to book tickets visit www.goape.co.uk