Trifter

This was the second time I had been to Go Ape, the first time having been in April. Six of us met up at the Go Ape site in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, all looking forward to our three hours of energetic fun.

Before starting Go Ape, each person is fitted with a safety harness by an instructor. The instructor then demonstrates how to use the harness, and you get to practice attaching and detaching yourself from a cable.

From then it’s on to the training course, which is like an easier version of the rest of the course, with supervision. Having done it once before, I volunteered to demonstrate whilst our instructor explained how to navigate our way around the course. This gave me a bit of an adrenaline rush, as I was doing it in front of 5 people I knew and 8 people I didn’t know. On the little zip wire at the end, I landed really well and got a little applause.

After the training course, you are then left unsupervised to climb your way round four more courses, each getting progressively more difficult, and each one finishing with a zip wire to the ground. On each course there is also a choice of an easy route and a difficult route. I decided I wanted to take all the difficult routes all the way round. This involved trying to get across some extremely difficult, dangling stirrups. I looked down and noticed I had a little audience – a family was beneath me looking up, saying, “We’re glad we’re down here!” I ended up doing the splits several times on that bit, seriously stretching my inner thigh muscles.

Towards the end of the last course, there is a big Tarzan Swing. You clip your harness into the cable and then jump off the edge. For about half a second you are in freefall, before the cable swings you and slams you really hard into a rope net. Last time I visited, I went on it three times by climbing my way back across part of the course. I don’t think you are really meant to do this, but I think it is okay as long as nobody else is coming the other way. I did the same thing this time too. On both visits, nobody else did it, just me. One of my friends kept shouting at me, “You’re insane! You’re insane!” as I climbed back round for my third go.

At the very end is a really long zip wire. I jumped into this backwards, pushing myself off from the tree with my legs. It’s then a very long, fast ride down to the ground.

I highly recommend Go Ape to anyone. Even if you are scared of heights. One of my friends went there to get over his fear of heights, and he did really well. He even went on the crazy Tarzan Swing. I think this is testament to the quality of the safety instruction, because you come to really trust your safety harness and how to use it properly.

For £25 it is a great day out. If you live in the UK, find your nearest Go Ape centre and just go for it. Don’t even worry about the weather. It tipped down with rain both times I went, and I had a great time. Just put on your waterproofs and get up those trees!

Images kindly supplied by www.goape.co.uk