It’s safe to say that the seven-year-old could do with building his confidence a little.
What better way to do that than to send him into the treetops, scrambling across nets and wobbly bridges with just a harness preventing him from plunging to the ground? .
That makes it sound like he did it under duress: I can assure you that wasn’t the case. He received Go Ape Treetop Adventure tickets as a birthday gift from my dad this year, and we booked him in for his experience at Go Ape Thetford Forest on a sunny Saturday in April.
Thetford Forest in Suffolk is home to the original Go Ape. You’ll now find experiences in 37 locations across the UK, all with incredible views to enjoy.
Described as “perfect for kids aged 4-6”, Treetop Adventure is the entry-level course. Entry-level it may be, but there’s still a minimum height of 1m. The highest platform is 6.3m above the forest floor, and with a 66m zip line at the end of the course, we’d expected it to be an adrenaline-filled experience.
We weren’t wrong.
While each Treetop Adventure course is expected to last an hour, the Go Ape team recommends setting aside two hours for the experience. Here’s why.
On arrival
We arrived 15 minutes early for his Go Ape experience, as requested in the email I’d received on booking. The team at the desk scanned the tickets, handed over bright orange wristbands and directed us to the briefing area, where we waited until the group before ours had begun their adventure.
When it was time to begin, the team checked the child’s and his dad’s wristbands before helping them strap themselves into their harnesses.
Once secure, it was time for the briefing to explain how the equipment worked. They demonstrated the two lines attached to the harness: one constantly attached to the safety system on the course, one which you unclip and reclip to move to the next challenge.
Before heading up into the trees, you complete a small ground-level practice course to ensure you can easily operate the equipment. They also encourage you to take your feet off the wooden boards and dangle. For our son, it offered confidence that he would be secure on the course and demonstrated to him that he could regain his footing if he did miss a step.
With that, it was time to head up into the trees. A member of the team helped the boys clip their lines to the start of the safety system, and they ascended the stairs to the first platform.
The course
The course started fairly simple: a wooden bridge with ropes to the sides to use as handrails. The seven-year-old conquered this first section relatively easily, and then it was onto trickier challenges.
There were wobbly bridges. There was a single pole to walk along. There were treetop scramble nets, and sections in multiple parts, requiring careful balance to manoeuvre between them.
At the end of the course came a further test. His challenge was to cross a rope bridge with no handrails, using just his safety lines for balance. This one definitely looked tricky!
The last thrill was the zip line, with the added excitement of whizzing over people’s heads to land on the platform at the end of the course. If you finish the course with time remaining, the Go Ape team allow you to have another go on the zip line, extending the thrills for longer.
Mission complete, it was back to drop off the harnesses and receive certificates and stickers for completion. You can also buy medals from the kiosk for £3 as a souvenir of your Go Ape adventure.
Our thoughts…
The whole Go Ape Treetop Adventure experience felt efficient and well-organised. Every single member of the team was friendly and helpful, and made our son feel at ease.
I like the practice course at the start – it’s a great way to get kids and adults alike familiar with the safety system before heading up into the trees. The metal attachments on the ends of the safety lines are heavy, so smaller children may need some help with them before they join the course.
The Go Ape team recommend that you wear gloves for the experience, and we totally agree – it’s an experience that’s hard on the hands. If you don’t have your own, you can buy suitable gloves from the kiosk when you arrive.
Our son is at the shorter end of the minimum height scale, and his height did mean he struggled in places. There were parts of the course where he found it hard to unclip and reclip his safety line when he reached a platform and his dad needed to catch up and help.
The real test, though, was always going to be asking him whether he’d return. It was a resounding yes. He’s keen to try other Go Ape locations nearby (see the full list here), as well as attempting the next level up: Treetop Adventure Plus.
Prices for the Go Ape Treetop Adventure experience at Thetford Forest start from £21.95 per person. If you think you’ll be a regular, their Annual Passes are great value, compared with the price of individual tickets, so well worth considering!