A Treetop Adventure in the Heart of the City

My boyfriend is a huge fan of adventure. He has always loved experiences that take him to the edge, and thrills that really get the adrenaline pumping. Sometimes living in a big city and working hard make this a difficult thing to achieve…but sometimes opportunity presents itself in a wonderful way!

When he turned 40, I wanted to buy him something special. I spent some time looking around for the perfect gift, and I decided I wanted to get him an experience, something that we could enjoy together, rather than just another gift. I found a great website, www.buyagift.co.uk which gave me loads of inspiration, and I eventually decided on a trip to Go Ape, which promised to bring excitement and adventure to the heart of the big city.

Go Ape offers a way to try life on the wild side without leaving the city. Against the background of some of the loveliest woodlands and most beautiful green spaces in London you can put on a harness and climb to the treetops, before swinging your way from tree to tree, conquering tunnels, drops, swings and bridges along the way. It is designed as a unique, thrilling day out and an exciting way to get back to nature.

In the end, it took us a year and a half to find a time we could both make it and book, so he ended up ‘going ape’ at the age of 41 and a half! While it might seem like something designed for younger people, it ended up being exciting, and we had a really great time.

Go Ape has several locations in and around London, but we ended up choosing to go to the one in Alexandra Palace as it was the easiest location to get to. As we are both self-employed, we were able to go on Friday, rather than risking the crowds over the weekend, which was brilliant. The centre was nearly deserted, and there were only 2 other couples, which meant we were able to spend far more time having adventures up in the treetops than we might otherwise have had.

Despite the thrills and the risks of climbing high above the city, the experience makes you feel safe at all times. The first thing we did when we arrived was take part in a training session on how to use the gear, and practice in the area on the ground until we felt confident using the kit correctly. Once we felt ready, we began our ascent. I have to admit to feeling a little scared to begin with, but the adrenaline and excitement soon conquered my fears.

Up in the trees there were three levels to conquer, and at each level the challenges got harder. I do, technically, have a gym membership, but I have to admit that I never go there. On this day I regretted my laziness! At every challenge I felt that I didn’t have enough muscles to climb the ropes, but each time felt that I had to!

My boyfriend was an expert, and finished all the challenges successfully. He found everything so easy, and just seemed to be having fun throughout. I made sure that his extra energy didn’t go to waste, though, and he spent a long time encouraging me along, helping me through each challenge and trying to make sure that I finished too. 

Maybe I am not the natural person for this sort of experience, but I enjoyed it anyway. I did spend at least five minutes before every challenge psyching myself up, and I was the only one asking too many questions about risks and dangers. In the end, I found my ceiling and called it a day after level two. I did feel a bit guilty about buying a gift like this, just to hang from a rope on top of the sky, but once I’d finished level two and had a cup of tea I realised that I had had a fantastic time out there. My favourite challenges ended up being the Tarzan Swing and the Plummet, which weirdly enough were also the most exciting ones. 

I guess despite my fears I am more of a thrill-seeker than I thought I was! This experience definitely changed my attitude, and now I’m looking for another experience, perhaps this time at a more challenging place. I now know that this time I can walk on the sky without a safety net…