A few weeks ago me and the big kids took advantage of an INSET day while the younger two were still in school and we headed off on a Go Ape adventure. I’ve done the Go Ape course at Moors Valley twice and Big Sis has done Bracknell so we decided to go to Wendover Woods this time. Step Kid has never done Go Ape before so was super excited.
Go Ape is a high ropes adventure course through the trees. The courses include wobbly bridges, nets, Tarzan swings and zip lines. Wendover Woods is one of 36 locations around the UK where you can take part in a Go Ape adventure. This is one of the hardest courses with a whopping 429 metres of high rope crossings and an 85 metre zip line at the final platform. If you want to really push yourself to the limit you can take on the extreme route at the final site. It takes you 13 metres up in the trees and has a 150 metre zip line to finish!!
To take part in the Go Ape Treetop Challenge you must be over 10 years of age and at least 1.4m tall. There is also the Treetop Adventure course which is suitable for kids aged 4 upwards and over 1m tall. The kids Adventure course takes approximately 1 hour, while the bigger Treetop Challenge course takes 2-3 hours (although it took us longer!).
When you arrive at Go Ape you sign in and are harnessed up by an experienced instructor. The instructor then gives a safety briefing and shows you how to use your belay. The course is split into 5 sites, with the instructor supervising you at the first site. You are then free to continue the course at your own pace. All harnesses have a whistle attached so if you get into trouble you can blow the whistle to get an instructor’s attention.
We spent 3 hours and 40 minutes in total doing the safety briefing and then the course. As we were at the back of the group it took us longer, those at the front finished much quicker. We also got held up for a while after someone in front of us managed to jam their belay on a zip-line and had to be rescued. This was down to user error though, not any fault of the equipment. There are signs on each platform showing you how to connect your belay safely and do the crossing.
If you want to take photos while up on the high ropes you need to have your phone or camera attached to you. I used a waterproof phone case on a lanyard which was ideal. You also need decent shoes such as trainers or hiking boots (no sandals). Dress for the weather as Go Ape stays open even in the rain. They only close if there is high wind or lightening. Cropped tops are not allowed as your tummy must be covered and long hair must be tied back. We highly recommend wearing gloves to save the skin on your hands!
The course is challenging both physically and mentally. I found physically the hardest part was climbing up the cargo nets. My arms certainly felt it that’s for sure!
Our motto the whole time was “Dont think, just go!” That was the best way to do the trickier parts, such as throwing yourself off the platform on the Tarzan swing. Don’t let the fear factor of how high up you are creep in. It’s an exhilarating experience and I’m so glad we all completed it. We were so proud of ourselves! You get a certificate and sticker at the end to celebrate your achievement which i think is a really nice touch. We also bought medals from the gift shop and a fabric patch to go on their memory blanket.
We had the best time at Go Ape Wendover Woods and would highly recommend it. Different locations have different courses so I’m sure we’ll try out another one soon. It’s not the cheapest activity out there but it’s a great thing to do with older kids. The sense of achievement when you finish is awesome!
Facilities Checklist
- Toilets / Disabled Toilet Yes
- Pushchair / Wheelchair Friendly Yes (although bear in mind its a woodland)
- Dog Friendly Yes (around the woodlands, not on the high ropes course!)
- Refreshments available Yes from the onsite cafe
- Car Park Yes, pay at machine before you leave
- Gift Shop Yes
- Baby facilities In the cafe yes
Address: Go Ape Wendover Woods, Wendover Woodland Park, St Leonard’s Road, HP22 5NF
Price Band: ££
Website: https://goape.co.uk/locations/wendover
Disclaimer: I paid in full for our tickets and have no connection with Go Ape or Wendover Woods. All words, opinions and photos in this review are that of my own.
