Go Ape

[Ninja Elephant]

I'm going on saturday, largely against my better judgement. Has anyone been? I've done the YouTube searches and whatnot to get an impression of what it's like, but can anyone give a firsthand account?

My crippling vertigo will be getting a good workout for a couple of hours I think.

 

[Badger]

I'm going on Saturday, I'll let you know!

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Which one you going to, Bedgebury?

 

[Notters]

I went to the Bedgebury one with work a few weeks ago and bloody loved it. Can't wait to go again. The zip-wires are awesome.

It is f**king high up though.

 

[Badger]

Itchin Valley, it's going to be midway through a stag do so I'm not sure how well it will fit in with a hangover!

 

[sam86]

I went to the one West of the New Forest earlier this year, and it was fantastic!

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

Been a couple of times before, it's bloody good fun and whilst you never feel in any danger it does get the blood thumping a few times.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

I went to the Bedgebury one with work a few weeks ago and bloody loved it. Can't wait to go again. The zip-wires are awesome.

It is f**king high up though.

The height is a bit of a concern. When I was 10/11ish I climbed to the top of the climbing frame in Vale Park. 4 hours later, I finally climbed down. Not my best moment, to be fair. I even get vertigo at the top level of Churchill Squre! Going to be an experience.

Itchin Valley, it's going to be midway through a stag do so I'm not sure how well it will fit in with a hangover!

I might adopt a similar approach actually, get tanked up on booze before going in there. Can't hurt...

 

[Perkino]

It's great fun, you have 2 safety cables so you're in no risk unless you're being an idiot. It is a little high but you don't ever feel like you're going to fall. My personal feeling was it was too safe and therefore made it quite slow but also there were some very slow people going round in front of me so I had to wait for them as you can't really overtake.

My advise, go in the full knowledge that you will be perfectly safe and that it will take a few hours then you'll love it

 

[LukeOwen]

Went to one around Guildford it was really good pretty high up and the zip wires are fantastic

 

[Badger]

I might adopt a similar approach actually, get tanked up on booze before going in there. Can't hurt...

Chundering on people from a great height could be quite entertaining.

 

[Carrot Cruncher]

It's great fun, you have 2 safety cables so you're in no risk unless you're being an idiot. It is a little high but you don't ever feel like you're going to fall. My personal feeling was it was too safe and therefore made it quite slow but also there were some very slow people going round in front of me so I had to wait for them as you can't really overtake.

My advise, go in the full knowledge that you will be perfectly safe and that it will take a few hours then you'll love it

I agree with that and saves me typing it! The only thing is, if you're terrified of heights (luckily I'm not), it's very hard to convince your brain it's safe, even though you are!

Zip wires are bloody brilliant.

 

[Bazzza67]

I went to Bedgebury last Friday.....myself and my daughter absolutely loved it...my 10-year son, however, froze
on the second course, and had to be bought down by one of the instructors; he then followed on the ground. They
were good enough to give a refund for the fees we paid for him.

If you are not good with heights, this is not for you!!

You go through the safety precautions, then an instructor follows you on a low practise course and watches your
actions and then from course 2 to 5 you are on your own, athough an instructor patrols the courses.

At the end of each course you descend by zip wire, each course gets higher and higher. The last zip wire, you must be
at least +60ft up..

Providng you follow all the safety procedures it's very safe...only drawback I found is that on the last two zip wires,
I spun around and was coming down backwards....I wasn't trying to show off at all!!..

We went at 2:30pm, the saftey run-through and practise course took about 45 minutes, then took nearly 2 hours to
do course 2 to 5. There was only one other group ahead of us, if it is busier, I would imagine it will take longer..

Would definitely do again, but maybe another course, apparently there is one at Leeds Castle as well.

Enjoy!

 

[fire&skill]

Brilliant fun HOWEVER as (at the time) a 40 year old man who'd frankly let himself go a bit there were a couple of embarrassing moments. The first was the practice go on the rope ladder thing. I struggled and am still minded of a picture in an encyclopaedia from my youth of a horse being lifted off a ship in a harness. That's how they got me off. A chap next to my wife was heard to mutter 'Is there a special needs party in?'

The second came as I negotiated a barrel type crawl through thing and jammed myself in the end, resulting in the sinewy army type chap I'd been following having to help me out. He was a good ten years older than me as well.

Aside from all that, I did feel like Lewis Collins in 'Who Dares Wins' on a few occasions.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Brilliant fun HOWEVER as (at the time) a 40 year old man who'd frankly let himself go a bit there were a couple of embarrassing moments. The first was the practice go on the rope ladder thing. I struggled and am still minded of a picture in an encyclopaedia from my youth of a horse being lifted off a ship in a harness. That's how they got me off. A chap next to my wife was heard to mutter 'Is there a special needs party in?'

The second came as I negotiated a barrel type crawl through thing and jammed myself in the end, resulting in the sinewy army type chap I'd been following having to help me out. He was a good ten years older than me as well.

Aside from all that, I did feel like Lewis Collins in 'Who Dares Wins' on a few occasions.

Without being cruel, I am howling with laughter. Superbly written post! There is a rather large chap in our party, which should be interesting. Ironically, I've lost count of the times I've said "who dares wins"...

 

[Ninja Elephant]

I went to Bedgebury last Friday.....myself and my daughter absolutely loved it...my 10-year son, however, froze
on the second course, and had to be bought down by one of the instructors; he then followed on the ground. They
were good enough to give a refund for the fees we paid for him.

If you are not good with heights, this is not for you!!

You go through the safety precautions, then an instructor follows you on a low practise course and watches your
actions and then from course 2 to 5 you are on your own, athough an instructor patrols the courses.

At the end of each course you descend by zip wire, each course gets higher and higher. The last zip wire, you must be
at least +60ft up..

Providng you follow all the safety procedures it's very safe...only drawback I found is that on the last two zip wires,
I spun around and was coming down backwards....I wasn't trying to show off at all!!..

We went at 2:30pm, the saftey run-through and practise course took about 45 minutes, then took nearly 2 hours to
do course 2 to 5. There was only one other group ahead of us, if it is busier, I would imagine it will take longer..

Would definitely do again, but maybe another course, apparently there is one at Leeds Castle as well.

Enjoy!

Thanks for the reply, it looks and sounds like a quality adventure. But I think I might go the way of your son! I've frozen once or twice down the years... At the top of the Reichstag building in Berlin, for example... A big burly German security guy physically picked me up and walked me over to the elevator! Low point.

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

Been to Bedgebury,great fun especially the zip wires.Filmed the last one coming down on my mobile!
The stirrups are bloody hard though!

 

[Beach Hut]

Been to three different ones and all very good family days out

 

[tubaman]

I,ve been with a really mixed group of people who hate heights to a greater and lesser degree and everybody enjoyed it. Completely safe. Have a good day.

 

[brakespear]

I went to the one West of the New Forest earlier this year, and it was fantastic!

My wife, the kids and some of their friends (both adults and children) went to this week before last and a good time was had by all I think - although as far as I can glean the adults found it a bit more hair-raising than the kids