Go Ape - Thetford Forest High Lodge

13/11/2014

OK, so I'm not good with heights, nor am I particularly fit, I also have no sense of balance and am about as uncoordinated as they come. Either this makes me the worst person in the world to be sent to review Go Ape, or, it was utter genius!

Go Ape is always one of those things I've quite fancied trying but always talked myself out of, mainly due to all the points I mentioned above. My husband however is a daredevil who lives for this type of thing, so when I was asked if I would like to go to my local Go Ape in Thetford and take a guest along to review the experience he was made up and there was no backing out for me.

So one mild and sunny Friday lunch time with the little one in nursery we went to Thetford Forest to try out the Tree Top Adventure. I was both nervous and excited in equal measure, this really was quite a big deal for me as I'm not great with heights and particularly dislike the idea of falling from them but on the flip side I loved the idea of the zip lines and the thrill of it.

High Lodge at Thetford Forest is an ideal location for Go Ape, not only do you have the trees required for a Tree Top Adventure but you also have great facilities like a cafe, toilets, kids play area and more than enough things to do to occupy you for the rest of the day once your Go Ape experience is finished, the small downside being it is High Lodge that set the car parking charges and they are a tad pricey, that is nothing to do with Go Ape though and they do warn you about the charges on their website so we were able to arrive pre-warned and with plenty of change, although this wasn't necessary as notes and cards were both accepted in the machines.

We got a really friendly welcome at the Go Ape building, all the staff we came across were excellent, friendly and knowledgeable and they really put me at ease. They had somewhere safe for us to leave our phones and bags, it is not wise to keep things in your pockets as you go round the course unless they zip up! Sadly this means I do not have any pictures for you, even if I had taken my phone round I wouldn't have been taking pictures, I was in a state of absolute concentration.

The safety briefing was superb, you even got to try out how the harness and cables worked on the ground with specially laid out mini wires, our harnesses were all individually fitted and we were all shown how to do everything on the 1st part of the course which was just a smaller version of what was to come. In our group there was a school party, another group of two and us, so the instructor sent the two smaller groups first so we could get on. This was really nice as it meant we effectively had the course to ourselves, very rarely seeing anyone else.

As for the actual experience, I'm still, several weeks later, not convinced I actually enjoyed myself. My husband loved it, he had the best time doing all the hardest options, laughing at me and flinging himself down the zip lines. I on the other hand had to work hard at what I did, it was all completely doable, even in my unfit state and most of it wasn't even that strenuous, it was just the cargo nets I found difficult. There is also a small chance I got stuck and had to be rescued (how embarrassing), got some great bruises from slipping and ended up with bark chips and mud in places that should never see such things!My Go Ape CertificateI am SO proud of myself though, I did something I never thought I'd be able to do, I faced my fears and at no point did I actually feel at all unsafe or worried. Before I went I thought I would be worried about falling or feeling unsafe and I really didn't, not for one second, that is down to the brilliant staff and the safety briefing. I thought I would be too fat and unfit, but I wasn't, I honestly believe that anyone could do this if they wanted, regardless of there physical fitness OK I found some bits strenuous and boy did I ache the next day but I still managed it and without holding anyone up, apart from when I got stuck. So I may not be rushing back to do it again, but I'm not saying I'd never do it again and I certainly wouldn't change the fact that I did do it. In a strange, painful and grubby way I had a great time.

My husband loved it, would do it again tomorrow and the next day and the day after that! He loved the fact that at certain points there were harder routes that could be taken, so he could challenge himself without me feeling left out. He got a certain amount of satisfaction laughing at me, especially when I lost my trainers (make sure footwear is tightly laced, not just slipped on!) and when I thought I'd got wedged in a barrel. He also found baby wiping the mud from my back humorous. He'll be taking L on the junior version the second he is big enough! He couldn't find fault in a single thing that day, he really did have the best time, the fact it was timed nicely with his Birthday and it was our first adult day together in forever was just an added bonus. Next on his list to try will be the Forest Segways and I'll certainly be up for trying that.

At the end of the day all you want to know is would I recommend Go Ape? Yes, yes I would. Perfect for facing fears, gaining confidence, team building, bonding and just having an exhilarating good time. Don't be put off trying is all I can say, every reason I had to not do this was blown out of the water because I did do it, not gracefully or particularly quickly but that doesn't matter in the slightest I've made some great new memories.