On one of the hottest days of the year we took shelter up in the tree tops of Go Ape at Delemere Forest, the Cheshire High Ropes treetop family attraction.
Our pre booked session was for 10am, we did arrive a little late due to not being able to workout where to go since all the new carpark had been done at Delemere. We finally realised you park in the main car park (normal charges apply, for 2 hours it’s £5.00 Aug 2022) and walk past the cafe and then you will see signs for Go Ape.
We signed in for our session at a little wooden hut, we also bought some fingerless gloves, these cost £6.00 each or you can just wear winter knitted gloves or simply go with out. It’s just so the rope doesn’t hurt your hands after a while. A pair of orange fingerless gloves also fills you with confidence as you look cool.
As we headed over to the start of the tree top trail we walked underneath some of the course and this got the girls very excited and me a little nervous. It’s very high up, 7 meters to be exact.
All the staff were great at the Delemere site, they were fun and chatty with the girls when getting on their harnesses, but also made sure they knew how everything worked and the do and don’t of the harness and the safety clip.
First up you have to do a little low course which is where you have the safety briefing and learn how to use the clip, and your harness is checked again by staff.
My 10 year old was confident and went first and I didn’t see her much as she was so much faster. She had her dad watching from the ground and knew the instructors were only a shout away.
My 7 year old was much more cautious and slowly went along with my help. She needed help with being unclipped and moving along the clip when you got to each tree. This was mainly as the clip was just out of her reach sometimes. You start on the easier of the two courses when doing the Treetops Adventure, this course has shorter obstacles which have the next step closer to you so your not reaching over too much of a gap. There is also a guide rope along this course so you have something to hold on to.
After one go on the slightly easier route. My 10 year old went onto the harder course. Sadly my 10 year old did get stuck behind some slower children which meant she spent along time waiting on platforms. This is just bad luck really but nothing you can do as you can’t skip ahead.
In the mean time me and my 7 year old went round the easy course for the second time but this time we were both feeling more confident, and didn’t have to hold on as much to the guide rope. This meant we were ready for the harder course.
We moved along the hard course well, we didn’t get stuck behind anyone and we could take our time and compete it in the speed we wanted. I managed to take my phone up with me as it was in a secure pocket and managed to get some lovely videos of my daughter being brave. Mummy was also brave for getting her phone out for a photo while 7 meters above the ground trying not to drop it!
The best part of the courses has got to be the mega zip wire at the end. There is a member of staff to help you get your clip in place, to make sure you’re holding the correct rope while you go down and to give advise on how to land at the bottom. I definitely didn’t do it in a gracefully manner but it was amazing fun.
Once the girls had both finished we went to get our harnesses taken off and they both got a cute personalised certificate to say they had completed the Treetop Adventure. My biggest girl is already asking to come back and do the even harder course.
Go Ape activities for adventurers of all ages
Young children over 1m tall will have the best day out tackling Treetop Adventure.
For children above 1.2m and over 6 years old, why not try Treetop Adventure Plus which offers more thrills and challenging crossings.
Treetop Challenge is for older children, teens and adult adventurers, but this is a high one – 12 metres up and the stunning views are worth it.
Where is Go Ape Delamere Forest?
Due to the rural location, it’s recommend that you do not use sat nav or GPS systems to locate the course, however if you feel it will aid your journey, head for ‘Delamere Railway Station’ on Station Road – the B5152. Go Ape will be signposted from here and is only a few minutes away.
