I’ve been an affiliate for Go Ape for a while and thought it was about time we went down to Wendover Woods to review it for ourselves. Mainly because every single time I visit Wendover Woods, Middle Child bangs on about doing it! There are two different courses here; the Treetop Challenge (with optional Extreme Route!) and the Treetop Adventure. Apparently these are two of the hardest courses in the GoApe family. Great (she says with a nervous grin).
We were gifted admission to try out the Treetop Adventure at Go Ape Wendover Woods in order to do this review. Go Ape had no input in the contents of the review and did not see it prior to publication.
First a little back story
When I was about 19 I did a static line parachute jump in Bicester, purely because my boyfriend at the time had done one and if he could, then so could I. That was really stupid. My parachute didn’t fully open and I was terrified. Since then I’ve not be the best at heights. Or activities that might finish me off. When we visited Clip & Climb (also in Bicester) I managed to get about half way up each wall but that was it. In short I’m moderately afraid of heights and scary things, but wanted to give Go Ape a go.
The safety stuff
Before you go onto the course you are kitted out in a fetching harness. I warn you, if you have any lumps or bumps these accentuate them AND an instructor has to get up close and personal to tighten everything. When you start the course you hook onto the steel wire and the only way you can get it off again is at the end of the zip line. Basically, once you start there’s no going back!
It’s slightly different on the Treetop Challenge, there you can/have to un-clip in places. Yet another reason why I wasn’t going to be doing that course. Basically, the most important thing is that it’s incredibly safe. You have two wires holding you on to the steel rope. Even if you were to fall you’d be safe. That said, I’m fairly sure if I had fallen off I would have just been dangling there until the end of time, because I don’t think I could have pulled myself back up!!
The courses
The Go Ape Treetop Adventure course at Wendover Woods is for anyone over 1 meter tall and has a maximum weight limit of 20.5 stone. The highest platform on this one is 5.5 meters up. It should take you about an hour to do. It’s actually two loops on this course. You start off on the “easy”, shorter loop which leads you round to the 85 meter zip line. Then you can either do the same loop again, or you can do the more difficult loop. Either way there’s a second trip down the zip line at the end.
The Treetop Challenge is for those over 10 years old, minimum 1.4 meters and max 20.5 stone. One adult can supervise up to two children whilst on the course. This one has adjustable difficulty levels apparently but the highest platform is 14 meters up and the longest obstacle is 20 meters long. That’s pretty big! Apparently it takes 2-3 hours to complete.
The obstacles
Considering it’s all a variation of walking along planks and ropes there’s a decent range of obstacles on the course. The rope bridge was probably my favourite. As soon as you step onto it the whole thing sinks down and kind of hugs you! The holes in the rope towards the end were reassuring!!! Some of them had been sewn up, but one was still open.
My least favourite was the climbing wall. Basically this bit has vertical planks of wood with climbing wall thingys screwed in and big ol’ gaps between the planks of wood. There was a very young kid doing the course on his own in-front of us who was terrified by this one. The poor sod was sobbing as we all tried to encourage him to go along it. Middle Child practically skipped along this one. Then my turn. I’ll be honest there were quite a lot of deep breaths between each step! I kept getting my cords caught on the hand grips so had to lean backwards to release the cords. Do you know what though, I managed it!
There was another mum doing the course slightly ahead of me. We kept passing each other at various trees and checking in to see how the other was doing. I think we were both a bit nervous and there was some really nice camaraderie going on!
One thing I will say, although the obstacles didn’t necessarily look that stable from the ground, actually it felt OK when you were up there. Which is easy enough for me to say because I didn’t do the hardest bit! Also, they’re not physically challenging, it’s more about being brave enough to do it than strong enough.
You want me to do what?
At the end of the loop is the zip line. This seems to be a favourite bit for most people. I have a video of the boys with the biggest smiles on their faces as they went down it. When it was my turn the instructor was great. I told him I wasn’t sure I could do it and he coaxed me into it. Realistically there was no other option. If I hadn’t gone down the line no-one else could have finished the course!
I think you can see from my face how much I enjoyed stepping off that platform! That said, by the time I got to the bottom I was so proud of myself! I’d done it.
Smallest Child had been watching us with my Mum whilst we did the course. And she’d spent most of it upset that she wasn’t on it with us. I decided not to do the second half of the course and stay with her. Yes, I know I’d chickened out, but I have a good excuse after the parachute trauma!! Any my daughter needed me!!!
By the time they got to the second loop Middle Child was absolutely in his element. He genuinely ran along several of the obstacles. This part of the course had more free-swinging platforms to walk between and Biggest Child was less-sure about those. He did it all though (again, he didn’t really have a choice) and I was so proud of him for carrying on regardless. Feel the fear and did it anyway (which is more than I’d manged)
Our Go Ape Wendover Woods Review
As nervous as I had been, actually it really wasn’t so bad. Yes, it set the heart racing at times, but I also knew it was safe. Like I said, it’s not about physical strength but how brave you are. The boys really enjoyed it and they were so good at it, even if Biggest Child was cautious. If you’re an adrenaline junkie then this is the place for you. If you want to test your boundaries, then this is the place for you! Hell, if I can do it then anyone can.
There were a few places where it got a little bit log-jammed. If someone was finding one obstacle a bit tricky then the next people would have to wait on the platform for their turn. That was all fine, unless other people kept going across the obstacle before that one. At one stage there was five people stood on one platform which should have had only three on it. I did wonder if maybe the instructors should have kept an eye out for this a bit more? That said, there were a few times when too many people were on one of the obstacles and they were quickly told to go back.
Admission cost
The Go Ape Treetop Adventure at Wendover Woods costs £20 per person. The Go Ape Treetop Challenge at Wendover Woods is £33 per person. You can book your slot via the website (affiliate link).
Parking / How to get there
Parking – On-site. Charges apply. Go Ape is based within Wendover Woods (read the review here for the full parking charges and facilities)
Address – Wendover Woods, Off Upper Icknield Way, Aston Clinton Buckinghamshire, HP22 5NF
Toilets
On Site
Food
Cafe on site, picnics allowed.
What else is there to do nearby?
Hi, I’m Vicky. My husband and I live in Aylesbury with our three children; a 14 year old son, an 12 year old son and a 6 year old daughter. I (mostly) love spending time together as a family. We visit all kinds of places and we’re quite happy to drive a fair distance for a decent day out. A few years ago I decided to set up Free Time with the Kids as a way to share our experiences of these family days out.
You’ll find the essential information you need to know before your visit that can be surprisingly hard to find out. Where do I park? How much will it cost me to get in? Are there any discounts available? Are there loos? Can I take a picnic or get food? My aim is to be your go-to guide for all your free and cheap family days out across Bucks, Beds, Oxon, Herts & slightly beyond. I really hope you find the reviews helpful. If there’s anywhere that you’d recommend please get in touch contact@freetimewiththekids.com or get in touch via Facebook
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