Go Ape Yourself (Go Ape! Thetford Forest)

Member Name: waterlilly

Product:	Go Ape! Thetford Forest
Date:	07/07/09 (116 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Exciting group activity in a beautiful setting

Disadvantages: It's high up

About two months ago I got an email inviting me to a hen do. This was a hen do I really had to go to based on who the hen was so imagine my dismay when it was announced that we were going to do a ropes course (Heights are evil. If one must be high up it should be in huge, over designed buildings or planes, not attached to ropes) followed by camping. I wondered when my friends had all become outdoorsy people and where the spa going hen do's were. So I offered to be the group's official photographer and bag carrier and a plan was formed.

That's right, I am going to review the Thetford Forest Go Ape without ever having climbed a ladder or travelled down a zip line! "Oh dear, I must alert the dooyoo powers that be," I hear you say. No, I intend to tell you just how important it is for groups doing Go Ape to take a non-participating group member and convince some of you that you can enjoy such a trip without dealing with vertigo and paralysing fear! I might even convince one or two that you might be able to do the course despite that paralysing fear.

The Thetford Forest Go Ape (http://www.goape.co.uk/days-out-in/suffolk/thetfo rd/the-course) high wire adventure is the original and really one of the most beautiful locations of the franchise. Located in the largest lowland pine forest in Britain, you will find the High Lodge Forest Centre in Suffolk is "off the B1107 Thetford to Brandon Road, and signposted from Brandon and the A11" according to the website. I suggest using some maps and sat-nav for those not from the area, but it really was surprisingly easy to find. A bus service can be pre-booked to get you from bus and rail stations. Check the website for more details as I did not use this particular service. There is tons of parking, but beware, it is not the cheapest parking out there at £1.60 per hour! You can pay for parking using cash or card at the machines located near the toilets.

One of the benefits of being the non-participating member of the group (or official photographer/carrier of bags and water bottles) is that it's free to wander any of the paths through the forest, including those that follow the high ropes course. However, the six ladies who did the course felt that it was very good value for money. For the Gorillas (18yrs+) it is £25 and for Baboons (10-17yrs) it is £20. They do not allow under 10s on the course and the under 18s must be accompanied by an adult. There were two boys with their mother ahead of our hen group and the boys were kicking everyone else's butts. Mom was just trying to keep up with them.

Everyone signed a waiver to ensure that if they were stupid enough not to clip themselves in properly and fell to their death that Go Ape would not be responsible. It was very straight forward. They then got kitted up and paused for a photo with the ape statue. This was followed by the instructional section which seemed to go on for quite awhile. As this portion is not very photo worthy, in retrospect, it would have been a good time to go get an ice cream! Anyway, most found that when they were actually holding their two safety ropes and pulley at the top of the first platform most of the instructions went right out of their heads but the staff were there to talk them through it.

There are 5 sections to the course and you return to the ground via zip chord at the end of each section. According to the website the crossings cover 739m and the highest point is 12 m off the ground. The first is about five feet off the ground and is merely to allow you to practise clipping yourself in and then using the zip wire to exit the section.

The second piece quickly throws the other complicated portion at you. From the first platform you swing into the first of the two rope walls. The space for this is about ten metres (estimating from the ground) but was pretty daunting as the first activity out! The staff continued to keep a close eye on how everyone was doing with the safety procedures during this section and after that trusted you to get on with it. A couple of our group members needed a little encouragement to get through this first piece and we quickly discovered that it was best to have some of our stronger members (the hen had actually done it three other times!) sort of paired up with some of the weaker. They would wait on the next platform for them to arrive and give advice on getting through a particular section.

The engineering that went into the course is unbelievable. All of the Go Ape ropes courses were designed and built by James Comte. Go Ape has been allowed to build in some of Britain's protected areas and so takes its environmental responsibilities very seriously. Nothing is actually screwed into a tree. This might make one a little nervous as what then is holding up the platforms? There are braces that grip the tree that everything rests upon. As the tree grows the braces can be widened and the trees are checked every year. The fourth section of the course is the longest and most challenging. It begins with the Tarzan Swing which is quite a large swing into another rope wall. You are able to skip this by taking an easier route however every member of our group did the leap. This was the only section where I lost site of the ladies for awhile as it weaves through the trees quite beautifully.

So how was I helpful? Well Go Ape has no facilities for storing your belongings so unless you have friends and family not heading up on the course you must leave them in the car a fairly long distance away. One section of the course has a water fountain at the bottom which is very helpful, but we were there on a very warm, sunny day and the ladies found it helpful to have water after every section! There was someone on the course ahead of use who had a camera up on the course with them but it isn't really recommended as it's hard to ensure the camera's safety. I got photos of the girls along the way which we've all laughed over since. They found it was rather fun to pose while waiting on platforms for the next piece. I also have some hilarious video footage of the ladies coming in for their landings at the bottom of the zip cords.

When booking we really wondered if there was anyway it could take the three hours suggested on the website. It was a Saturday morning and there were people on all sections of the course at all times so at points there was a wait, particularly on the swing sections that take longer to attach and detach from. We were kept occupied and generally entertained for three hours! Four members of the group doing the ropes course were very athletic types and didn't struggle with much other than slight nerves. The other two were not at all athletic types and did struggle with the rope ladders in particular. Everyone was tired and hungry by the end of the course!

That leads to the other facilities available at High Lodge. The toilets were fairly clean considering the high volume of traffic. The café served very nice jacket potatoes and baguettes as well as cakes for very reasonable prices. The jackets and baguettes were less than £4. There was a mini zip line for children which had a constant queue as well as a fairly large playground. There is a grassy area for picnicking and bbqs can be hired from the forestry commission. Bike hire was also available and many were arriving with their own bikes to take advantage of the extensive cycle trails which are labelled by difficulty. The cycle and walking trails allow people to explore 50,000 acres of forest which is pretty impressive!

We had a great time at Go Ape and would recommend it to others. At my age I decided I am old enough to know that, while I might force myself through the ropes course, I would hate the heights and at some point have a hissy fit. I'm not going to force myself to do something to prove a point to no one. However, I'm so glad I chose to join the girls for the experience rather than arriving later in the day. If you're concerned about your strength and fitness level more than the heights then do not be put off. If our mixed group could make it through then so can you!

Summary: A great day out in the forest.