I hope everyone has been enjoying the lovely summer weather so far! Now that lockdown restrictions have eased, why not try out a fun, thrill based activity with your friends and family. We at Cooper Cottages decided on embark on an adventure amongst the trees by visiting Go Ape at Aberfoyle. Go Ape is an outdoor adventure centre which runs various tree top courses such as tree-to-tree crossings, zip lining across stretches of water and land and nets that are 30 feet above the forest floor! There are also fun activities that are ground based such as heavy-duty forest Segway on off-road trails. Go Ape is located in 35 different locations across Scotland, North England and Wales. We visited the Go Ape course located in Aberfoyle. This adventure centre was located in the stunning Trossachs National Park, surrounded by the greenery of mountains, forests, woodland and lochs.
The activity that we undertook was the Zip Line Experience followed by the Treetop Challenge, which I will explain more in detail! Before we began the activities, we had a lovely instructor that talked us through the necessary safety precautions of what to expect when undergoing these challenges. This involved strapping on a harness and going through a quick, introductory lesson on how to use our harness for maximum safety and security! Alongside our lesson, our instructor also explained how the facility was abiding by Covid-19 restrictions as we practiced social distancing and there was hand sanitiser at every section of the course. If interested to find out more, visit their Covid-19 page here.
The first activity that we participated in was the Zip Line Experience. The zip line experience involved two rides on one of Scotland’s longest dual zip lines which stretched through the Trossachs National Park in the Scottish Highlands. Zip lining across the valley which was up to 750 metres was an extremely thrilling and exciting experience as it felt like I was flying across the waterfall and above the pines! This was definitely my favourite activity out of the whole course as it was a great feeling to be soaring across waters and land with the wind in your face! We made sure to wear something that we didn’t mind getting a bit muddy as it can be a challenge to prevent a not too smooth landing on the ground!
In between the zip lining, we also completed the Treetop Challenge! This adrenaline induced challenge is made up of a series of high rope courses which various routes to choose from which increases in intensity! Along with dual zip wires that stretches over 400 metres. This course took about 2-3 to complete which involved undergoing routes such as extreme Stirrups, wobbling stack line challenge and the Half Trapeeze. The surroundings of the Trossachs National Park were amazing to witness, especially with the sunny weather that Scotland has been providing! This challenge was so much fun to complete as there was a different obstacle to accomplish, each with varying degrees of intensity which made it all the more rewarding once completed! Additionally, it was all the more fun completing the course with my team mates as for me personally, it was definitely a team effort to complete some of the routes. Once completing course, you were then able to zip line back to the starting point.
Completing the whole course definitely worked up an appetite. We then stopped by the café within the Go Ape centre and grabbed a bite to eat! If looking for am all day, adventure packed summer, I would highly recommend visiting Go Ape with your friends or family. There’s no better way to step out of your comfort zone and bond with your loved ones, than by climbing up trees and zip lining across metres of waters and land!
If looking for a place to stay that is driving distance from Go Ape, check out No. 76 in Stirling. No. 76, Stirling is a tastefully renovated 3 bedroom house in the historical centre of Stirling. Or, if staying in Strathyre check out The Byre, a spacious 4 bedroom house situated alongside the River Balvaig in the heart of Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.
