Having been a climber even before she could walk, we always presumed POD would relish taking to the trees. But her first experience of a treetop adventure, at Center Parcs last year, didn’t quite go to plan. She had to be rescued after accidentally letting go of a zip wire rope which led to her dangling mid-air. The heavy rain that followed didn’t ease the situation that’s for sure although she was back to her usual chirpy self after a hot chocolate.
We were somewhat apprehensive about reviewing Go Ape at Alice Holt last summer. But it was a dry day and the three of us had the best time doing it together – we even got around the course a few times too. Alice Holt Forest, managed by the Forestry Commission, is one of our favourite places to visit locally although we love the National Trust too. Situated near Farnham, it’s ideal for walking and cycling and there are several trails to follow too, not to mention adventure playgrounds. We’ve spent a little more time than we usually do there recently as POD has been perfecting her cycling skills. Its taken a little while for her to get to grips with steering and braking but she’s cracked it now. She’s relishing the independence cycling gives her. We really need to get ourselves new bikes so we can embark on our first family cycle!
On our most recent trip to Alice Holt, with the bike obviously, POD was itching to do Go Ape again. She asks on a regular basis if she can do it so we decided to go for it. The previous day had been gloriously sunny and with our plans for the beach foiled by much cooler temperatures, it was dry. I looked after the bike while POD led the way along the Go Ape Junior route, her Daddy following along behind.
You would honestly never know she’d only done Go Ape once before. She relished being in the air and the two of them had the whole course to themselves initially. Mainly because we’d arrived as soon as it opened. POD was quite happy to rock as she jumped even imagining some of the sections were horses! A couple of times, she even dangled in the air to check her safety harness would save her if she slipped. What a change from a year ago! All in all they went round the second harder route about four times, ending on each occasion with the zip wire which is always great fun. If you’ve not done Go Ape before, do give it a try – it’s really good value too.
