GoApe Aberfoyle

With a beastly winter coming our way I am starting to cram as many outdoor activities I can into Autumn before we are hit with -temperatures. The last few weeks have been very sea/loch based for me so I was keen to stay on dry land for a few days – and yesterday I took that to another level and went sky-high! I don’t know how I have managed to go 5 years in Glasgow without ever visiting GoApe – but if you live in the area, or nearby any of the other GoApe courses you have got to give this a go.

Adele and I got SO lucky with the weather, I booked two weeks prior to our visit and when I woke up yesterday morning it was one of those cold, crisp and sunny autumnal days. SCORE! But if you don’t get so lucky, I would recommend bringing waterproof trousers and a jacket – if you have as much grace as me you’ll be on your backside often and therefore pretty wet and muddy!

While GoApe is a great place for children, you don’t need to be a young flexible whiz kid to enjoy this place. We went for a girly day out and had a blast. I also think it would be such a fun alternative date idea – I’d much rather swing about trees for an afternoon than go for cocktails. Although, cocktails post tree swinging would be nice…

So what to wear and what to bring

• Closed toe shoes (trainers were perfect)
• Trousers/gym leggings – that can get a little mucky
• Waterproofs if its going to be wet
• Gloves would be a good idea – I didn’t bring any and my hands were getting sore towards the end (big wimp).
• Some snacks, or pennies to buy snacks at the end. Tree swinging makes for thirsty work.

What to expect

On arrival you are given safety rules to read through (pretty important as you are responsible for your own safety on this course). Then given a safety briefing by a team member who then ensures you have your harness on correctly, and shows you exactly how to clip on and off all the wires.

Thrown into the deep end – the start of this course is a spectacular 426m zip line through the trees to the first landing station where you begin the route.

With a body pumped with adrenaline you make your way round 5 different aerial assault courses with various challenges on each – my personal favourite being the Tarzan swing. Ahhh ah ahh ahhhhh!

My least favourite being…

Always time for a quick selfie (you can take phones/cameras round as long as they zip away in the a pocket).

And finally at the end – after many Tarzan Jane fails and a very muddy bum we were presented with a certificate of awesomeness. Thanks Go Ape!

I also thought I’d mention – if the whole family is coming along but only a few people want to participate in the Go Ape course… there is lots more to do. Plenty trails for walking/biking in the surrounding areas, also Ben A’an and Ben Venue are right next door for hill walkers. And for those with tired legs – the cafe is great and has incredible cake!

Go Ape Aberfoyle

Keep up with recent adventures @ronamcmillan

Rona X