Go Ape


Go Ape! is an outdoor adventure company which runs tree top ropes courses under the names Tree Top Challenge, Tree Top Adventure and Zip Trekking, as well as ground-based Forest Segway Safaris, at locations across the UK and the US.

History

The company was founded in 2001 by Rebecca and Tristram Mayhew, after they were inspired by a tree-top adventure course in France, and has a contract with the Forestry Commission for courses on multiple sites. The first course opened in March 2002 in Thetford Forest, on the borders of Norfolk and Suffolk; it was the first self-belay tree top ropes course in Britain. The company's motto is "creating adventures, encouraging others to live life more adventurously." In 2003, the company won a Best Tourist Attraction award and has also won a number of other awards. In 2007, it was shortlisted for the Best Norfolk Attraction award at the Tourism In Norfolk Awards.
In 2008 the company opened five new courses in Kent, Cumbria, Devon, Buckinghamshire and Staffordshire. On 8 May 2010 Go Ape opened their first course in the United States at Rock Creek Regional Park in Rockville, Maryland. In March 2015, a "Treetop adventure course" was opened in Wake County.
The courses are made up of zip wires, rope swings, ladders, walkways, bridges and tunnels made of wood. There are "Adventure" courses at a number of sites around the country designed for 6 - 12 year olds. There are also Segway scooters and mountain bikes for those who prefer to stay on the ground.
In 2014 Go Ape! ventured into trampoline parks, opening sites in East Kilbride, Wolverhampton and Stevenage under the name Air Space. This part of the business was later sold in 2017 to Oxygen Freejumping.
On 29 September 2019 Verity Bailes, from Peterborough, became the first person to complete Go Ape’s Treetop Challenge at all 34 locations across the UK.

Facilities

There are 34 Tree Top Challenge courses in forests in England, Scotland and Wales consisting of rope ladders, zip-lines, rope bridges, trapezes and swings. There are also 11 Forest Segway experiences and 23 Tree Top Adventure courses, aimed at children. The course in Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, near Aberfoyle in Stirling, has one of the longest zip-lines in Britain.

Controversy

There have been public outcries over their proposals. They chose not to build a course in the Bidjigal Reserve in New South Wales, and met some opposition to their plans to expand in Moel Famau, North Wales. In England, there was a public response over their proposal in Rivington and Essex County Council declined a proposal after protests. A Go Ape ropes course proposal in the United States was declined after a large neighbourhood outcry in Lincoln Park.

Go Ape locations

United Kingdom