What a treetop adventure! I say this not as somebody who has watched from the ground but got involved – why should the children have all the fun?!
Well organised, safe, lots of fun, a little bit terrifying with a big adrenaline rush. I genuinely felt challenged when I went up there: wobbly walkways, swinging walkways, intricate walkways, stepping stones, cargo nets and much much more make for a really exhilarating adventure – plus a zip wire, my absolute favourite part!
At Wendover there are two circuits, the one you start on is pretty easy and the second more challenging. We managed three circuits in our allotted time of one hour, and each circuit ends at the zip wire. We saw a few children having wobbles about the height or difficulty of the walkways, the platforms and walkways are high up in the air, and were really impressed with how the staff handled it. One girl ahead of us was getting very upset and a staff member came up and went across the walkway she was unsure of with her – she was really brave and got a well deserved round of applause when she reached the next platform.
Is this for you or your child? I’ve done a fair bit of climbing and on my first circuit I had a bit of a sharp intake of breath when I looked down. But once you gain confidence in the continuous belay safety attachment you’ll be flying! All through the course you are attached to the safety line and once you are on it, you cannot come off it whilst in the trees. Both my older boys ‘fell’ off one of the walkways and after the initial shock, they were way more confident sitting back into their harnesses and whizzing along. Harnesses are checked continuously by staff at various points of the circuit so you know you are safe. Children are way less risk-averse then us grown-ups but often need re-assurance at the beginning of new experiences. My two had zero fear and I think a life in the circus awaits. Do Giffords do work experience?!
Give yourself time to enjoy all that Wendover has to offer, which includes the Gruffalo and the Zog trail, easy access walking routes, cycling trails, playgrounds and more.
