There is nothing that The Boy loves more than clambering up a tree. It provides a real sense of achievement and connecting with the natural world in that manner really grounds the soul, uplifting and revitalising the body.
Last weekend we travelled down to the New Forest for my mother-in-law's 70th birthday celebrations. This involved the extended family spending three hours up a tree, clambering over cargo nets and sliding down zipwires.
I knew as soon as The Boy clapped eyes on the Go Ape trail that he'd want to take part, unfortunately participants have to be over 140cm and over 10 years old. Luckily though, the site that we were visiting also had a junior trail which he was able to try out and did so with relish!
After settling the grown-ups onto their trail, we got him kitted out in a very secure safety harness and a pair of gloves before embarking on the safety briefing.
It's quite an extraordinary thing watching your child develop their independence; as heartwarming as it is to see them grow and develop, it's also a little bittersweet when you realise their reliance upon you is decreasing.
But look at him go!
I can't even begin to explain how much I also wanted to pretend to be Superman on the zipwire, as he did!
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Go ape is great fun 🙂 i've done the cannock chase course. I'd love to try the others
Oh my just look at him go! He looks so confident and simply loving those wires. That last capture is brilliant, I really must take my gang, we still haven't tried it since France 2 years ago. Thank you for sharing on Country Kids.
Great pics – my son is the same, so happy to be up there doing this kind of stuff. Luckily for him, he is now 10, so he could do the "big" course this summer and did so at Sherwood Forest. He absolutely loved it – thought it was brilliant. However, he had to be accompanied by my husband who was not really quite as convinced….!
what a happy happy boy he is, his face says it all. Hope you MIL enjoyed her go on the adult course. I bet he cant wait to turn 10 and go on the adult course.
I just promised my two this past weekend that I'd take them to Go Ape as they just had an amazing time doing recreational tree climbing with harnesses! You've convinced me it's still worth going although they're only 7.
Go Ape looks amazing and look at your boy go, brilliant. I wish I felt confident to go up that high (I'm not a great fan of heights) although have been known to climb a tree and you guessed it, in heels! Haha! It is a truly wonderful thing watching your kids grow and develop. Stunning photos as always too 🙂
I really need to take our little one before our even littler one arrives and we have to bring a load of new baby stuff with us and get prams stuck in the mud. But I'm so bad with heights, I can barely watch kids on the climbing frames in the park. Don't want our little one to inherit these fears, though, so I've got to take a deep breath and head into the woods. 🙂
This is just down the road from me. It's fab isn't it. My kids are a year or two away from doing it. I'm not wishing their lives away but I'm looking forward to being able to do it with them. In the meantime, we have a rope swing in the garden. 🙂
I honestly think children live for such moments. They relish the experience. While parents are bothered about buying them the latest gadget, the kids are wondering about creating unforgettable moments like this. And, I like the fact that it bolsters their confidence.