As someone who suffers from a crippling fear of heights, I surprised myself when I agreed to visit Go Ape in Alexandra Palace. Which not only features a (very high) treetop challenge but also has knee-trembling views over North London.
But it looked fun and I am always up for a challenge, particularly when organising an outing with my sister. We secretly enjoy competing with each other, so what better way to spend time together than seeing who falls off the treetop adventure course first?
So, ignoring my shaky legs and vertigo, I took myself up to the Treetop Challenge at Go Ape’s Alexandra Palace location. In this Go Ape review, I’ll go into detail about my experience there, including information on the course itself, the staff, safety, and the pricing.
Pros
- Friendly and attentive staff
- I felt safe throughout the course
- It is great for a wide range of ages
Cons
- Group bookings could get expensive
What is Go Ape?
Go Ape is an outdoor adventure company specialising in treetop rope courses. They have 37 locations dotted around the UK, typically located in forests and nature parks.
Each Go Ape location is unique, with varying activities and courses for you to experience. Some locations have staggering views of nearby cities, whilst others are nestled inside beautiful forests. But you can be certain that each location has a variety of rope activities, including high rope courses, swings, and ziplines.
Check out all of the Go Ape locations
My experience
I tested out the Treetop Challenge at Go Ape’s Alexandra Palace location. I went with my sister and we spent just over 2 hours making our way around the course, ziplines, and Tarzan Swing. We did miss The Plummet, as there is only so much my vertigo can take. For the remainder of this Go Ape review, I will go into detail about safety, the course itself, the staff, and pricing.
Adventures at Alexandra Palace
- Treetop Challenge: 2-3 hours, 1.4m+, from £39
- Treetop Challenge Xpress: 1.5 hours, 1.4m+, from £32
- Treetop Adventure Plus: 1 hour, ages 6-10, from £28
- Treetop Adventure: 1 hour, ages 4-6, from £23
Safety
Before you get started on the course, a staff member gets you strapped into a harness and takes you through a safety demonstration. With an instructor present, you also get to practice using your harness and safety equipment on a mini demo course, including a rope course and zipline. You are then quizzed on the key safety features before being led to the real course.
An instructor secures your trolley (the piece of equipment that keeps you attached to the rope course) to the course and then you are left to make your way around. You will reconvene with the instructor whenever you reach a swing or bungee jump, of which there are two on the Treetop Challenge at Alexandra Palace.
Throughout the course, there are signs to show you where to go and how to use the equipment. I found these easy to read and follow along.
Contrary to how my wobbly knees may have made me look, I felt completely safe throughout the whole course. The safety demonstration made me feel confident using the equipment and my harness made me feel comfortable and secure. I also knew there were also staff below who could help if I had any questions or concerns, but that wasn’t necessary.
You can tell they take safety seriously at Go Ape!
The course
We started on the middle level of the Treetop Challenge course, which circled its way around the cabin in the middle and went alongside a few trees. It wasn’t necessarily nestled amongst trees, but the Treetop Adventure (suitable for kids) next door definitely was. Instead, we had incredible views over North London.
The rope course was made up of different walkways, some with handles you could hold on to and others with just the wire to which your equipment was attached. Each varied in difficulty and as we went through our confidence grew. After completing the middle course you meet your first zipline, which I was scared to jump off at first but as soon as I built the courage, it was a lot of fun.
We then made our way to the very top of the course which had even more staggering views. Amazingly, my vertigo had pretty much disappeared at this point, but I did have to avoid looking directly down! I was swinging between ropes, jumping, and even trying some no-handed. But there were still opportunities to take easier alternative routes.
We then got to use the Tarzan Swing which involved us jumping off a platform into a large rope net, with our harnesses still on of course. This was great fun. But we did duck out of The Plummet bungee jump which required us to jump off an even higher platform.
This particular course was made for people over 1.4m and therefore I would assume is only suitable for older children and adults. Before attending, I had actually assumed Go Ape would be mostly catered towards children, so I was happy and surprised by this challenging course. If you are with children, then there is a less challenging course right next to it. There is something for everyone!
The staff
I was very impressed by the attentiveness of all the Go Ape staff. My booking was at 10 am on a Sunday and the staff were on hand ready to help at 9.50 am. We were in our harnesses and going through the safety demo just a few minutes after 10 am. The speed at which this happened could differ depending on what time of day you arrive, but it appeared to be moving swiftly when I looked down from the Treetop course.
The staff were cheerful and friendly, always happy to answer any of my questions. Of which I had a fair few. And whenever we finished a section of the course they were quick to come over and move us to the next.
I also found them to be reassuring and encouraging, but not too pushy. For example, they encouraged me to give the Tarzan Swing a go but didn’t push The Plummet bungee on me when I expressed my concerns. Instead, they allowed us both to go down the zipline again.
It was also obvious that they were all used to making their way around the course and with quite a few staff members present, I’d assume if anything went wrong, they would be quick to help!
Pricing
Prices start around £23 per person for the child-friendly courses and go up to around £39 per person. The more expensive courses tend to last longer and are more challenging.
I’d say if you are paying individually then it isn’t too expensive, but I imagine if you are organising a family outing or party, then it can get quite pricey.
I did the most expensive challenge at £39 per person. It lasted just over 2 hours and there was a mix of stuff to do, including a variety of crossings, ziplines, and swings. If it had gone on for any longer I would have found some of it quite repetitive, but in the time that we were there, I found it to be really enjoyable and worth the money!
Tips for first time visitors
If you are visiting Go Ape for the first time, here are some of my top tips for you:
- What to wear: Make sure to wear proper shoes that cover your whole foot, so no open-toed shoes. I’d recommend shoes that you are comfortable in, but that are also easy to move in. For example, I would have found walking boots a little too chunky, so my trainers were perfect. I’d also recommend wearing comfortable clothing and no crop tops, to ensure the harness can sit comfortably around your hips and waist.
- What to bring: I would recommend bringing your phone or a camera, and if you want easy access to take pictures then consider some sort of lanyard that allows you to keep it around your neck. However, I didn’t have one so I kept my phone in my pocket and it worked out okay. You can’t carry anything around the course with you but I do recommend bringing snacks and water just in case you need any in between courses (if you are doing the longer Treetop Challenges).
Their locations
Go Ape review verdict
Overall, I had a really fun time at Go Ape. What I was most surprised by was how my vertigo disappeared and the heights became a lot less scary as I got used to making my way around the Treetop course.
The staff made me feel at ease and I felt really secure in the equipment. The course itself was great to follow and had a few different elements to it, which kept it interesting for the whole 2 hours.
It isn’t something I’d necessarily do on my own, but I can imagine if you are an adventurous person then you may enjoy doing this solo. I enjoyed it as a social outing as it was fun to test your limits with other people around doing the same thing. I got a fair few laughs out of seeing my sister make her way around the tricky bits.
Having completed the course at Alexandra Palace, I wouldn’t go back there, but I would be keen on trying another of their locations in the UK. There are some beautiful-looking spots located within forests that would provide a completely different experience to Alexandra Palace. Plus, each location is unique so I wouldn’t feel like I’m repeating anything!
If you are looking for something a little different to do and you like being outdoors, then this one is definitely for you! It would work as a great date, family outing, or group trip with friends.
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