Go Ape
Go Ape Ltd. is an outdoor pursuits company which runs 26 high wire adventure courses in forests in England, Scotland and Wales consisting of rope ladders, zip-lines, rope bridges, trapezes and swings. The course in Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, near Aberfoyle in Stirling, has a 426-metre zip line, the longest in Britain.[1]
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.[1] The first course opened in 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."[2] In 2003, the company won a Best Tourist Attraction award[2] and has also won a number of other awards.[3] In 2007, it was shortlisted for the Best Norfolk Attraction award at the Tourism In Norfolk Awards.[4] In 2008 the company opened five new courses in Kent, Cumbria, Devon, Buckinghamshire and Staffordshire.[5] In May 2010, Go Ape has opened their first course in the United States at Rock Creek Regional Park in Rockville, Maryland (Opened May 8, 2010).[6]
The courses are made up of ladders, walkways, bridges and tunnels made of wood, rope and super-strong wire.
Go Ape locations
- Aberfoyle, Stirlingshire
- Alice Holt, Surrey
- Bedgebury Forest, Kent[7]
- Beecraigs Country Park, West Lothian
- Black Park, Buckinghamshire
- Buxton, Derbyshire
- Coed-y-Brenin, Dolgellau, Wales
- Dalby Forest, North Yorkshire
- Delamere Forest, Cheshire
- Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire
- Grizedale Forest, Cumbria
- Haldon Forest Park, Devon
- Itchen Valley Country Park, Hampshire - opens Spring 2011[8]
- Leeds Castle, Kent[9]
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- Margam Country Park, Port Talbot, Wales
- Matfen Hall, Northumberland
- Moors Valley, Dorset
- Pembrey Country Park, Carmarthenshire
- Rivington, Lancashire
- Sherwood Pines, Nottinghamshire
- Swinley Forest, Bracknell
- Thetford Forest, East Anglia
- Wendover Woods, Buckinghamshire
- Whinlatter, Cumbria
- Woburn Safari Park, Bedfordshire
- Wyre Forest, Worcestershire
- Cannock Chase, Birches Valley Staffordshire
- (new) Lake Needwood, Rockville Maryland, near Washington DC, USA
References
- ^ a b "Air Activities: Go Ape". Scotland Outdoors. BBC. 2007-09-10. Retrieved 2007-11-20.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b "Growing Futures: The England Forestry Strategy in Action" (PDF). The Forestry Commission. June 2006. Retrieved 2007-11-20.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Awards we've been lucky enough to win". Go Ape. Retrieved 2007-11-20.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) [dead link] - ^ Neate, Rupert (2007-10-26). "And our tourism finalists are ..." Eastern Daily Press. Archant Regional Limited. Retrieved 2007-11-20.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) [dead link] - ^ "4 New Sites". Go Ape. Archived from the original on 2007-08-21. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Go Ape USA (accessed 3 May 2010)
- ^ "Swing Through the Trees and Go Ape!" (Press release). The Forestry Commission. 2007-05-23. Retrieved 2007-11-20.
- ^ "Go ahead for Go Ape". Eastleigh Borough Council website. Eastleigh Borough Council. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
- ^ "Leeds Castle gets ready to Go Ape". Kent Messenger Group. 15/01/08. Retrieved 2008-04-01.
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