[title]
Harnessing your inner chimp can apparently make you more confident, happier and calmer. You may care to ponder the truth of this as you dangle 40ft up from a south-west London tree.
Battersea Park is the Go Ape group’s first central London location (there’s another in the Enfield suburbs), and it’s certainly gone big with it. Or rather, high – many of the treetop walkways, zip wires, rope-bridges and ladders are twice the height of the other Go Ape sites, which means you’ll be wobbling in the wind just that bit higher up. But don’t worry, you’re strapped in nice and tight, so even if you can’t grip tight like our hairy ancestors, you won’t drop too far before being caught by a very snug harness. Boys, enjoy.
There are a couple of location-specific drawbacks. First off, it’s certainly not as sprawling (two of the three adult runs follow the same route, just at different heights), which means the zip wires – by far the best bit – are shorter than elsewhere. The Battersea Park location comes with its own special charm, too: one of our team was heckled by lads watching from the bench below – there’s nothing quite like a cackling, ‘Go on daaaaahlin, you can do it!’ to put a spring in your struggling step. It can also get pretty cold up there, so make sure you wrap up warm in winter.
Still, there’s a lot of fun to be had, and it’s a real boon to not have to travel out of town to get your swing on.
Stephen Farmer
Tree Top Adventure (for ages 10+, minimum height of 1.4m (4ft 7″) and Tree Top Junior (ages 6-12) are open every day from December 10 to January 3. The venue is closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. From January 4, Tree Top Adventure will be open daily and Tree Top Junior will open on weekends and holidays.