Swing through the air on the Tarzan swings at Go Ape in Trent Park

With 8 million people crammed into 40 square miles, London isn’t exactly renowned for wild open spaces and outdoor activities. However, for the more adventurous Londoner looking for something different for a day off, or a fun activity for a hen, stag or birthday party, Go Ape is a great way to spend a few hours.

Daring: Whiz back down to earth on the zip wires

Go Ape has sites nationwide giving both adults and children the opportunity to fly through the trees with Tarzan swings, high ropes and zip wires. Definitely not for the faint-hearted, a group of us (aged between 20s-60s!) visited Go Ape in Trent Park on the outskirts of London last summer for a hen party activity. Although on the day in question it was raining, it was still possible to do the activity with a pair of sturdy trainers and a raincoat.

We booked the Tree Top Adventure package (£33pp) and arrived a short time before our time slot to get equipped with safety harnesses. Before taking to the trees, you are given full safety instructions by a trained staff member and are individually asked to demonstrate your new skills before you are trusted to do it alone. Although you climb higher and higher across the course as you gain in confidence and experience, the ropes start at easy jumping distance from the ground to get you acclimatised. Go Ape staff members are always nearby on the forest floor should you run into any difficulty.

The course is split into five sections and involve 33 or 38 crossings, taking around two to three hours to complete. While some crossings just involve ropes, some are made of wooden platforms suspended between the trees. Although some of the platforms are wobbly, you have your safety harness attached at all times so always feel your safety is paramount.

The climax of the course sees you climbing incredibly high with views over Trent Park, before descending down a 120 metre zip wire. Being responsible for your own safety harness adds an extra bit of adrenalin and the initial seconds when you launch yourself off the platform on a zip wire or Tarzan swing can be quite scary before you realise you’re not plunging to the ground and are flying through the air.

While the day in question we visited, it was drizzling rain on and off, it didn’t dampen our mood or enthusiasm for the activity. There were a few screams, some psyching ourselves up and a lot of laughing, but overall we thoroughly enjoyed it. I highly recommend it for anyone who likes a bit of adventure in their life, or perhaps would be a good place for someone who wants to conquer their fear of heights.

A few tips – bring a waterproof coat, closed toe shoes (preferably trainers or something with grip) and gloves could be handy too. Leave your fear at home too!

Participants are required to pass between trees using a variety of rope and wooden apparatus

• Go Ape, Trent Country Park, Cockfosters Road, Enfield, EN4 0PS. Nearest station: Cockfosters. For more information and booking, visit the Go Ape website.

For Metro Girl’s post on hen parties in London, click here.

 Or for a 1920s hen night, why not read our review of the Candlelight Club here.

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