If you want to discover more of the UK with your family, Go Ape has some of the best ways to do it. Go Ape is the #1 provider of outdoor adventures in Britain, with over 36 locations covering every part of England plus venues in Wales and Scotland.
Here we’ve narrowed down the best hotspots that Go Ape has to offer. Each venue below is a great location for outdoor activities, but they can also fit into a larger city break for you and your family.
Best Go Ape Location in the South
Go Ape hosts multiple venues in London and the South of England. While they have adventures further afield, the Bracknell Go Ape facility is fairly central to the area. It’s right outside London and easily accessible for many families in the South. This makes it perfect for families that want a natural adventure along with a city break in the UK’s largest city. As the capital, London is highly accessible, even from abroad.
Located at Swinley Forest, this Go Ape venue is just an hour away from the heart of the capital. It caters to all ages through its five adventures, from treetop escapades to axe throwing. Visitors in the summer can also cruise around the forest on rented off-road Segways, though they are packed away for the winter. The activities here can keep you and your whole family busy for up to three hours.
When it comes to planning your city break, you have options. Some modern travel agencies use handy AI tools to help eager travellers plan their next trip. Using your location and family size, AI searches can find the best accommodation when you organise city breaks. This makes finding accommodation easier, speeding up the planning and booking processes. That way, you can travel to Go Ape destinations like Swinley Forest much faster.
Best Go Ape Location in the North
Like with Swinley Forest in the South, we took a similar approach when deciding the best Go Ape spot in the North. Their adventure at Delamere Forest is only just in the North, being tucked between Liverpool and Manchester. However, that means it’s more active and convenient for those nearby, including far travellers from the Midlands and North Wales. To the east, Leeds, Sheffield and Nottingham are all a two-hour drive away.
For more northerly locations, we have two extra honorary mentions. Go Ape hosts not one but two sites within the Lake District – Whinlatter Forest and Grizedale Forest. Whinlatter is the northernmost venue, Go Ape’s highest altitude adventure yet. Grizedale is further south within the Lake District, offering a more typical forest environment. Both are unsuitable for an all-around city break, however, which is why Delamere Forest is the best in the North.
As for what’s on offer at Delamere Forest, it’s filled with Go Ape’s signature treetop adventures. Each one consists of a tricky obstacle course involving rope bridges and ziplines. There are three of them available, depending on age and ability. The summer Segways also make a return here. They’re a staple of most Go Ape destinations when they aren’t hibernating for the winter.
Best Go Ape Location in Scotland
Go Ape have several places further north of the Lake District, in Scotland. However, if you’re after a city break, it has to be the Go Ape spot at Dalkeith. Since it’s right in the urban heart of Scotland, families can also enjoy the local area without this Go Ape adventure interfering with the trip. While Edinburgh is right there, Glasgow is also close nearby and there are many tourist attractions in the intervening region.
In Dalkeith, visitors can find eight zip wires. Most zip between sky-high platforms, while others take you over the Lothian Esk River before it feeds into the Firth of Forth. For those who prefer to keep their feet on the ground, Dalkeith Country Park spans 1,000 acres of beautiful countryside. In it, you can also play an exclusive game – stumped. This is a game for brainy families that focuses on ten puzzles, each one solved by a four-digit code. Every solved code leads to another, like a scavenger hunt, leading you around the park.
Best Go Ape Location in Wales
Go Ape has just one location in Wales – Margam Country Park. Fortunately, they opted to “go big and go bold” for their Margam Park attractions to make both local and tourist visitors happy. Like the Dalkeith Park, Margam measures over 1,000 acres and is home to some of Wales’ largest deer populations.
It also enjoys some exclusive views that you won’t see anywhere else – namely a view of the Bristol Channel and Go Ape’s largest Tarzan swing in the UK. Based out of Port Talbot, Margam is in the middle of South Wales. That puts it between Wales’ largest cities – Cardiff and Swansea – which are perfect for a city break. Porthcawl and Barry are also nearby – both seaside destinations that have the family-friendly attractions you’d expect.
With these four Go Ape locations, you can fit a treetop adventure into any city break across the country. For London or the South, consider Go Ape Bracknell. Meanwhile, Delamere Forest has Manchester and Liverpool city breaks covered. For more Celtic adventures, combine Dalkeith with nearby Edinburgh or go to Wales. In Wales, Margam Park is right in the middle of their biggest tourist hotspots.
