At first glance, Go Ape! may seem nothing more than an adventure playground for grown-ups, but the attraction is popular with corporate clients, families, young children and nonogenerians alike! We sent along Rob Davis to see if the editor could scale the dizzying heights of the attraction’s most daring elements!

With over 30,000 hectares of lush, mature wood just 15 minutes from Newark, half an hour or so from Lincoln and slightly less from Grantham, Sherwood Pines is a beautiful peaceful attraction where anyone can feel relaxed… that is, until, the sound of manic giggling and even the odd scream is heard 40ft in the air…

The site is home to beautiful picnic areas, a cycle hire venue and the CentreParcs holiday complex, but if all that sounds a little tame and relaxing, you could indulge your slightly more adventurous side in what is, essentially, an adventure playground for adults, a unique experience run by Go Ape!

The company was founded by Tristram and Rebecca Mayhew in 2003, who just a couple of years previously enjoyed a holiday to France and took part in an aerial assault course in the forests of Auvergne. The couple wanted to bring the attraction to the UK, and opened their first course in Norfolk’s Thetford Forest in March 2002 beginning a similar venture just down the road from Newark.

Go Ape! challenged us to pay a visit to the attraction to see for ourselves how families from across Lincolnshire are enjoying a day out that’s different and adventurous yet still represents a great way of getting the whole family out into the fresh air this summer.

The course’s manager Jamie Marshall showed us the five acres site of mature Corsican and Scotch Pine trees around a hundred feet high, clustered together on the edge of the forest and explained how the site was organised.

“We had around 27,000 visitors last year and this year we’re hoping to better that by breaking the 30,000 limit. Visitors are fitted with their equipment at the hut and are then given a full safety briefing and shown how to use their equipment at ground level. Then, they are taken to the first of six courses so that we can assess their use of safety equipment before releasing each group to discover the five much longer courses for themselves.” Said Jamie.