While at our favourite Edinburgh staycation spot in Scotland, we decided to try something new and check out Go Ape Glentress.
It was so much fun, and definitely not something that’s just built for kids.
I would highly recommend it to anyone. It would be a great idea for a unique date, birthday celebrations or hen and stag parties.
Here’s everything you need to know for a fun day out at Go Ape Peebles, Scotland.
Go Ape Glentress Summary
The Facts
What; High Ropes Course, Treetop Challenge
How Much; £30 (we got a discount for advance booking too)
Duration; 2-3 hours (we went quite quickly and spent 30 minutes getting setup and 1.5 hours in the trees)
Height and Age Restrictions: 10 years and older, minimum height of 1.4M (4FT 7”) and maximum weight of 20.5 stone (130KG).
The Format
Sessions must be booked in advance. And at the time of our visit to Glentress Go Ape they started every hour from 9:30am to 12:30pm.
Sessions have a maximum of 10 people and you beginning as a group. However as people climb and complete obstacles at different paces, you generally split out as the course progresses.
The course is self guided, which means you clip yourself on (and off!) each wire. However you always have an instructor based nearby should you need help. And there’s a whistle in your harness if necessary too!
What To Wear At Go Ape
- Go Ape Glentress is no fashion show. Dress for the weather, and the activity. I’d highly recommend something that’s easy to move about in (sports gear is best).
- Something with zip pockets. This allows you to take some essentials like a phone & keys around the course with you.
- Gloves. These are not a necessity, but really useful, particularly in the winter. I get cold hands, which makes clipping your ropes on an off a bit challenging, so gloves were really helpful. Even if you’re not a cold person like me, gloves are still recommended for the comfort of holding onto a million ropes and cables as you navigate the course.
- Practical shoes. Again, it’s no fashion show. Wear shoes with some grip, and that won’t fall off your feet. This is not the place for heels or anything white.
What To Take To Go Ape
- Phone or camera. This isn’t required, but you are allowed to take a camera or your phone on the course, as long as it’s attached to you or stored in a zipped pocket.
- Cash. You book and pay for Go Ape in advance. However the Glentress Car Park costs £3.50 and doesn’t always take credit cards.
How To Get To Go Ape Peebles
This site is known as Go Ape Peebles (the nearby town) or Go Ape Glentress (the forest area the site is in).
Follow these instructions to the entrance of the Glentress Forest.
Go Ape was easy to get to until you’re inside Glentress Forest area.Once you’re off the main road, take the second left at the wigwams.
The sign is very small and multiple people in our group missed it and ended up in the mountain biking car park instead.
The Go Ape Treetop Challenge
Safety Briefing & Setup
The first 20-30 minutes of your Treetop Challenge involves a safety briefing and practice course.
This was super helpful to make the rest of the experience run smoothly. It didn’t feel too laborious or over-cautious. Just providing the info you needed to stay safe on the course and have a good time.
There was a practice wire for clipping on and off and some signage with information about the different obstacles.
Practice Course
At the practice course, you were up in the trees. But not too high and fully supervised by your instructor.
The course allows you to try a ladder up into the trees, one obstacle and a short zip-line.
After this – you’re in your own to navigate the rest of Go Ape Peebles Treetop Challenge!
Note: if you get to the end of this section and don’t feel safe or like you want to continue you can go back to the entrance and claim a full refund.
The Main Treetop Challenge Course
And so it begins!
After the practice course, you walk along a path through the trees to where the true course begins.
The Glentress Go Ape Treetop challenge is split into four main sections. Each begins with a rope ladder up to the first platform, and ends in a zip line.
The obstacles in each section are all marked by level of difficulty, and at times there are options to choose between a harder and easier route.
There is never the same obstacle twice, and you encounter everything from swinging bridges, tunnels to crawl through and balance beams to walk along.
I don’t want to list them all out here as half the fun of the course is the surprise of not knowing what’s coming next!
One of the highlights has to be the adrenaline inducing Tarzan swings. This involves clipping all of your safety ropes to one cable, and leaping off of a platform into a giant net on the other side of the swing.
The Finale
*Spoiler Alert – Don’t read on if you love surprises*
The course ends in spectacular fashion with with a 325-metre-long zip wire across the a gorgeous Scottish valley. The Glentress Go Ape zip line is 160ft high and the scenery of trees and the river below is stunning.
Despite the fact that by this stage the rain was beating into my face and the wind was spinning me around it was one of the biggest adrenaline rushes I’ve had in years!
Regardless of Scottish weather or how terrifying throwing yourself off a 160ft platform is, I loved it!
Some FAQs For Glentress Go Ape
How Hard Was It Really?
Sometimes I see high ropes courses and question whether they’re built for kids or adults.
But Go Ape is truly somewhere you can have fun regardless of your age or ability. Even as fit adults, there were parts we hesitated or found challenging.
If heights aren’t your thing, don’t write it off either. There are instructors to guide you round if you need help. It’s super safe. Plus there are sometimes options to pick between an easier or harder route if you really start to feel overwhelmed.
Was Glentress Go Ape worth it?
It wasn’t cheap, that’s for sure. But YES it was worth it. Overall we spent just over 2 hours there and even as an adult it was challenging and a great adrenaline rush.
