Go Ape has just opened at the heart of the historic woodlands of Coombe Abbey in Coventry and we were lucky enough to have been invited along to test it out!

Disclaimer – We were gifted our experience with Go Ape for the opening weekend but I have not received any payment for this review. All opinions are my own, as always.

We have been given an exclusive Go Ape discount code! TIFM20 is live for 10% off all activities at Coventry only.(excludes Saturdays). Book here!

Our children are 6 & 9 and to be truthful we have found that there’s not too many activities they seem to be able to share. Our stays at Bluestone in Wales have been tricky as one has passed height restrictions while the other hasn’t. Thankfully Go Apes’ junior experience was perfect for the two of them and of course, we joined in too!

We took part in the Tree Top Adventure + as our youngest just meets the age & height restrictions for this course (see below for further info). 

Go Ape is easily discovered via a long path within the grounds of Coombe Abbey is can be found just over a little bridge. It’s tucked away among the trees and doesn’t encroach on the beautiful surroundings at all. On arrival you’ll find a welcome team in a wooden hut ready to give you all the info you need for your experience. You can leave any belongings here & will be provided with a wrist-band. Once you’ve signed the safety forms you can begin your journey, first stop.. your harnesses! For those concerned about safety, you’ll be pleased to hear that you’re clipped to a safety line throughout the experience. There’s time for a brief talk about what to expect and how to complete the course and then a quick harness check & you’re ready. Your time only begins when you pass the first post. You then get a full hour to explore the tree top course together. The staff are really approachable and friendly and are dotted about the course so support is available should you need it. 

Start times are staggered so we didn’t find it got too busy while we were navigating the course.

The course itself is challenging but SO much fun and if you’re wondering whether to leave the kids to it, I’d say not… depending on their age of course. Both ours needed support and encouragement throughout (in a good way). There’s plenty of climbing, crawling, balancing and I think I went on the zip wire five times! So it really is something fun to do together. 

I have to say, other than the experience itself, which was well organised and fun,  I most enjoyed doing something a little different with my little family as a team. I loved hearing the children encouraging each other and shouting pointers to each other if one had managed to overtake the other. It was really lovely to see and I literally beamed from start to finish! 

Once we had completed the various courses we were able to try our favourites again as the instructors encouraged us to keep going which I thought was really great, there was no rushing at all and at every stage we were met with kind words of encouragement and suggestions. 

Once our hour was up we de-harnessed and waiting for us were four certificates named and ready to go, which was a lovely surprise, especially for the children who weren’t expecting that.

A brilliant day out which I would suggest would most be enjoyed by children aged six and above. Though there’s plenty of choice! Craig and I have both decided we want to go back and try the next one up Tree Top Challenge which lasts longer and ends in a HUGE zipwire!

More info:

The Go Ape Treetop Adventure course is £18 per person. Min age – none , Min height 1 metre. Adults must participate.

Treetop Adventure+ is £21 per person. Min age – 6, Min height – over 1.2 metres. Adults can supervise from the ground or join in.

The Tree Top Challenge course (aimed at adults or adventurous teens – min height 1.4m) is priced at £33. Min height 1.4 metres. Adults must participate if with young people under 13 years.

Go Ape at Coombe Abbey is open between 10am and 4pm everyday and is now open for bookings. For further information about the new attraction, visit https://goape.co.uk/days-out/midlands/coventry

Other tips for the day

Use our exclusive discount code! : TAKEITFROMMUMMY is live for 10% off all activities at all sites. Valid until 31/12/2019 (excludes Saturdays). Book here!

Coombe Abbey is set in 500 acres! In addition to Go Ape there are playgrounds, woodland walks and riverside wanders. Coombe Abbey itself is also beautiful and can be booked for afternoon teas etc.

There’s plenty of things happening and regular den building activities etc. It really is a good day out, especially in nice weather. You can even take a picnic or BBQ. I would recommend booking a slot which means you can enjoy a day out in addition to your Go Ape experience.

What to wear:

Comfy clothing is a must, I wore leggings and a hoodie with my trainers and the kids the same. We didn’t get muddy but it wasn’t raining when we visited. 

Can I take bags?

Yes, when you sign in you can store all your belongings and you’ll receive a wrist-band so you can collect it all at the end of the course.

What about parking?

There’s plenty of parking at Coombe Abbey and Go Ape has parking which is the second car park on the right. This was £2 for up to 8 hours. 

Toilets:

There’s toilets at the visitor centre when you arrive at Coombe.

Can anyone go with us? 

Yes, the site is completely open so you can go along and watch at any time. There’s also picnic benches within the Go Ape site as well as around Coombe, so you could easily pack lunch to take with you for afterwards. 

You can even bring the dog as Coombe & Go Ape is also dog friendly! 

If you have any other questions, feel free to pop them below or on my Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.