Have Kid Will Travel: Zoe Dawes

Today's guest post comes from Zoë Dawes who shares her travel experiences around the UK at The Quirky Traveller.

A few weeks ago I had one of the scariest experiences of my life –and all in the name of fun … The lovely people at Go Ape (www.goape.co.uk) asked if I would like to try out one of their High Wire Forest Adventure courses, which they have throughout the UK. I had already had second-hand experience of them as my son had ‘celebrated’ (???) his 10th birthday at Go Ape and declared it to the most AWESOME thing he had ever done. But I have to admit that I had absolutely no desire to:

“Fly 200 metres across the top of the Grizedale Beck and marvel at the forest canopy 18 metres up a magnificent Douglas Fir”

– Go Ape’s words – not mine! However, for the sake of my son, who was delighted to have another opportunity to get the adrenalin pumping, I agreed.

We went to the Grizedale Forest one as it is the nearest to us in the Lake District (Whinlatter Forest Go Ape is further north). It’s a giant obstacle course up in the tree with ladders, walkways, bridges and tunnels made of wood, rope and super-strong wire and zip wires to whiz you at speed through the forest. For those of you who like statistics, their website tells you:

• Highest point: Site 4 Zip Wire platform 19m
• Longest Zip Wire: Site 3 Zip Wire 275m
• Longest crossing: Grandpops crossing (site 2) 22.5m
• Total length of all crossings: 908m
• Number of crossings: 39
• Number of sections: 6

Which is how I found myself clinging to two slim pieces of wire strung above a narrow rope bridge. Now this may not look too high to you, but it is actually a good few metres up – and is one of the lower ones! The scariest bit for me was the death-defying Tarzan swing – not leaping out into space, but the scramble to get up and out of it – I had no strength left after over 3hours of ‘adrenalin surges’. I have a slight fear of heights and a definite dislike of rope bridges, so this was a tough way to overcome those fears!

My son and his friend, both 12 years old, thoroughly enjoyed it all, and they virtually ran across all the obstacles. Safety is paramount here and there was an excellent 30 minute safety briefing and training with lots of checks to ensure we all knew how to use the harnesses, pulleys and karabiners.

By the end of the course I was feeling physically exhausted - and the boys were ready to do it all again. Would I do it again – maybe not, but I am SO delighted that I DID do it – and beat my fears as well.

So, if you have kids over 10 years old and are planning a visit to the UK check out www.goape.co.uk and get to know your inner Tarzan!

Today's guest post comes from Zoë Dawes from The Quirky Traveller. I "met" Zoë on Twitter and she offered to share her views of travel with her 12-year-old son around the UK. I hope you enjoy her stories. I know they make me want to hop a jet and "cross the pond"!

“Race you to the Witch’s Hat”, Alex, my 12year old son, shouted to his mate Charlie, as we wandered around the beautiful historic topiary gardens of Levens Hall, South Lakeland, Cumbria, UK. We were at Cumbria's annual Chilli Fest, which takes place within the grounds of Levens Hall www.levenshall.co.uk just outside Kendal. It's famous for its Grade 1 listed Gardens, originally designed in the 1690s. Children just love the topiary, which is cut into some quite extraordinary shapes including the wonderful ‘hat’ shown opposite.

The Chilli Festival happens every August, and has lots for both adults and children to amuse themselves with. Chilli Roulette was a big favourite; spin the wheel and have a 1-in-6 chance of getting a chilli choc instead of a milk choc. Alex ‘won’ one – his face was a picture as the chilli exploded in his mouth!

Another big attraction was the Puppet Theatre, which had a witch who tried to put her victims into a cauldron to make chilli soup – a big hit with the younger children, as you can see.

Brightly coloured stalls sold every kind of chilli flavoured products imaginably, including jams, chutneys, crisps, nuts, and, of course, hot, hot, hot sauces. Other attractions which we enjoyed included Salsa dancing, a Mexican band and the Children’s Chilli Trail which took them all over the grounds.

NEW FOR 2009 - A LIVING WILLOW LABYRINTH (HUNT FOR THE HARE)

Created from willow cuttings grown at Newton Rigg, near Penrith, the Labyrinth has been created by Chris Crowder & his team of gardeners during the winter months. The Labyrinth will grow during the summer months to form a green hedge and a maze will provide paths for children and adults to explore as they hunt for the elusive hare in its centre.

Historic Gardens Play Area
A new children’s play area has been established in the historic topiary garden with challenging climbing and slides for children under-12s and picnic tables for families.

The House has lots to keep children engaged. There are cabinets full of unusual things, old costumes, swords and the Bleeding Chair ... you'll have to visit to find out what that is! But perhaps the biggest draw is the many ‘Spooky Spirits’ who supposedly live there. They include ‘The Grey & Pink Ladies’, ‘The Phantom Black Dog’ and ‘The Traffic Ghost’…

The Chilli Fest happens annually in August and Levens Hall is open from Spring until October each year. Nearby are the varied many attractions of the Lake District. For more details www.golakes.co.uk