Curious about what to expect when climbing Europe’s tallest high ropes? Have all your questions answered in our Bear Grylls High Ropes Review!
First Impressions…
The high ropes were the first thing we saw as we entered the attraction. At 65ft tall it was taller than the Bear Grylls Adventure centre itself! It towered over us.
Our eyes shifted at each other and nervously laughed, what were we about to do? *hand over face*. We were already predicting how high we could get to. Who would be the quickest, and who wouldn’t make it past the first set of ropes? (which were pretty high already may I add).
Our safety checks & pep talks…
We were greeted, prepped and given an informative chat about the harnesses, general information and health & safety. We were allowed nothing in our pockets like phones, wallets and no jewelry, which we all put in our lockers. Our energetic and friendly instructors picked out our harnesses and then gave us a demo of how to put them on.
They then gave us multiple individual checks to make we knew how to put them on correctly. Once they were on, they all gave us an additional 2 checks, tugging on our harnesses. They were checking if they were tight and comfortable enough for us. This made us feel extra safe.
When we walked out, dramatic adventure music boomed as if we were in an action film at the beginning of our quest. We all giggled nervously as our harness’ were clipped to us and connected to the metal rod/slat above us. The metal rod would follow us round on the rope circuit and keep us from falling off…
Who dares go first…?
Dan went first, energetic and raring to go. Next up, James who was cool as cucumber. Isobel was smiling nervously but had lots of determination. I was up next, and was trying not to think about it too much. Jay was behind me and he was perhaps the most nervous of us all as he had a big phobia of heights. Then last, was Eloise who was also very scared of heights. This became more apparent as she climbed the steps up to the first level of ropes and we could hear her squealing…
The approach I was taking was the ‘absent minded’ approach. It would be fun and scary but I was pretty confident I wouldn’t crack under the pressure if I just didn’t think about it too much. How challenging could it really be? After all, we had harnesses, it would be fine!
Baby steps…
After I crossed the first rope on the first level I felt fine as it was a wooden bridge – very stable, easy peasy! Then I moved to the second, feeling confident, until I realised my arm was too short to grab the rope *cries* (for context, I’m 5”3).
Now, where should I reach for support? I knew I needed to hold onto something but I just couldn’t reach anything. I looked down and my fear intensified, having a re-realisation of how high up I actually was. I looked at the rest of my teammates who were whizzing past me and scattered around different parts of the course. I needed to make my next step quickly, so I could move up with the others.
As you may have guessed, I’m not holding any of my feelings back in this Bear Grylls High Ropes Review- it really was this scary!
Jay for example, who was the initial scared-of-heights person in the group, was completing each set of ropes quickly without the initial fear he had in the beginning.
Unfortunately, I was having a right mare. My legs lost complete feeling at first, then they started shaking and I was convinced I couldn’t make the first step out. Each level was timed at 10 minutes, and I had to decide quickly whether to go for it or whether to quit after the second hurdle, which I didn’t want to do.
A leap of faith…
My teammates cheered me on as they stood on the other side of the ropes. They had all pushed past the literal and mental obstacles to get where they were and I needed too as well. The instructor/supervisor told me to lean into my harness for extra support and balance if I only had one arm available. I shakily put my first foot forward and edged quickly, reaching for the higher rope. My breathing was incredibly heavy, as I watched my foot placement on the rope that was roughly 20ft+ high above the ground.
As soon as I got balance and a firm grip, I let go of my harness and clung to the ropes. Phew, I was relieved! All the blood in my body had rushed to my cheeks. I felt an internal shift from fearful and defiant to energised and eager.
This one small obstacle I overcame gave me a boost and a relentless desire to make it to the end of the rope and to the top of the high ropes. I was excited to take on every new challenge and it set the tone for the rest of my experience at the centre.
The obstacle we couldn’t see…😱
The next obstacle we couldn’t see but felt, was the wind. As we got to the middle level the wind picked up more which made the obstacle course a little harder to and a little slower to navigate through – for me anyway. With each small gale of wind my jaw clenched and grip tightened. When it passed I seized my opportunity to move quickly.
It’s important to mention not all obstacles were really difficult, some were solid bridge type walkways, others were rope with wooden squares and some were topsy turvy – which I did not enjoy because my trainers kept slipping on them – damn you clean trainers!
The more difficult obstacles were the set of ropes that had limited things to hold onto or that were really spaced out. It made it harder to judge where you had to place your feet and you are left thinking, do I:
A: do it as quickly as possible and not think too much
Or…
B: do I spend time mapping out a strategy?
Another reassuring thing to know about the Bear Grylls High Ropes is that you can also choose the obstacles you walk around on. No one has to do the same course if one set looks too hard for you.
The view from the top
When we all got to the top of the 65ft structure, I looked over the tops of neighbouring buildings and laughed with my teammates, we did it! With every push, every course of ropes got easier, completed quicker and improved my general confidence. It was truly fascinating to witness the change in myself once I pushed myself outside my own pre-set boundaries!
I know my teammates felt the same way, especially James and Dan who attempted the rolling log. The Rolling Log had barely any support, moved with the slightest touch and only had a few material loops scattered above to hold. Even now a week later I still can’t work out how they got across, it seemed impossible.
We posed at the top throwing a few peace signs and ear to ear smiles to the camera. It truly was an unforgettable and character building experience and the sense of adventure was ever present.
Final thoughts on our Bear Grylls High Ropes Review…
This activity would be great for families with kids 9+, groups of friends, work colleagues, school trips. In fact, everyone would love this outdoor activity. Even if you don’t think it’s your type of thing, activities like the high ropes you should 100% give it a go.
Whether it’s to see how far you can push yourself and build your confidence. Or if it’s to have a laugh and a joke at the awkward lunges and nervous squeals of your family members. It is so worth doing!
I found the process extremely funny and also exhilarating. It has left me with a hunger to take on more adventure based activities! It’s so different and refreshing from normal everyday life/outings which is what makes it so great. 10/10 experience!
We hope you’ve found our Bear Grylls High Ropes Review helpful! Looking for more reviews or information on popular UK attractions? Check out the rest of our Adventure blogs and don’t forget to visit our Tik Tok for first hand accounts of family days out. Psst, we’ve been to Legoland Windsor, I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, Harry Potter Studios and more! You can find our Tik Tok account here.