Go Ape Temple Newsam Review – Treetop Challenge

Last Updated on 14th September 2023

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I’ve always prided myself on being pretty adventurous when it comes to new, exciting and scary things. Even though I’ve always likely been sh*tting myself beforehand, I’ve bungee jumped, snorkelled and climbed to terrifyingly high heights before.

However, the last time I was faced with a “scary” challenge of sorts, was in Dat Lat, Vietnam when Matt and I embarked on a treetop obstacle course that was potentially one of the most difficult, challenging and scary things I’ve ever done (yes, even more so than bungy jumping!).

I had a huge panic attack on that course at one point because it really was just so terrifying (and pretty lax in health and safety…) and as we travelled back to the UK straight into lockdown not long after that adventure, I hadn’t really done anything daunting since.

Go Ape Temple Newsam Review

Below, you can find my review of the Go Ape Temple Newsam Treetop Challenge course, and what you can expect from it!

When the team at Go Ape Temple Newsam in Yorkshire got in touch and invited us down for a few hours to try out their Treetop Challenge, I was both apprehensive and excited.

I’ve always been somewhat of a thrill-seeker and after my last experience in Vietnam something similar, I was intrigued to see how I performed this time!

What is Go Ape Leeds?

Go Ape is the UK’s number one “forest adventure”. With 34 locations across the country, their sites offer thrill-seekers the chance to get their adventure on and swing from trees, tackle intense obstacle courses high up in the treetops and challenge themselves to a whole manner of activities.

I was so surprised to discover just how many locations Go Ape have across the UK, so chances are, there’s one relatively close to you! You can check out all the Go Ape locations here.

How to get to Go Ape Temple Newsam Leeds

Go Ape Temple Newsam is located approximately 6 miles out of the city centre of Leeds (roughly a 15-minute drive). It’s also less than an hour’s drive from Sheffield, less than 40 minutes from York and 45 minutes from Doncaster.

We drove from York along the A64, A1 and M1 and it was such a quick and easy drive; once you get into Temple Newsam itself, it’s also remarkably easy to find as there are plenty of signs directing you to Temple Newsam House (Go Ape is situated within the house’s grounds).

Parking is free at Temple Newsam Go Ape, so you don’t have to worry about any parking fees.

Challenges and tickets

There are various types of courses and challenges you can complete when visiting Go Ape Temple Newsam.

From the Treetop Challenge to two types of Treetop Adventure, there’s a challenge that caters to all ages and capabilities.

The standard Treetop Adventure is designed with younger families in mind so it’s ideal if you’re visiting with children of a minimum height of 1m.

The next tier of challenge available at Go Ape is the Treetop Adventure Plus which is suited for children aged 6 years and above and those taller than 1.2 metres. This activity is slightly more challenging, but it’s still well suited to those who don’t quite feel brave enough to tackle the huge ropes and zip lines quite yet.

There’s also the Treetop Challenge which is the activity we did at Go Ape Temple Newsam; I’ve included more information on that in the section below!

Book your Treetop Adventure tickets at Temple Newsam (£18).

Book your Treetop Adventure Plus tickets at Temple Newsam (£22).

Book your Treetop Challenge tickets at Temple Newsam (£25).

Go Ape Temple Newsam Treetop Challenge – how hard is it?

When we were in Temple Newsam, we took part in the Treetop Challenge which is catered to those taller than 1.4m. There’s no minimum age requirement, but you’re probably not going to see many 6 year olds taller than 1.4m, for example!

The Treetop Challenge involves 5 “routes”, all numbered from 5-9. I believe the lower numbered routes are for the Treetop Adventure and Treetop Adventure+ courses.

The highest point of the course is 15m high, so you can be sure to feel a little dizzy at the top if you’re not the biggest fan of heights!

Each route of the course varies in difficulty; with some parts being labelled as “Go Easy” and some parts warning you of the “Extreme” difficulty. I’m delighted to say that both Matt and I completed every part of the course and while some parts definitely tested our abilities and strength, we pushed through to complete the entire thing!

Before we began the Treetop Challenge, we were provided with a very thorough safety briefing by one of the team members at Go Ape Temple Newsam.

We were taken through all the necessary precautions we needed to know in order to keep ourselves safe during the course, as well as being shown how to properly attach ourselves to the course with both the carabiner and “trolley”.

I was really impressed with the safety briefing and I felt like we were very well prepared to go out and take on the challenge!

Throughout the course, there are plenty of obstacles and challenges to undertake. You’ll encounter everything from tight-ropes to stirrup-like hurdles, to rickety “bridges”, all the while attached by a harness.

Of course, the best parts of the Treetop Challenge at Go Ape (in my opinion, anyway) are the numerous zip lines you have to tackle. At Go Ape Temple Newsam, there are zip lines that go from tree to tree, as well as ones that take you straight down to the ground.

Arguably the most testing part of the Treetop Challenge course at Temple Newsam is the Plummet challenge right at the end of the course.

The 11-metre Plummet is certainly not for the faint-hearted and it’ll soon make your heart race once you’re up on that platform! We both completed the jump, but not without screaming our way down first (in my case, anyway!).

If you’re not quite feeling brave enough to do this, however, there is an alternate way to get down via another set of obstacles and zip lines.

Even though I was pretty terrified of the Plummet and some parts of the course were pretty challenging, I felt so much relief and pride once I’d finished everything.

What to bring with you

• Comfortable and sturdy shoes (preferably ones that have a decent grip as you’ll be walking across numerous wires and ropes).
• Raincoat (just in case – you never know with the Yorkshire weather!).
• Bring a bobble if you have long hair as it’s strongly advised to tie your hair up so it doesn’t get caught in any ropes or wires.
• GoPro if you have one – I didn’t think places like this would allow you to bring a GoPro or anything like that, but Matt had it on his ‘chesty’ so it was completely hands-free.

Go Ape Temple Newsam provide water at the entrance to each site, so don’t worry about bringing any with you. Of course, all safety equipment is provided, but I’d perhaps recommend bringing a pair of gloves with you as the ropes can often make your hands pretty sore!

Our time at Go Ape Temple Newsam was so much fun and it’s already got me excited to go and explore many more of the Go Ape venues across the country!

If you’re looking for a few hours of good fun in Yorkshire, I’d definitely recommend heading to Go Ape Temple Newsam Leeds!

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Have you ever done a Go Ape challenge course before? Is it something you’d like to do Let me know in the comments or on Instagram @imjustagirl_16?