Witton Country Park
Blackburn's biggest green space: 480 acres with adventure playgrounds, woodland trails and a visitor centre in the old Victorian stables. Free in, free to park, and it absorbs a whole afternoon without anyone asking for money.
Go Ape Blackburn
Blackburn, Lancashire
Go Ape's Blackburn course is in the trees of Witton Country Park, the big free park on the west side of town. There are two courses for families. Treetop Adventure is the junior one, for ages 4 to 10 and at least 1 metre tall, with platforms up to 11 metres and a 50 metre zip wire. Treetop Adventure Plus is for 6 and over at 1.2 metres, recommended for 6 to 10s, with four sections and longer zips.
Prices start at £20.95 for the junior course and £25.95 for Plus, and a session takes 60 to 90 minutes including harnessing and the safety briefing. The supervision rules matter: under 6s need an adult on the course with them, while 6 to 15s can be watched from the ground, one adult to eight children. In autumn there is a Sundown Adventures version in the dusk with lights, from £31.95.
Use postcode BB2 2TP for the leisure centre car park by the cabin; parking is paid. Arrive 20 minutes early. Afterwards the rest of Witton is free, with its trails and playgrounds, which is the way to make the ticket price feel reasonable.
What it costs: Treetop Adventure (ages 4 to 10, 1m minimum) from £20.95. Treetop Adventure Plus (6+, 1.2m minimum) from £25.95. Sundown Adventures, an autumn after-dark version, from £31.95. Under 6s on Treetop Adventure need an adult (18+) on the course with them, one adult to two children. For ages 6 to 15 one adult can supervise up to eight from the course or the ground. Parking at Witton is paid.
Know before you go
- Closed shoes, midriff covered and long hair tied back. Go Ape's own advice is not to wear white, and they are right.
- If your youngest is under 6, you are going up too: under 6s on Treetop Adventure need a participating adult, one adult to two children. Check this before you promise a four-year-old a zip wire and a sit-down for yourself.
Worth knowing: Treetop Adventure ages 4 to 10, minimum 1m tall. Treetop Adventure Plus 6+, minimum 1.2m.
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