I did something today I didn’t think I could do. I climbed all the way up to the canopy of a massive Turkey Oak Tree reaching 17.5 meters high. It was hard work, but so much fun getting up there, and weirdly, that oak felt like the strongest thing in the world while I did it. I put myself and my girls’ safety in the hands of that tree and trusted nature completely.
I wasn’t just climbing the branches freestyle; I was at Arley Hall & Gardens and in the safe, watchful eyes of the Discover Tree Climbing team.
With Discover Tree Climbing, climbers use the Double Rope Technique, which is a safe method used by tree surgeons and tree climbers the world over. Climbers wear a harness and are attached to a climbing line, which is secured to a strong branch. Using a system of friction knots, the climber uses the power in their legs to propel themselves up the rope and into the tree.
Discovery Tree Climbing does sessions at both Arley Hall & Gardens and Capesthorne Hall in Cheshire. Check out their website or social media for the dates. We pre-booked the 1 pm session and arrived 15 minutes early to read and sign their waiver and to have our harnesses fitted before we started our 45-minute session.
We were shown how to work the ropes to climb and taught about the safety measures. We felt very reassured by Terry and ready to climb.
There were three ropes hanging down together with a semi-clear path up to the top, so we got attached to these so we could climb next to each other. My eldest, aged 11, went flying up; she must have better strength than me. She reached the first big branch and was given instructions to try and stand on the branch. She really enjoyed this bit as she then had to stand without holding on, then do a yoga pose and finally do the leap of faith and step off the branch.
My youngest, who is 8, went a bit slower next to me, but she soon got into the rhythm and was doing so well pulling herself up. Once we got to the branch, we also had a go at standing on it. This was such a fun thing to do and really improved our confidence with climbing the rest of the way.
We all carried on climbing to the top. It did take most of the session to get up as we stopped to rest and take in the views a few times. Once you have reached the top, you can celebrate your achievement by ringing the bell. To come down, you pull down on the top knot, and this slowly lowers you down to the ground.
Tree climbing allows children to develop physical and mental skills, gain confidence, develop their team-building skills, all at the same time as having fun.
We really enjoyed our session and would love to have another go soon. As we went in June, the tree was in full leaf, so it would be interesting to go again in autumn when there are fewer leaves and more of a view.
