ACTIVITY DAY WITH BRANCHING OUT ADVENTURES
On the 15th September, Leoni and I hit the road for an adventure filled day near Ringmer, East Sussex. We spent the day hanging from trees like Tarzan, zooming along zip wires and battling wobbly ropes. The centre has a variety of activities that will keep your day jam-packed with non-stop fun adventures; you’ll leave feeling exhausted but also grinning ear-to-ear with accomplishment. Here’s a little bit more about our day…
With a car packed full of gear, and two eager beavers ready to get climbing, Leoni and I arrived at the site (after a very wrong turn which took us to a campsite – definitely not where we were supposed to be!) We could not have picked a better day for it; the sun was shining and there was not a cloud in sight. We parked in the spacious car park (free of charge) and headed towards the woods to begin our day. Mark and his mascot, Edie the border terrier, enthusiastically greeted us whilst Leoni and I marvelled at the stunning location of the adventure centre.
It was time to get going and get harnessed up, and as far as harnesses go, these ones were pretty comfy! Amy, another member of the team led us through a quick safety briefing before we were let loose on the high ropes. It was pretty scary as you are in charge of clipping and unclipping yourself around the course but the magnetic clips made sure it was physically impossible to fall off. The course had the perfect combination of being challenging but achievable – our arms were knackered after though!
Next, we tried out the centre’s fastest and highest zip wire. Mark showed and talked us through how it was done and then it was our chance to try it out. To get to the top, you have to climb up the tree using only small staple steps – trust me, it’s a lot harder than it sounds. You then jump off of the top of the platform and zoom through the air. Leoni and I even managed to master some tricks and zip wire upside down! We thought it was going to be our favourite activity, but we hadn’t tried the giant swing yet…
After a quick refreshment break at the onsite cafe (all this exercise was thirsty work), we prepared for our final activity; a ride in the giant swing. On our way down, I had many different visions of what the swing would entail and it really isn’t what you’d expect – it’s way better. You are strapped onto a bar with your legs dangling in the air. You are then hoisted up until you are level with the tree tops, then you pull on the cord and drastically drop down before swinging forward. You feel your face drop and your stomach turn, then comes the laughter! Our favourite activity had definitely been topped.
We had one of the most exciting days yet with Branching Out, and can’t thank them enough for inviting us down. It is somewhere you could go again and again, and not get bored. I think we will need another road trip down!
