IT MAY have taken a while for us to get into the swing of things, so to speak, but Go Ape! in Itchen Valley Country Park proved a great day out for any adrenaline-fuelled adventurers out there.

The tree-top obstacle course opened in 2011 and, judging by a busy Saturday on an early spring day, has been a welcome addition to the area’s already bursting days out scene.

We arrived at 12pm for a thorough safety briefing and were fitted, very snugly, with a harness and two safety cables. We were shown how, if used correctly, we would never be untied from the safety lines, creating a little more reassurance for the more nervous in our pack.

After more guidance from the instructors over the first obstacle, we were let loose on the course. Make no bones about it, Go Ape is a physical activity and a certain level of strength is needed to haul yourself up the rope ladders and on to the platforms.

A head for heights wouldn’t go amiss either; personally, I don’t have the best one of these but challenging myself to this course has certainly gone some way to rectifying that.

Facing obstacles including swinging platforms, shaky tunnels and foot loops, we weaved our way through the Itchen Valley trees – all for the pay-off at the end of each of the five courses – a fantastic zip wire. After braving that first step off a platform to breeze down through the canopy to the ground, this reward was the goal I kept my eye on when looking at the next hurdle to climb up, swing over or balance on through each of the stages; safe to say it was totally exhilarating.

Each of the five stages was a little more challenging than the last – but the higher you climb the faster you slide down the zip at the end so I weighed up each rising challenge as completely worth it.

Age restrictions do apply at the course – anyone over ten can take part provided they are accompanied by an adult (one adult to two children between the ages of 10-15 years old and one adult to five aged 16-17 years old) but the course can be fun for all the family. Younger family members can walk around the site and be entertained by the sight of older members tackling each obstacle.

Itchen Valley Country Park also offers a lovely day out with plenty of nature walks and café with picnicking facilities, so it is an ideal spot to enjoy a debriefing bite to eat as you come down from your adrenaline high.

Overall, this is not a day out for the very, very faint of heart but those willing to challenge themselves and all those who do things for the thrill will love giving their best Tarzan impression and swinging through the trees.