Go Ape & Whinlatter Forest

Written by: Amanda M

Businesses: Go Ape Whinlatter and Whinlatter Forest
Venue: Whinlatter
Duration: 1/2 Day (morning)

As part of Cumbria Tourism’s 50th anniversary, the team are trying out 50 different tourism experiences throughout the year – to help inspire your own days out across the Lake District, Cumbria. Amanda MacIntyre and Amanda Shaw visited Whinlatter Forest and went on a Forest Segway experience with Go Ape Whinlatter.

I never imagined myself the type to go on a segway tour, let alone one in England’s only mountain forest! Nevertheless, I found myself on a morning Forest Segway experience with my colleague Amanda Shaw, on a slightly drizzly Saturday morning.

We arrived at Whinlatter car park first thing before making our way up to the Go Ape check-in desk for our 9:40 booking. We were guided down to the Forest Segway area (just past the Cyclewise building), where we met our guide for the day, Nick. He took some time to help us get fitted with the proper equipment before beginning the safety debriefing for the experience. We then got a brief tutorial on how to drive, turn, and reverse a segway before having the opportunity to hop onto our own for the morning.

 

There were some small cones laid out in a looping pattern which we spent some time manoeuvring through to familiarise ourselves with the controls. At first, I found it challenging to get a feel for the balance of the segway, but after even just a few minutes’ practice, it became almost second nature! After everyone was satisfied and comfortable, we set off! The Forest Segway experience is one-hour on all-terrain segways that takes you through some of the scenic trail network at Whinlatter Forest, including a couple of stops to take in your surroundings. Unfortunately, the rain started to pick up as we were going, so we weren’t able to take in the breathtaking panoramic views at the viewpoint stop, but we still had a blast zipping around the trails on our segways.

We returned to the visitor centre and Nick gave us all certificates for completing the experience, and we were able to grab a quick photo before heading into Café Ambio and out of the rain. After a short stop for some much-needed coffee and cakes, we met up with Jonny from Forestry England, who took us on a guided tour along the Wow trail. Along the way, he pointed out wildlife, shared some interesting history of Whinlatter Forest, and we chatted about ongoing conservation and forestry works.  Jonny and I both had our dogs with us, who enjoyed the many smells of the forest – and the dog treats available at Café Ambio!

 

The Wow trail is just one of many trails at Whinlatter Forest, including the Gruffalo’s 25^th Birthday Party trail, the Seat How Summit trail, and more. Whinlatter Forest also hosts a number of events and guided walks, so it’s always worth checking What’s On.

All in all, despite the rain, we had a really excellent morning out, and getting to experience new things at one of my favourite walking spots is always exciting!

For more information visit:

The Go Ape website

The Whinlatter Forest website

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