Last weekend the kids and I headed over to Groombridge Place for the first time in six years (2013 and 2019 photographs below). It is a fantastic estate with amazing woodland walks, but probably better suited to younger children overall.
However, the draw this time round was an amazing treetop walk that was due to be dismantled in September. My mum drew my attention to this attraction and it looked like the sort of thing we all love.
After walking along the canal - past a mini treetop walk and adventure playground - we took a woodland trail that was well signposted.
Eventually our primary target came into view and we were very impressed :). The walkway was triangular with high-sided green netting and a narrow rope path in the centre. We were next in line behind an Asian family - mum, dad and two seven year olds - but when their time came, mum and the kids bottled it after about twenty mins and came straight back to base! Staring up the route I imagined this must happen a lot, as it is really very high.
Off the intrepid trio went into the unknown and it was absolutely fantastic. You go right up through the canopy and there are times you have to squeeze through narrow gaps between tree branches, so if you are over a certain size this could present a challenge. You get to see trees as you have never seen them before and I paused regularly to take photos, although it was a bit precarious holding my camera phone with one hand - the device ould easily have ended up falling through a gap in the netting.
If you can get to this attraction before September 2019 then I thoroughly recommend giving it a go. You are walking/climbing for a good half an hour and get to see woodland from a perspective that is simply impossible without their ingenious green construct. It was a magical experience and pretty hair raising when you looked down. The highest points are genuinely very high.
We finished up with a go on the giant swings and attempted to recreate a pic from 2013 (see top of this post).
Finally we caught a raptor (bird of prey) display and the kids busied themselves pursuing grasshoppers and butterflies in the vineyards. It is lovely that no matter how old they grow the beautiful wings of a butterfly and summer sounds of secretive insects never fail to entice :).
