Wrea Head

It all began in 2001 when Tristram and Rebecca Mayhew, were holidaying in France and ventured upon a tree-top adventure course set deep in the Auvergne National Forest.

Here they came across a French family swinging through the trees. As one might have expected, the teenagers were having the time of their lives but it was was the look of ‘ We haven’t had this much fun in years’ on their parents faces that convinced Tris and Becs that they should quit their careers and bring the concept to the UK.

The trip to France coincided with a time when they were becoming increasingly disenchanted climbing the corporate ladder and they both wanted a more balanced lifestyle where they could bring their children up in the country and enjoy spending more time with them.

So on their return to ther UK, they promptly gave up their jobs and set about starting up Go Ape.

With the support of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (who were impressed with the Mayhew’s plans around the quality of training for instructors and how the course would be built), Tristram approached the Forestry Commission with a view to opening a course within its woodlands.

Seeing the many potential benifits of the proposal, the Forestry Commission agreed to a multi-site deal, which saw the first Go Ape course open in Thetford Forest in March 2002.

Tristram and Rebecca continue to lead Go Ape from the front with a base in converted barn offices in rural Suffolk, where they are close enough to get home in time for their kids’ tea time.