• Overall
5

Summary

The Enchanted Forest Tree Top Quest is a brilliant addition to the Alton Towers Resort, and is well worth trying if you’re having a short break. I’ve always maintained you don’t have to visit Alton Towers when the theme park is open, there is plenty to do, and now even more-so with the Tree Top Quest!

You might have guessed from earlier posts, I am a bit of an Alton Towers geek, I watch the construction of anything new from afar, getting excited to try it out for myself. I must admit though, the Enchanted Forest Tree Top Quest, which opened a few months ago, didn’t really seem like my thing. It’s essentially a lot of physical activity and heights, both I’m not REALLY fond of – nevertheless the nice people at Alton Towers offered myself and Miss A a chance to give it a whirl when we were there on our recent short break.

Nestled in the woods - the Tree Top Quest
Nestled in the woods – the Tree Top Quest

Nestled in the woods to the side of the approach roads to the Enchanted Forest, the Tree Top Quest is largely hidden from view, and blends in with the ancient tree covering perfectly. There are two ‘courses’ to choose from, the Low Ropes – for smaller folk and perhaps those who don’t fancy stuff too high and the High Ropes – which, whilst giving stunning views, are HIGH. Not wanting to seem as terrified as I actually was, I elected to take the High Ropes.

The High Ropes live up to the name!
The High Ropes live up to the name!

The Tree Top Quest website offers a bit more information on each –

Low Ropes – For younger children and those who want to keep their feet a little bit closer to the ground, the Low Ropes course is perfect. Ranging from 3.5m-5m high, the course still has thrills, challenge and adventure where participants can tackle a variety of elements and fly back to the ground on the exhilarating zipwire.

The Low Ropes experience will last between 30 minutes to 45 minutes. Guests participating in the Low Ropes must be at least 1m tall and over 6 years. 6 – 7 year olds will require one to one supervision on the course by a full paying adult who is 18 years or over.

High Ropes – After a full safety briefing, guests can zipwire and swing from the trees as they navigate their way around the course. A dizzying 8m up in the trees of the Enchanted Forest, the High Ropes consists of 19 obstacles to challenge the thrillseekers who take on the course!

Daredevils will make their way up the spiral staircase to start from the quirky turret of the central tower to then navigate their way across transverse nets, swing tyres, stepping stones and ziplines to complete the challenging course. Fly through a tunnel and climb over rope bridges all before hurtling back down to earth on the thrilling 85m zipwire.

The High Ropes experience will last up to 1 hour. Guests participating in the High Ropes course must be at least 1.4m tall and over 11 years. 11 -12 year olds require one to one supervision on the course by a full paying adult who is 18 years or over.

You can either book tickets online (which work out at £5 cheaper than the ‘walk up’ pricing) for £15 for the Low Ropes, and £20 for the High Ropes. It’s worthwhile booking online as slots can disappear quickly, we actually left tackling the Tree Top Quest until our last day, and it actually worked out well doing so (I’ll explain why later).

Checking into the Reception of the Tree Top Quest
Checking into the Reception of the Tree Top Quest

Once signed in to the Tree Top Quest Reception you’re given a waiver to sign, it’s worth reading carefully (although the staff do explain the key points). After that it’s time to don the safety gear and have a briefing from the team, you also get to try a few sections on a practice course which is a metre or so from the ground.

All geared up!
All geared up!

When you’ve had your practice, it’s time to do it for real, eight metres above the ground and putting all your trust in your own sense of balance, footwork and the safety harness. Staff follow you around the course checking you’re okay, and offering words of advice on how to tackle the section you’re on.

It all starts at this Treehouse
It all starts at this Treehouse

I found the whole experience nerve shredding, I’m not fit, or healthy, physical activity generally extends to picking up James and cups of coffee – so I found it hard going and frankly terrifying.

BUT

My gosh it’s FUN! Each section you get through offers mixed emotions, you feel satisfied you’ve conquered a little challenge, but apprehensive of what’s coming next. Some of the sections are a lot harder than others, and it isn’t immediately obvious of just how you’ll get across, but with a little experimenting and thought, you find the right rhythm and get across.

The finale of the High Ropes experience is an 85m slide down a Zip Wire (remember to smile for the camera!) and you find yourself back on solid ground.

The final Zip Wire back to the ground!
The final Zip Wire back to the ground!

It’s no walk in the park, or indeed forest – it’s a real physical and mental challenge to conquer the High Ropes of the Tree Top Quest, but the sense of achievement once you’ve finished is fantastic! It does leave your arms and legs a bit achey, so in hindsight doing it as our last ‘thing’ was definitely the right thing to do. If you did it first thing and then went to traipse around the theme park you’d probably struggle! It was also nice to retreat back to the Splash Landings Hotel for a nerve-calming pint.

I’d do the Tree Top Quest again without hesitation, it was a fantastic experience! The course is well designed, and the staff manning it were wonderful, very chatty and keen to interact – but above all – professional and well-trained.

The Enchanted Forest Tree Top Quest is a brilliant addition to the Alton Towers Resort, and is well worth trying if you’re having a short break. I’ve always maintained you don’t have to visit Alton Towers when the theme park is open, there is plenty to do, and now even more-so with the Tree Top Quest!

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