Forest Adventure Parks

Calling all thrill-seekers. Forget about draining theme park queues, tacky Wild West recreations and stomach-churning rollercoasters. For gripping, nail-biting adventure, tryswinging from a tree�

Featured June 08 Words by Nicola Whyley

In recent years, adventure parks have been springing up in various forests across Europe. By offering a healthier and eco-friendly alternative to most waterparks or funfairs, these outdoor activity centres are no longer the preserve of super-charged soldiers on gruelling fitness drills but appeal to new a generation of adventurers ready to fight their fitness battle in the trees and forests of Europe.

The premise is simple: take good old-fashioned tree climbing, throw in a few hard hats and harnesses, mix it with some of Europe's most breathtaking scenery and you have the perfect recipe for an active and exhilarating day out. In fact, all that's required to power these alfresco installations is a lungful of fresh air and a few ready-to-burn calories. But before you leap off, save some precious energy and have a look through our round-up of the best.

1/Agility Forest
FLY TO VENICE

Set at the foot of the Dolomites, Agility Forest offers jaw-dropping views over the Pale di San Martino, providing one of the most dramatic backdrops around. With jagged rocky outcrops in the distance, golden eagles soaring overhead and dense pine forests all around, you've got the stage set to become the stunt-man and star of your very own action adventure. Split into 47 different sections, offering six colour-coded trails according to difficulty, it caters for all ages and abilities. And since the locally grown team of monitors know the courses-and the Dolomites-like the back of their hand, you can happily leave your bambini in the branches and get into character. www.agilityforest.it

2/Parc Signal de Bouchy
FLY TO GENEVA

Hiring a rowing boat and taking to its benign waves is one way to see the glorious Lake Geneva. Another way is to get your camouflage gear on and tackle one of the 12 ability-graded courses on offer at Parc Signal de Bouchy. From Piccolo all the way through to Commando, it shouldn't be too much of a work-out to find a course that's right for you, or the kids. First-timers can get a taste for the action on the zippy Moskito course, seasoned adventurers can swing their way through Indiana, and the downright fearless can find themselves 22m up on the Grand Frisson, which, depending on how you translate it, means big thrill or big shudder. www.parc-aventure.ch

3/N�mme Seikluspark
FLY TO TALLINN

Although still officially within the city limits, and only 65m above sea level, you shouldn't be deceived by N�mme Seikluspark's slightly tamer geography. In the winter, vigorous activities including balancing on frost-covered beams, over flaming torches, and clawing your way up a slippery ice-wall are the norm. But during the summer, a more forgiving range of activities reflect the climate as the park opens up into a verdant maze of rickety footbridges, tightropes, and ladders. Everyone, including the occasional bride in a wedding dress and granny in a hard hat, is then welcome to traverse the intricate lattice of marshes and lakes at their own pace, without an ice-pick in sight.
www.nommeseikluspark.ee

4/Nature Aventure
FLY TO PARIS

Found in an area more known for its vineyards than its jungles, Burgundy's Bois de la Folie (Forest of Folly) is a lush and densely vegetated wood where tall trees offer welcome shade from the blazing summer sun. It's also home to the tree-dwelling folk of Nature Adventure. Having just installed ten brand-new features on their kid's courses for the summer season, children and Peter-Pan parents can expend some of their ice-cream fuelled energy-or red wine-fuelled excesses-without overheating. Five trails, with some 70 tree-borne activities to undertake, begin in the undergrowth and move gradually up into the treetops, offering a refreshing view over Boutissant National Park. www.natureaventure.fr

5/Activ Natura
FLY TO BARCELONA

Taking orders from an ex-boina verde (green beret) might not be everyone's idea of a holiday, but with his army days behind him, founder and activities leader, Alberto Martinez, now takes a more light-hearted approach to new recruits. Even though he might (enthusiastically) bark you up the 8m-high Pamper Pole, he'll show you exactly how it's done. His troops are also encouraged to give Latin American-born extreme sport Canoping a go. Taking its name from the rainforest's canopy, the activity involves being suspended from high wires and having to navigate your way through the 1,000m of senderos aereos (aerial trails).
www.activ-natura.com

6/Fun Forest
FLY TO COLOGNE

Although the surrounding Speelpark opened its gates nearly 70 years ago, Fun Forest is the site's latest attraction and one of Holland's first forest-based adventure parks. A place where you can pit your wits against the mighty Trapezium, learn to land on a crash net without the crash, and master the art of the Snowboard Slide. Or, at night, don a hard hat and a torch and take to the same dizzying heights for a daring Night Climb. All this is without mentioning a gravity-defying climbing wall hovering in the park's leafy rafters, which provides a gripping challenge at all hours. www.funforest.nl

7/Go Ape
FLY TO GLASGOW

Opened in May last year, Go Ape's latest offering takes outdoor adventure to chilly extremes. Just twenty miles north of Glasgow, in the wild heather-clad Trossachs (aka the Miniature Highlands), you'll find yourself at the upper stretch of the surging River Forth. While you're not expected to toss any cabers on this visit, you will be asked to scramble through a network of log tunnels and across hairy aerial bridges. And that's just the warm up. After this, you'll have to career down the UK's longest zip-wire, which stretches a teeth-rattling half a kilometre over 90ft-high icy waterfalls and treetops. Just remember to lift your feet up!
www.goape.com

Check-list:

PASSPORT: It could be seen as a compliment anywhere else, but here, if you can't prove your age, you can't join in the fun.
SUNCREAM: There's only so long you can cower in the undergrowth. Give it an hour and you'll be swaying in the branches.
FOOTWEAR: Flip-flops or sandals don't belong at an adventure park, even if your feet will be dangling in the air for most of the day. Boost your chances of a steady landing with a good pair of worn-in, sturdy trainers.
CLOTHING: You might not get wet, but wherever you are, grass stains don't go down too well.
FOOD: Designated picnic areas offer a welcome pit-stop and chance to refuel. Just don't doze off.
CAMERA: Your friends will never believe the wuthering heights that you scaled otherwise.