Family Day Out : Carden Park’s Vertigo Rope and Zip Line Adventure*

Have you got a desire to swing from the trees and maybe be a trapeze artist? At five years old it was my dream to be a trapeze artist! I of course didn’t end up joining the circus, but have still always been fascinated by anything that involved being high up, whether that be climbing trees, walls or rocks or being in an aeroplane, so when we got asked to review Vertigo at Carden Park, which is a high up rope adventure course, combining climbing along with a long-distance zip line.

If you’re a thrill-seeker, but don’t quite fancy jumping from planes, this will be your next best option. The course at Carden Park is set on their 1000 acre site which encompasses a beautiful Spa and Hotel, a golf course and an extremely successful vineyard as well as its array of Country Pursuits.  In 2020 they won Best New Spa at the Good Spa Guide Awards, and in 2019 Tourism Venue of the Year, so you can be sure you are heading to a quality day of activities.

What we thought of Vertigo – one of seven of the Country Pursuits available at Carden Park

Firstly we were greeted by Alexandra in reception who was really welcoming and instructed us to head outside where Charlie would start with our introduction and get us kitted out and provide us with our safety briefing. We had clear instructions from the off and getting into what looks like a very complicated bit of tackle was made easy. We were fitted and everything was checked (each individual person I might add), to make sure that we were securely fastened and safe. We were then told about the dos and don’ts and given a brief talk about the course.

Going onto the first level was a bit nerve-wracking for me but the rest of my gang were absolutely fine (as you will see from our photos). Walking and sliding through the course was such fun and prepared us for going up to the next, slightly higher level which is actually 10 metres high! Yes I know, it is high! But by the time you get there, you’re already aware that the clips and ropes are there to protect you from falling, which is exactly what they do and if you were to lose your balance, its fine as you will just hang there until you’re able to support yourself again, or be kindly rescued by a member of the Vertigo team.

Finally, we finished our adventure with an 210-meter zip line. I have to say I am as bad as my kids when it comes to zip lines and when we visit the local park, I make sure I always get a turn! So being able to travel all this way on one, from so high (10 meters again) was just fantastic. I can’t tell you how exhilarating it was to travel through the grounds and look over the whole of Carden Park from so high up.

The one hour and thirty minutes on the rope adventure was the perfect amount of time and was just such fun for all the family, children and adults. Not only that, but the staff at Carden Park are unbelievably hospitable which made us all feel so welcome. When you complete your adventure you can head back to the reception/clubhouse and get a drink and have a chill out before you head home again, which again just added to the whole day. If you think this is something your family would love, then keep reading, and if you don’t do heights, there are lots of other outdoor activities that might just better suit you.

Where can you book your Vertigo adventure? 

You can book it here and select between all the Country Pursuits available on the Carden Park website.

How much is the day we took part in? 

It costs £45 per adult and £40 per child – which meant our day out for five was £210, which is a lot of money but it would be a great family Christmas Gift and you can buy gift vouchers  here.