'Live life adventurously’ is the message at Go Ape forest sites. CARYS THOMAS finds out about the fun in store for visitors

WHETHER you're Tarzan re-incarnated or a Jungle Jane, Go Ape offers a variety of activities to enjoy a day of adventure with the family.

Go Ape Tree Top Adventure is a multi award winning forest adventure company with 28 sites nationwide, the nearest of which are situated in the Forest of Dean and Swansea.

The classic tree top adventure consists of two to three hours of outdoor fun which includes tree top high wires, tricky crossings using ladders, walkways, bridges and tunnels made of wood, rope and super-strong wire.

And if that's not enough, the adventure has a 180 metre zip-wire to finish off.

At the Forest of Dean site, Go Ape consists of five sections at Mallards Pike Lake with 39 crossings. The highest crossing is 15 metres and the longest crossing is 18 metres.

The Go Ape site in Swansea is at Margam Country Park and was the first in Wales to open in 2009. This tree top adventure also has five sections and has 39 crossings with the highest point at 13 metres.

The longest zip wire is 167 metres and the total length of the course is 744 metres.

If you want another activity to challenge yourself alongside all the climbing, then the Forest of Dean site also offers the forest segway experience.

This consists of an hour-long trail through the forest on the self-balancing electric segway.

Visitors will need to be at least 10-years-old and over seven stones to use the segway and you will be given a half-hour safety briefing to learn how to avoid obstacles at low levels and get to grips with the equipment.

The segway adventure is closed during December, January, and February due to the winter weather. It is not available at the Swansea site.

The origins of Go Ape date back to 2001, when owners Tris and Becs Mayhew were on holiday in Auvergne with their six-month old baby and came across a French family swinging through the trees. They decided to set up an adventure company and now have 28 attractions across the UK.

The largest Go Ape in the UK is in Grizedale Forest Park in Cumbria which also features the zip trekking adventure - a 275 metre zip wire across the forest park . The Go Ape adventure parks across the country are open between February to November.

The tree top adventure for gorillas (18 years plus) is £30 and for Baboons (10 to 17 years), it is £24. The forest segway is £35 at the Forest of Dean Go Ape.

For more information visit www.goape.co.uk or call 0845 643 92 15.