Take to the trees

Trees, glorious trees. We’ve got lots of them here in the Tweed Valley. And plenty of ways to experience them too … from beautiful walks at ground level to swinging through the high forest canopy at top speed!

 

Of all of the forests in the Tweed Valley Forest Park’s network, Glentress is by far the most visited, and widely celebrated. And it is easy to see why. It is not only home to a beautiful selection of way-marked walking routes and a world-class mountain biking trail centre, but look high into the tree canopy and you will find adventures to be discovered 50m above ground too.

You best bring a head for heights and a love of speed to Go Ape Peebles – the course is definitely one for the adventurous! The dramatic forest scenery provides a perfect backdrop to a challenging course that features high tree-to-tree crossings, free-fall Tarzan swings and Scotland’s highest zip-wire. It’s brilliant fun for kids aged 10 and up (min height: 1.4m) and just as much fun for grown-up kids looking for an adrenaline-fuelled day out.

 

And Go Ape isn’t the only tree-top activity on offer to visitors to Glentress. Take a trip to the Glentress Wild Watch centre during the osprey nesting season (April to September) and you can enjoy a window directly into the world of these remarkable birds of prey as they nest up high in secret locations around the Tweed Valley. Live camera feeds follow the activity of the ospreys and their chicks throughout the summer months, before they disappear to their winter feeding grounds in southern Europe and Africa.

The landscape at Glentress will look very different from 2023 onwards. The UCI Cycling World Championships at Glentress Forest not only put Scotland’s most celebrated mountain biking trail centre on the global map, it has left a long-lasting legacy of new trails and infrastructure developments for all visitors to enjoy. Learn more about the Glentress Masterplan here.

So, whether you are swinging from the trees, chasing your friends down the hills on two wheels or taking a leisurely stroll amongst towering Douglas firs, you are guaranteed adventure at Glentress.

 
 

Further info

Book your Go Ape adventure at: goape.co.uk/locations/glentress-forest or call on (+44) 01603 895500. And discover more about the benefits of time in the trees on both physical and mental health in Go Ape’s excellent blog piece.

Plan an action-packed day of riding at Glentress with our comprehensive biking guide.

And discover more about the Tweed Valley’s network of forests and woodlands on the Nature & Outdoors pages of the website.