Go Ape gets green light to open

May 20 2010 by Alistair Watson, West Lothian Courier

A HIGH ropes adventure course at Beecraigs Country Park has finally been given the green light to open — nearly two months behind schedule.

The Go Ape tree top adventure had been due to open on March 27 but had to reschedule a host of bookings because of problems securing a public entertainment licence.

West Lothian Council had refused to issue a licence as staff at the new centre had not gone through the relevant disclosure checks to allow them to work with children.

But after undergoing extensive vetting from Disclosure Scotland, the staff at Go Ape were finally able to welcome thrill-seekers to the course near Linlithgow for their first day of business on Saturday.

The Courier was invited to the official launch of the Beecraigs course, which consists of a giant treetop obstacle course 40 foot in the air made up of ladders, bridges, tunnels, walkways and zip wires, in March.

A special feature of the course is that it is home to three brand new crossings that none of the existing 22 locations the company have in the UK can boast.

The new crossings include a twisting bridge made up of super-strong wire and round logs, and a crossing consisting of wooden steps between wires from which tree trekkers can jump, or step, to make their way across.

Before taking to the tree tops, a Go Ape instructor guides customers in a safety briefing and then they are free to swing, climb, crawl and zip through the trees.

Councillor Martyn Day, the chair of VisitWestLothian, says: “We are delighted to welcome Go Ape here at Beecraigs Park.

“The opening of this new adventure attraction adds to the excellent visitor offering available in West Lothian and further underlines our reputation as the place to be for families who are looking for a great day out in the heart of Scotland.

“West Lothian is an ideal fit for Go Ape with Beecraigs Park offering a beautiful setting for their challenging course and the wider region providing broad range of additional attractions to entice visitors of all ages.”