22 June 2014

A Birthday Surprise - Go Ape

No, not my birthday, not quite yet. Lee celebrated his 19th birthday on the 18th and I'm sure you girlfriends can relate, I wanted to do something super special. He is a very good egg and he deserves it. Although we didn't do much last year as we were at a house party the night before and let's just say poor Lee was a little worse for wear on his birthday, I did organise a weekend away to Alton Towers the year before which was awesome and who knows what we did the year before that, we were 15 and hadn't been together long, aw. However, this year I was completely stuck for ideas, I have not been blessed with a creative mind. So, this surprise was put together in a bit of a rush but I must say, I was quite impressed with myself.  It was a light bulb moment when Go Ape sprung to mind, he had been talking about wanting to go for a while and I was SO up for it. For me, simply giving him the tickets in his card wasn't enough so after a bit of Googling and Pinterest browsing a treasure hunt is what I decided on to reveal the surprise, cue last minute route planning and crafty clue card creating.
That's how the morning began, I teamed each clue with a little gift; chocolates, a car air freshener, protein shake sachets, a voucher for his favourite gym clothing store, his card and Clyde the caterpillar birthday cake. It was so nice to see a huge grin on his face as he hunted for the next clue, and he totally appreciated the thought that went into it which made it totally worthwhile. Our next stop; McDonalds for breakfast. Then the drive begun, thankfully the weather was on our side and we were greeted with a gorgeous 24 degrees heat, making the scenery even more beautiful. After stopping for ice cream and a photo opportunity, we arrived at Whinlatter and were helped into our harnesses before being briefed on how to keep ourselves safely attached (and alive). Lee was a bit anxious about the height but once we were up there, he nailed it and it was SO much fun. Zip wires, Tarzan swings and multiple high ropes obstacles such as a hanging tunnel and some shaky ladders. Thankfully the course was quiet. There were 5 sites and we were up in the trees for just over two hours.
As the weather was so nice, we demolished some butterscotch birthday cake and headed into Keswick. The Lake District is our favourite place and the views were looking as amazing as ever, we took a walk through the town passing the cutest little cafes down to the river before returning for an obligatory fish and chips. The heat had totally taken it out of us, so the drive home began, accompanied with plenty of chocolate. P.S. Dairy Milk Oreo Marvellous Mix-Ups are my new favourite. We had a fantastic day and I couldn't be more relieved that Lee enjoyed his surprise, I would recommend Go Ape to everyone. It is physically demanding (justification for the crappy food right there) but that's paired with a great feeling of freedom, being up there in the trees tackling some bad ass obstacles, it's something different. To anyone who is after those girlfriend/boyfriend points, I would totally recommend taking inspiration from the treasure hunt too as it was definitely a success. 

Rachael x
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22 comments

  1. This is such a wonderful birthday surprise! I've never been to Go Ape before but I did an indoor aerial assault course once and it was TERRIFYING but the buzz when you're finished is like nothing else. With beautiful weather like you got, I think an outdoor course would be even more incredible. I think you deserve major girlfriend points for this surprise - especially with the added touch of the treasure hunt (aw!).

    x

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    1. Aah thanks Charlene! It's definitely not for the faint hearted that's for sure, but I loved the feeling and the weather was definitely a major plus point! Hehe thank you, I think I earned those girlfriend points and I must say I was pretty impressed with how smoothly things worked out! x

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  2. This looks so fun, I know some people who have been to Go Ape and they love it. Those ice creams look yummy too!

    http://IAmLinderella.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. It was a really fun experience, it's well worth a visit! Ooh yes they were the perfect pre Go Ape treat :)

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  3. This looks so fun! What a great day out. We've done something similar abroad and it had different levels - naturally I thought I could handle the highest one with Olly no probs, but it was soo hard and I almost had to be rescued haha xx

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    1. It was lots of fun, it was nice to do something a bit different! Ooh deary me haha that sounds rather scary! xx

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  4. What an amazing birthday present and day that you planned out, your other half is a lucky boy! Looks like so much fun and your photos are amazing, love that one with the boats (and the fish and chips have me dribbling at my desk!) xo

    Rosie | A Rosie Outlook

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    1. Aw thank you Rosie! It was a great day, I'm so pleased it worked out well. Those fish and chips were gorgeous! xx

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  5. Beautiful pictures, It seems like you had so much fun :)
    Miki xx
    pursuingadreamcalledlife.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you Miki, we definitely did! :) x

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  6. This looks like so much fun and it sounds like you had a wonderful day! What a wonderful surprise, you did very well! Xx

    Vividlondon.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Aah thank you, I must say I do feel like I did a pretty good job haha xx

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  7. What a fantastic idea! I do love zoos and have been wanted to go to Go Ape for ages now. Need someone to surprise me haha.

    Belle ♥
    Mascara & Maltesers

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  8. That is such a cool birthday present for your boyfriend! Loved reading this post btw, I really like your writing-style. Oh and the layout of your blog is just amazing!

    Melane | Pure Perspective

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    1. Wow thank you so much, so nice of you!

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  9. i.ve been asked to go so many time but I'm far too scared

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    1. Aah don't be afraid, it's such a good feeling when you're up there!

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  10. These pictures look so familiar to me as I was there last week. Wish I could be back there doing it all over again :( I did a photo diary on our time there too. You look like you had an amazing day!

    Melissa | MELISSA LOVES THIS

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    1. Mee too, it's great isn't it, hope you had a fab time and I'll definitely check out your photo diary!

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  11. Great photos , looks so much fun x

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