Family days out near me: Go Ape, Dalkeith - Conquering the treetop challenge takes exhilaration to new heights

The thrill-seekers in the family are guaranteed to love this one. So harness their sense of adventure and head for the tree tops.

Name: Go Ape Dalkeith

Description: Adventure chain venue where participants explore the forest canopy via a treetop rope course, featuring zip lines and sky-high platforms.

Location: The attraction is located within Dalkeith Country Park, the entrance to which is King's Gate (EH22 1ST), a five-minute drive from Edinburgh City Bypass, exiting at Sheriffhall Roundabout. Lothian Buses 3, 33 or 49 go from Edinburgh to Dalkeith High Street, leaving a 10-minute walk to the park entrance.

Dalkeith Country Park provides a beautiful backdrop to the Go Ape treetop experience with ancient woodlands, gardens, historic buildings and picturesque ponds

Suitable for: Participants chose from three challenges of increasing levels of difficulty.The Tree Top Adventure is for anyone more than one metre tall. Children under 6 must be accompanied by an adult, otherwise adults can supervise from the ground.Tree Top Adventure Plus is open to anyone taller than 1.2m and over 6 years old.It adds an additional loop to the Adventure course, crossing the river on zip lines.The ultimate Tree Top Challenge is for adults and children taller than 1.4m. Each loop crosses the river and goes higher and further, generally taking between 90 minutes and two hours. Under 13s must be accompanied by an adult.

Entry costs: Tree Top Adventure – £20 for one hour; Tree Top Adventure Plus – £25 an hour; Tree Top Challenge – £33 with no time limit (except darkness!). A 15% discount is available on family tickets for the Challenge course, Sunday to Friday, with the code FAMILY15.

Opening hours: Open daily during school holidays, with first groups heading out from 10am and last groups around 4pm. Check the website for seasonal updates.

What they say: Not far from Edinburgh, but buried deep in the countryside, Go Ape has something for everyone.Mega zip rides and sky-high platforms supply the thrills for adults and older children, whilst young adventurers can take to the tree tops as well, conquering incrementally challenging courses to build their confidence and leave them feeling like a hero.The 1000-acres of Dalkeith Country Park set a beautiful backdrop to your tree top experience.

Children can build confidence on incrementally challenging courses

What visitors say: “So much fun! Easy parking, friendly staff and good challenges for my young kids. Safety was paramount, and when one of my group got the fear (high winds on our visit raised the difficulty) a staff member was quickly on the scene to help with calm patient help.”"Setting is lovely and aesthetic feels that it fits perfectly into forest. Feels like it's run by people who know exactly how to have thrills while keeping safe.”

Look out for: Wear clothes you don’t mind getting grubby and shoes that can’t fall off. Gloves are recommended.

Facilities: The venue shares parking, cafe and toilet facilities with Dalkeith Country Park, with a £3 charge for parking.

Website: goape.co.uk/locations/dalkeith-edinburgh