Climbing trees with Goodleaf on the Isle of Wight

Goodleaf Tree Climbing, located in Ryde on the Isle of Wight, was started by New Zealander Paul McCathie in 2015. In this blog, Paul shares some information about why Goodleaf Tree Climbing is a popular Isle of Wight adventure activity, and how you can get involved.

… and they’re curious! Recreational tree climbing with Goodleaf means climbing into the branches of a magnificent oak tree, using rope and harness and wearing a helmet. Many people expect a high ropes course; walking from tree to tree on wires, whereas Goodleaf is all about climbing in one tree.

The experience takes place in small groups of up to eight people and the emphasis is on fun. We provide everything climbers need including teaching our special climbing technique. If you’ve been rock or wall climbing, you’ll love learning something different.

Recreational tree climbing with Goodleaf is a chance to experience a unique place that very few people ever get to visit – the canopy of a tree. You climb at your own pace. There’s no one waiting at the bottom of your rope for their turn; you can tailor your climb to suit you.

A visit to the Island is all about getting away from the mainland hustle to spend time together. Many families climb together at Goodleaf. We ask that all our climbers are age eight and over, so it’s a great activity to do when the kids are older and not so keen on spending the entire holiday building sandcastles!

It’s fascinating to see the role reversal within families – we get the kids teaching Mum and Dads (or grandparents) how to tie knots or reminding them what to do when they need to come down from the top of the tree.

There’s no tech at Goodleaf (well, you can take photos if you want to!) and we like it that way. We’ve chosen a magnificent tree for climbing and the entire session takes place in the gorgeous surroundings of Appley Park, a green oasis just back from the beach in Ryde. You can’t help but get the fresh air fix everyone needs from a tree climbing session at Goodleaf.

Goodleaf is a small family run business. We’re passionate about what we do and about making sure our climbers have the best experience we can offer. We pride ourselves on our warm welcome and our friendly, experienced instructors, many of whom have years of experience teaching outdoor learning.

It’s true. In fact if you read the reviews on Trip Advisor you might think that people come to Goodleaf just for the flapjack! We provide refreshments with our two hour tree climbing sessions and, as well as a cup of tea, coffee or squash, we offer homemade Goodleaf flapjack. Full of oats and chocolate chunks, it’s the perfect way to re-fuel after climbing and sometimes we think our climbers come back year on year just to get another piece!

Goodleaf Tree Climbing is open from Easter through to the end of October half term each year. As well as running the two hour tree climbing sessions for families, we offer tree climbing for large groups. For those who want to climb higher, we run an intensive three day tree climbing course certified by Lantra and you can even camp overnight in the treetops. To find out more, go to www.goodleaf.co.uk.