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Crathes Castle

(Aberdeenshire)

Near Aberdeen

Enjoy Our Epic Skateboard Zip.

A great day out near Aberdeen: Set in the grounds of historic Crathes Castle, we’re proud to unveil our new skateboard zip.

The classic and original Go Ape experience. We’ll brief you for safety before you fly down our zip-wires, leap off our Tarzan Swing and tackle our obstacles whilst enjoying some of Britain’s most breathtaking scenery.

A stones throw from Aberdeen, here’s your chance to live life more adventurously in some beautiful surroundings.

Find your nearest Go Ape by postcode or location:

Get out and about this season

For full availability simply 'check availability' for exact details of Crathes' opening hours.

Times will vary on daylight hours… some adventures even open at 08:00 in the summer for those early birds!

Below is a snapshot of when our forest doors open.

We're open from February to November, but we close our forest doors during December and January (...it gets a little chilly and we like to maintain our adventures so they're all ready to go in 2012).

24th March – 30th October daily.

Closed Wednesday (during term time).

Weekends only throughout November.

Course stats

Check out these crazy stats for Crathes Castle!

  • Number of sections 5
  • Longest Zip Wire 125 metres
  • Longest Crossing 92 metres
  • Total Length 592 metres
  • Number of Crossings 28
  • Highest Point 8.6 metres

The Team at Crathes

The Address

Go Ape! Crathes Castle
Crathes
Banchory
Aberdeenshire
AB31 5QJ

Get directions

By car

Located off the A93, 5 miles east of Banchory. Follow brown signs for Crathes Castle.

Due to the rural nature of our locations, postcodes are not always accurate when using satellite navigation. Please always check the route before setting off, and cross reference with a map.

Please note that parking charges are as follows: £2 all day.

By train

The nearest train station is Aberdeen. For more information visit National Rail

By bus

Stagecoach Bluebird bus numbers 201, 202 and 203 from Aberdeen bus station stop at the entrance to Crathes Estate.

Staying Over

There's plenty of places to stay in Aberdeen... only a stones throw away.

 

Local Area

Some nearby places which may be of interest:

Crathes Castle offers a great range of other outdoor activities to fill your day. Check out the Crathes Castle brochure and find out more.

Please note that parking charges at Crathes Castle are as follows: £2 all day.

Plus Aberdeen is not far away and there's plenty of things to do.

There plenty of walks in Aberdeenshire to enjoy.

 

Why not contact our Events Team to get your whole tribe in the trees - from Aberdeen to Wyre, 10 to 280 people, for adults and children - We can tailor a day that you and your tribe will never forget. It can include outdoor catering, mountain bike hire and much much more. Just give us a call on 0845 643 9314.

Rated 3 Bananas Hannah 21 May 2012
I was part of a large group of seventeen people, half of us got the bus service that Crathes recommended which was fine however half the group travelled by car and it was quite difficult to find so could be signposted better from the road. I was anxious that some members of the group would be 5 minutes late but the Go Ape! staff were very laid back and helpful. The safety brief and tutorial was very informative and put a lot of the more nervous members at ease! Being part of a large group has its downsides as throughout the course there was a lot of waiting around for the members at the back of the group. The course is meant to last 2-3 hours but we were there for 3 1/2 hours in total so got our money's worth! The scariest thing about the course had to be the ladders but we soon got used to the height and really enjoyed the zip wires in particular! A few members of our group got very panicked by the tarzan swing but everyone did it and felt a sense of achievement. There didn't seem to be many Go Ape! staff around parts of the course so felt a sense of freedom but some people were doing things that may have resulted in yellow or red cards so could have done with more staff patrolling - particularly on the 4th and 5th courses! One thing I will say is that Go Ape! should be renamed Go Ache! the two days following our day there I was aching so much! Also some of the men had bruises where their harness had been! Overall I would recommend the Go Ape! experience! Being part of a big group there was great as there was a lot of encouragement from one another and team bonding! Not for the faint hearted!
Rated 4 Bananas Doreen 21 May 2012
The zip slides are brilliant although it would have felt safer to have had an attendant at the end of the slide. The far side rings you walk along are really difficult when you have a visual impairment. The skateboard is good but I had no idea you would lose the board and be suspended after. It was great fun.
Rated 4 Bananas Alasdair 21 May 2012
Staff very helpful. Very muched liked the zips and tarzan swings.
Rated 4 Bananas William 21 May 2012
Go Ape was a fantastic day out. Everyone had a great time. I had to cancel two people at short notice and was pleasantly surprised given a full refund.
Rated 4 Bananas Jen 21 May 2012
We loved that we could take our dog winston around the course with us and the friendliness of the staff. We most enjoyed the last jump into the net on last course. We hope to see segways soon!!!
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Who will be in your party?

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GORILLAS
18 years +
£30
BABOONS
10 - 17 years
Over 1.4m
£20
ENJOY A 2 - 3 HOUR TREE TOP ADVENTURE

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Crathes Castle

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