Challenge Plus
Push your limits further than ever with Go Ape's newest and most demanding high ropes adventure. Available at Cockfosters, Sherwood Pines and Thetford.
- 2 - 3 hours
- £40
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Is It hard to ride a Segway?
Published on: 10/09/2023
What is a Segway?
A Segway is a two-wheeled, self-balancing personal transportation device, powered by an electric motor and controlled by the rider's body weight.
At Go Ape we use off-road segways, which are like the Land Rover of the Segway world. We introduced them back in 2010 and they are designed to take on windy forest trails with lots of lumps and bumps.
How does a Segway work?
Segways use gyroscopes in combination with electric motors and sensors to keep the machine upright and manoeuvre based upon input from the rider.
Sensors under the footplate measure how a Segway rider’s weight is distributed. By shifting their weight, the rider can move forwards and backwards, pick up speed and slow down.
Steering is controlled through the handlebars, which move left and right perpendicular to the direction of travel.
Is it hard to ride a Segway?
Riding a Segway is a unique experience which is hard to compare to anything else. Every Forest Segway adventure begins with a safety brief and tuition in the training area, which takes between 15-20 minutes.
By the end of the briefing, most people go from never having touched a Segway before to being competent enough to ride a segway into the forest as part of a group.
The great thing about our Forest Segway experience is that your instructor will be with you throughout your adventure. They can also tailor your experience to the groups ability and offer coaching throughout.
Our Segway adventures & restriction
Go Ape Forest Segway adventures are suitable for adventurers of all ages, you just need to be over 7 stone (44kg) and less than 18.4 stone (117kg).
Participants under 16 years old must be supervised by an adult over 18-years-old.
Top Tips
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Look where you are going – keep your eyes on the trail.
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Maintain your distance - be aware of the other forest users, obstacles and segway riders around you.
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Always be prepared to stop – be ready to halt and keep an eye out for any hand signals from your instructor.
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Don’t get overconfident – it’s easy to get overly confident once you’ve got into the swing of things but take your time.
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Listen to your instructor – they know their stuff! They’ve got loads of experience riding the machine and helping adventurers to get the most out of their sessions.
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Wrap up Warm – You’ll be travelling up to speeds of 12mph without working up a sweat so bring along some layers and we recommend wearing gloves (Go Ape gloves are available to purchase at the cabin).
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Wear Sunglasses – Particularly in summer the trails can get quite dusty so remember to protect your eyes.
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Make your movements small and smooth – Shifting your weight and moving the handle bars tells the segway what you want it to do so you’ll have a more comfortable ride if you’re smooth in your movements.
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Stay near the back of the group if you’re not confident – If you stick near the back of the group, you’ll feel less pressure for holding people up. If your group has more than 7 participants, you’ll be near to the instructor at the back.
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Freeride vs Safari – Nine of our locations offer safari experience, where you follow an instructor around the forest in your session. However, at our free ride locations, Bracknell, Crawley and Thetford, our instructors lead you out to bespoke segway trails, which you can explore at your leisure, with an instructor close-by at a central hub.
Benefits of Segways
- They are run by electricity so do not produce emissions.
- They can be operated by most people even without prior experience, young and older.
- They provide a fun and unique way to explore the forest. You’ll see more in the 1-hour experience than you will do on foot.
- It’s a bucket list experience you wouldn’t want to miss out on!
