Windermere's Treetop Trek celebrates ten years in the Lake District

The team at Treetop Trek, the award-winning Windermere-based aerial adventure company has a lot to celebrate this year, as they mark a decade of flying high.

And they have just passed another huge milestone of welcoming over half-a-million visitors at the Brockhole location.

More than 500,000 fearless adventurers ranging from age five to 95 have been challenged to swing, climb, and fly their way through the ancient woodland canopy on the shores of Windermere since opening in June 2012.

It all started when founder Mike Turner was inspired to create a high ropes adventure that the whole family could enjoy together, after struggling to find activities suitable for his own young family when on holiday.

FUN: The nets at Treetop Trek

Mr Turner pioneered a continuous belay system that enables participants to remain attached to the safety cable the whole way round the course. Thanks to this innovation, Treetop Trek was the first high-ropes course in the UK to welcome children as young as five years.

The course design also features a 250m triple zip wire, enabling three participants to zip together.

“We are thrilled to be celebrating our 10th anniversary at Brockhole, it’s a great achievement for a local business like us and we have absolutely loved welcoming visitors from far and wide over the last decade,” said Mr Turner.

Treetop Trek soon took off and expanded with the addition of ‘Climb and Zip’ and ‘Treetop Net’ activities, along with opening locations in Manchester and Yorkshire to compliment the flagship Brockhole site.

Making the outdoors accessible to all ages and abilities is at the heart of the attraction, with the company investing more than £50,000 in its facilities to improve accessibility including a new braking system at the bottom of its zip-line for low impact landings, allowing wheelchair users and those with physical disabilities to also experience the treetop adventure.

HAPPY: Treetop Trek works with Bendrigg Trust to make the course accessible to people with disabilities

The team at Treetop Trek works in close partnership with the Bendrigg Trust to make their course more accessible and have all undergone disability awareness training.

“Getting outdoors and experiencing nature is so good for your mind and body, however, we know many people with disabilities don’t get the same opportunities to access outdoor adventure,” said Mr Turner.

“So we are proud to work with our partners at the Bendrigg Trust, to learn and receive specialist advice on how we can constantly evolve our course to welcome all ages and abilities.”

TEAM: Some of the Treetop Trek team

But Treetop Trek’s success would not be possible without the ‘dedicated’ team who make it a ‘fantastic’ experience for visitors, according to Mr Turner.

“Receiving the 2015 ‘Gold Winner’ of the National Tourism Experience of the Year at the Visit England Awards for Excellence just three years after launching is a testament to our amazing team who help to make visitors feel safe and have an incredible outdoor experience up in the treetops every single day," he said.