A family with a wonderful property on the rolling Somerset hills at the edge of the mendips asked us to go wild. No, not mad, just creative! How could we give their kids the most fun when left to our own devices, rather than leaving them their devices.
With a garden this size, and a wide range of trees to choose from, a zip wire was an obvious choice. The garden slopes away, so it needed to fit in with the landscape and also with the rest of the build. It occurred to us that if we built a small stand-alone launch platform and a wide landing ramp, then it would work. By using other trees and the platforms as a funnel, there’s a real sense of drama and speed when ‘flying by wire’.
To the east of the zip wire we constructed three platforms. The first (and largest) was a tree house platform, with a large enough tree house for sleep overs and daytime lounging. The perfect get away for the kids as they grow older, but with a hidden bonus for the younger ones too. There’s a tube slide that comes out of the house back to the forest floor!
From this platform you can climb to the vertigo inducing viewing platform which takes in the glorious rolling Mendip hills and also provides a perfect top-down view of zippers on the wire. Or, turn right and it’s a long wobbly clatter bridge that takes you across to the main play platform.
The play platform has so much fun packed in, it’s difficult for newbies to consider where to start. It has an access ramp which is deliberately steep, you don’t want to make it too easy for them! And a climbing wall to skirt up, for the more agile and adventurous. And finally there’s a custom-made steel slide with robinia wood handrails. It’s simply stunning.
Getting back to the viewing platform, it may be the perfect location to lob water bombs or to play ‘king of the castle’ but the adults can also sneak up when allowed to do so. What better way to enjoy a summer evening with a glass of something fizzy and to soak in the setting sun whilst scanning our green and pleasant land.
This really is a build for the entire family.
All of the prices on the Gardenatics website take into
account all design work, materials, delivery, installation
and VAT so the price you see is the price you will pay
for this build.
Please note: all the pins on Gardenatics are within 10 miles of the build locations, but for privacy reasons, we have not identified the exact coordinates.
The younger of our two grandsons had his 8th birthday party. The tree house had a thorough test by 16 children between aged 7 and 11. It has survived with no ill effects, being agreed to be ‘cool’ and a good thing.
- D. Potter
Thanks for an amazing job.
- S. Kirk 
Great job building our climbing frame – friendly people, easy to deal with and flexible on the design. Highly recommend!
- B. Mitchell 
It looks fantastic and we are really pleased. The boys spent the whole day on it yesterday and refused to stop even for the rain. The big question now is whether we can ever persuade them to leave the garden to do something else.
- P. Crofts 
That looks amazing!
- Daughter of R Slade 
Thank you for making the most of our small, sloping garden. The design makes the most of the space available, is great for all kinds of play, we even use it for homework now!
- F. Haig 
The climbing frame and swings are great and we are really pleased with it. It is getting good use already.
- C. Evans 
Thanks for a great, professional job. The kids are delighted. We’re very pleased, thank you.
- J. Jaggard 
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