I always thought I was afraid of heights. Being up on the top floor of a high building makes me horribly dizzy with an instinct to roll up in a ball and close my eyes.
So when a trip to Go Ape – a treetop, ropes challenge – was suggested, I did not immediately jump at the chance.
The attraction is based at Crathes Castle, an easy and attractive 25-minute drive from Aberdeen.
Feeling more than a bit apprehensive, I took my boyfriend along for support, hoping he would be the Tarzan to my Jane.
The journey there was typically Scottish – dry spells turning to rain then hail. But as we pulled up at Crathes, the clouds parted and the sun arrived just in time for our treetop tour.
We were strapped into our safety gear, helmets and harnesses, before getting a thorough tutorial from one of the guides.
Despite the clear focus on safety, this did nothing to allay my fears as the importance of making sure you are attached to the treetop wires at all times was laboured.
We also had to sign a form which outlined the potential hazards and were reminded, on more than one occasion, about the risk to life and limb.
The first obstacle was a trial run – much smaller and less intimidating than the real thing. Heading up the short rope ladder, my other half showed his bottle, volunteering to go first.
We had different coloured straps attached to the harnesses with clamps on the end which correlate to hooks and zip lines on the forest challenge.
My partner meticulously checked his wires to make sure he was attached at all times.
I was next up the ladder – and was pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable it was.
But the real thing came next.
After the trial run, participants were given a code to get into the various obstacles set in the stunning woodland.
And boy, was the first one high! I clambered up the rope ladder – and to my surprise, wasn’t at all scared.
And I took to the balancing acts in the treetops like a monkey to the jungle. All my gymnast training – from my school days on the balance beam – came flooding back.
I loved the wobbly bridges many feet above the ground, the Tarzan swings and the zip slides.
My boyfriend, however, did not.
As I gambolled across the first couple of shaky platforms like a squirrel monkey, I turned and saw the colour draining from his cheeks as he clung on for dear life.
At the end of each series of high wires, there is a long, scream-inducing zip slide before you head up another rickety rope ladder.
Unsurprisingly, my other half’s feet stayed firmly on the forest floor after the first obstacle.
He cheered me on, though, as I beamed my way around the rest of the course, giggling with nervous excitement as I tried to complete some of the precarious balance beams without support.
One of the highlights was at the end of the second obstacle, which incorporates a skateboard with a zip slide.
But the crowing glory for me was sliding down the last wire, after I had overcome my fear of heights, and spotting a deer and her faun bolting through the woods.
And I was buzzing when I finished the course – just as the rain started falling once more.
The activity is ideal for the summer holidays, with anyone – over 10, over 4ft 7in and with a bit of nerve – able to take part.
It costs £32 for gorillas, those over the age of 18, and £24 for baboons, those under 18.
For more information about Go Ape, log onto www.goape.co.uk