Kent's two Go Ape sites compared for Sevenoaks families: Leeds Castle parks free with no castle ticket, Bedgebury adds up to £15.50 parking. Checked 22 Sept.
Go Ape runs two sites in Kent, and both are about 35 minutes from Sevenoaks by car. One is in the grounds of Leeds Castle near Maidstone, off junction 8 of the M20. The other is at Bedgebury National Pinetum near Goudhurst, off the A21 (Go Ape, Leeds Castle; Go Ape, Bedgebury).
The courses and the prices are the same at both. The day out around them is not, and neither is the cost of parking the car. This page compares the two Go Ape Kent sites on the things that decide the trip: who is old enough and tall enough to climb, what it costs once parking is counted, and which site suits which sort of day. Every figure was checked against Go Ape’s or Forestry England’s own pages on 22 September 2026.
The two sites at a glance
| Leeds Castle | Bedgebury | |
|---|---|---|
| Drive from Sevenoaks | About 35 minutes via the M26 and M20 | About 35 to 40 minutes down the A21 |
| High ropes courses | All three, ages 4 and up | All three, ages 4 and up |
| Also on site | Axe throwing, age 12+, from £18.95 | Forest bike hire from £15, cycle trails, the pinetum |
| Parking | Free | £4 (1 hour) to £15.50 (all day), card only |
| Entry fee for spectators | None. Go Ape sits outside the castle's paid grounds | None beyond parking |
| Dogs | Not stated on the Go Ape pages | Welcome, on leads near the car parks and lakes |
Sources: Go Ape Leeds Castle, plan your visit, Go Ape Bedgebury and Forestry England.
Which course, at what age and price
Go Ape sells the same three high ropes courses at both Kent sites. The restrictions are national and they are strict, so check them before booking rather than at the cabin (Treetop Adventure; Treetop Adventure Plus; Treetop Challenge):
- Treetop Adventure, from £20.95. Ages 4 to 10, minimum height 1m. Low-level courses, sessions of 60 or 90 minutes.
- Treetop Adventure Plus, from £25.95. Age 6 and up, minimum height 1.2m. The mid-level course.
- Treetop Challenge, from £36.95. Age 10 and up, minimum height 1.4m. The full course with the big zip wires, one to three hours.
The maximum weight on all three is 130kg. Prices are “from” figures, so a weekend or school-holiday slot can cost more than the ones quoted here.
The supervision rules decide how many adults have to buy a ticket, and Go Ape publishes them per course:
- On Treetop Adventure, one adult can supervise up to 2 children under 6, and that adult must take part. Children aged 6 to 15 can be watched from the ground, one adult to 8 children.
- On Treetop Adventure Plus, one adult to 8 children aged 6 to 15, from the course or the ground.
- On Treetop Challenge the ratio depends on the site’s belay system. At self belay sites one adult can supervise 2 children aged 10 to 15, and must climb with them; Go Ape lists the continuous belay variants on the course page.
- An adult cannot supervise children on Treetop Challenge and another course at the same time.
So two parents with a 5-year-old and an 11-year-old cannot split one adult across both courses. One parent climbs with the little one, the other climbs the Challenge with the older one.
Leeds Castle: the ropes without the castle ticket
The detail that surprises most first-timers is that Go Ape Leeds Castle is not behind the castle’s admission desk. The cabin sits in the car park outside the main paid grounds, parking is free, and you do not need a castle ticket to climb or to watch (Go Ape).
Three practical points from Go Ape’s own visit page:
- Ignore the postcode. Go Ape says satnavs using ME17 1PD deliver you to the wrong entrance. Drive to the castle’s main entrance on Penfold Hill, the B2163, and follow the brown signs. The cabin is visible from the car park.
- Arrive 20 minutes before your session. For sessions before 10am, wait at the main entrance; the gates open at 10.
- Facilities are thin but there. A kiosk in the car park does drinks, snacks and sandwiches, and the toilets are a short walk away at the visitor centre. The castle’s proper cafes are inside the paid grounds, so a castle ticket is needed if you want them.
Without a car it is doable but slow: Go Ape lists Hollingbourne station as a 30-minute walk away, or a bus ride from Maidstone East. There is also axe throwing here, age 12 and up, from £18.95, which is not on Bedgebury’s activity list (Go Ape).
Bedgebury: the ropes as part of a forest day
Go Ape Bedgebury sits inside Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest on the B2079 near Goudhurst, signposted from the A21. The ropes are the same, but here they are one activity inside a big Forestry England site with waymarked walking and cycling trails, a lake and a cafe (Go Ape).
The cost difference is the parking. Forestry England charges by duration, pay on exit, card only (Forestry England):
- Up to 1 hour: £4
- Up to 2 hours: £8
- Up to 3 hours: £11.50
- Up to 4 hours: £14.50
- All day: £15.50
A Treetop Challenge session runs one to three hours plus check-in, so budget £11.50 to £15.50 for the car on top of the tickets. The gates open at 8am daily, and the site closes at 8pm until 26 October, then at 5pm from 27 October through the winter (Forestry England).
Go Ape also runs Forest Biking here, with bike hire from £15 and a separate check-in at the bike hire cabin. Dogs are welcome on site on leads around the car parks, lakes and sandy areas (Go Ape). If you want a full day in this corner of Kent, Bewl Water is a ten-minute drive further down the A21 and its parking and walks are covered in our separate guide.
Sundown: the after-dark sessions, on sale now
Both Kent sites run Sundown Adventures this autumn: the mid-level course climbed at dusk with the trees lit up. Tickets are on sale now at from £31.95, age 6 and up, minimum height 1.2m, one hour on the ropes plus 30 to 60 minutes for check-in and harnessing (Go Ape, Leeds Castle Sundown; Bedgebury Sundown).
Go Ape bills it as a once-a-year autumn event and publishes the exact dates only on its booking calendar, so check the session list for the site you want. The timing lines up with the clocks going back and October half term, when dusk arrives at a child-friendly hour.
What a family visit actually costs
Take two adults and two children aged 8 and 9, all on Treetop Adventure Plus, the course that age group most often books:
- Tickets: four people from £25.95 each is £103.80 at either site. With children of 6 to 15 one adult may watch from the ground instead, which brings it to £77.85 for three climbers.
- Leeds Castle: parking adds nothing.
- Bedgebury: parking adds £8 to £15.50 depending on how long you stay.
Those are minimums built on Go Ape’s “from” prices; peak slots cost more. For younger children, note that a parent must climb alongside any child under 6, so a toddler-and-parent pair is two tickets, not one.
Booking for everything is online at Go Ape’s checkout, and its customer care line is 01603 895500, open 8am to 6pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm at weekends (Go Ape). For more ideas for this age group closer to town, see our guide to things to do with kids in Sevenoaks.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a Leeds Castle ticket to do Go Ape? No. Go Ape’s cabin is in the car park outside the main paid grounds, and parking there is free. You only need castle admission if you want the castle itself or its cafes (Go Ape).
What age can children start Go Ape? From age 4 on Treetop Adventure, provided they are at least 1m tall. The mid-level course starts at 6 and 1.2m, and the full Treetop Challenge at 10 and 1.4m (Go Ape).
Is there a weight limit? Yes, 130kg on all the high ropes courses at both Kent sites (Go Ape).
Can parents watch from the ground? For children aged 6 to 15 on the two Adventure courses, yes: one adult can supervise up to 8 children from the ground. A child under 6 must have an adult climbing with them, and on Treetop Challenge at self belay sites the supervising adult must climb too (Go Ape).
Which Go Ape site is closer to Sevenoaks? They are much the same, at roughly 35 minutes each: Leeds Castle via the M26 and M20, Bedgebury down the A21. Choose on the day you want, not the distance: free parking and axe throwing at Leeds Castle, forest trails and bike hire at Bedgebury.
How much is parking at Bedgebury? £4 for up to an hour, rising to £15.50 for a full day, card only, pay on exit. Motorcycles park free (Forestry England).
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