When I booked the family in at Glenworth Valley Wilderness Adventures, I was really just chasing a thrill for myself as normally our school holiday activities involve me being deafened at Timezone or squeezing down kids’ slides at the park. What I didn’t expect was how much I enjoyed watching them have a thrill – and me slowing down for once.
We started with abseiling and our guide Caleb was great, running through all the instructions and making sure everyone was comfortable. Since I’d done it before it wasn’t so much about nerves, it was more about being patient enough to listen instead of jumping straight in.
There are three different abseils starting with one that you can almost walk down which lets you get a feel for it. Once the kids were confident, we moved onto the 12 metre which is a sheer drop. The final one is about 18 metres and heads out over an open cave, so there’s a moment where you’re just hanging there with nothing around you.
Of course, I did what I always do and raced down instead of taking my time. It was fun but standing at the top watching the others conquer their nerves was far more rewarding than doing it myself.
Once we’d worn ourselves out – more from the walk back to the top each time than the abseiling down – we grabbed some lunch at the kiosk before heading out for the horse ride.
And that’s where the day changed for me. I went into it thinking it would be the boring part of the day, but it ended up being the standout.
My horse, China, started off with her own priorities which mostly involved eating grass whenever she got the chance, but once we sorted out who was boss we settled into an easy rhythm.
The thing with horse riding is you don’t get to rush it. You’re not setting the pace and you’re not in control of every little movement, which is probably why I liked it more than I expected. It forced me to just sit back and let it happen, and more importantly, actually watch the kids enjoy it instead of trying to move us onto the next thing.
Unfortunately, the kids’ horses weren’t as chill. One had a bit of attitude and let the others know about it, and the other seemed completely uninterested and spent most of its time at the back being constantly prodded along. Surprisingly I didn’t mind it slowing us down even more, and it even added a few laughs along the way.
Overall, Glenworth Valley Wilderness Adventures is a good mix as you get a bit of action and a bit of downtime. It’s not the cheapest, but they do a great job of looking after you, especially if it’s your first time. There’s also plenty more on offer like kayaking, quad biking and laser skirmish, plus they hold special events throughout the year.
So while I booked it for the abseiling, I’d go back for the horse ride. Turns out slowing down for a couple of hours isn’t the worst thing after all.
