11. King of the Swinger ohh: Flying Trapeze London Style

Ever climbed something reeeally high and had the urge to jump, do a couple of stylish spins in the air and land flawlessly on the ground with everyone watching and wooping? I haven’t.

But in some fantastic moment of madness last summer I signed up for a flying trapeze lesson on Acton Common with a company called Gorilla Circus, and it was amAZing!

Basically you climb this big ladder, which feels bloomin’ high from the top, and stand with your toes peeking over the edge of a small platform; then reach out into the abyss in front of you to grab a tiny metal bar – your trapeze. The whole session only lasts about 2 hours, but in that time you learn to swing, hands free, upside down, with your legs wrapped round the trapeze above your head. Finally, you get to be caught in the air by one of the teachers who swings you onto their trapeze, mid-flight.

If you’re anything like me (a horribly unfit graduate who can barley touch her toes) it’s still a great find, and, if anything, gives you a bit of exercise for those muscles you definitely didn’t know you had. If I did it again, I’d definitely have a bit of a stretch before hand (especially around the arms), and possibly take something salty to eat in between go’s (I kept getting cramp in my toes, I was trying to point them so much!).

The whole thing was so utterly addictive! A couple of the girls had been coming back every day for a week to perfect their new moves. There’s no weight limit or required fitness level, and they’ve even had a couple of 78 year olds give it a go, so there’s absolutely no excuse.

TOP TIP Wear something that won’t ride up/down when you go upside down – it’s a pretty energetic couple of hours and it’d be embarrassing to have your belly/underwear on show for the whole thing! And maybe don’t eat right before you go – could be messy.

Author: Jessica Parry