New operator secured for park's high ropes course
Published: 7 May 2024
Cllr Hardyal Dhindsa at the high ropes course with Lianne Glendinning from Tree House Trek
A new operator has been found to run the high ropes course at Markeaton Park.
Work is underway to renovate the facility, with part of it due to reopen to the public later this month.
Tree House Trek has signed an agreement with Derby City Council to run the former ‘Skyline’ attraction, which has been closed since the Covid pandemic.
The Council explored a number of options in an effort to bring the course back into use, but difficulty in identifying a new operator and the high cost of repairing the equipment meant this had seemed impossible.
The ropes course was to be dismantled and removed from the park. However, Ali Glendinning, director of Belper-based High Low Ropes Course Consulting, saw a future for the facility and approached the Council about taking it on.
Ali has 22 years’ experience in the high ropes industry . He has set up a separate company, Tree House Trek, which will operate the Markeaton Park attraction.
Renovation work at the site began last week. The course will be reopened in two phases, with the first phase due to welcome visitors by the end of May, in time for the half-term school holiday.
Ali said:
When we heard the course was going to be taken down, we thought it would be a real shame. We thought we could create something for the public to enjoy.
We plan to make the course more fun and engaging. Phase One will be to rejuvenate the existing course, changing some of the elements to make it more user friendly.
Phase Two, which will be completed by the summer holidays, will be to build a brand-new section on the existing site.
We’re really excited to be able to bring the ropes course back into use and we hope people will enjoy using it.
Markeaton Park is Derby’s most visited park and is one of the most popular attractions in the East Midlands with a wide range of activities for visitors of all ages.
Councillor Hardyal Dhindsa, Derby City Council Cabinet Member for Communities and Streetpride, said:
Dismantling the high ropes course wasn’t what we wanted for the park, so we were thrilled when Ali contacted us with a proposal to rejuvenate the facility.
It’s great to be working with a local company to bring new life to what has proved such a popular attraction in the past. I’m excited to see how the renovations develop over the coming weeks.
For more information or to make a booking, go to the Tree House Trek website.