How to climb trees

Child climbing a tree in Bodnant Garden, Conwy, Wales — Bodnant Garden has some trees that are perfect for climbing

Have you ever climbed a 50 metre-high tree? No? Some of our rangers have to do it as part of their jobs, but we'd suggest you start off with something a lot smaller. You can also check out our tips and tricks to get you climbing.

Climb a tree is the No.1 adventure on our list of 50 things to do before you’re 11 ¾, so if you're doing them in order then it'll be the first one you do.

Climbing can be tricky, so this is all about having a go - it doesn't matter how high you can go, as long as you're enjoying yourself, that's the main thing.

What you need:

A tree with big strong branches that you can reach fom the groud
Trainers or boots

Top tips:

Keep three parts of your limbs (two legs and an arm, or two arms and a leg) on the tree at all times!
Don't forget to check that it's dry before you climb as wet trees are really slippery.
Good trees for climbing have broad trunks - ones that are thinner than your legs will probably be too little for proper climbing and won't be as much fun!
Check out the view when you've climbed a little way and imagine you're a bird sitting on the branch - you're seeing what they see!

In the video below, you can get some more great tree-climbing tips and soon you'll be climbing trees like a pro, as well as ticking the first activity off your 50 things to do before you're 11 ¾ challenge.