So a few weekends ago I decided to go bungee jumping in the UK for fun. Yep, you read that correctly, that is my idea of fun.
Whether it’s skydiving over a volcano, jumping off the tallest building in New Zealand or whizzing along the fastest zip wire in the world, it’s safe to say I am a little bit of an adrenaline junkie.
But one thing I had never done, (well, until a few weekends ago, that is), was bungee! Enter UK Bungee Club…
Why I wanted to go bungee jumping in the UK
As the birthplace of bungee jumping, I really wanted tick bungee jumping off my New Zealand bucket list when I was studying and working abroad in New Zealand last summer. I mean, the views really are unbeatable!
But unfortunately, due to one reason or another, I never got around to doing it. So, I guess little old England will have to suffice, huh?
Despite being a bit of a thrill-seeker, I figured it’d be a little lame to bungee by myself. So, I used my boyfriend’s birthday as an excuse to finally take that plunge.
He turned 25 and what better way to commemorate turning a quarter of a century than flinging yourself off a crane?
Why You Need to Go Bungee Jumping in the UK
1. It shows that you don’t have to travel far to have amazing experiences
If you are new around here, Faraway Lucy is all about championing making the most of what’s on your doorstep. I bloody love the UK. LOVE IT!
Whether like me you are a big fan of your home country, or maybe you cannot afford to travel abroad, there are so many ways to inject adventure into your life in the UK.
And one of my new favourite ways is bungee jumping.
2. There are sites all around the UK
The loveliest bunch of northern blokes at UK Bungee Club tour around the UK in a number of locations.
Whether it’s from cranes, bridges or even indoors, there are a number of different options to choose from, from Cornwall all the way to Glasgow.
This means you shouldn’t have to travel too far to find your nearest bungee. Ours was only a 35-minute drive from Peterborough!
The bungees come in different heights too – they range from 160ft to a staggering 300ft! They sometimes also do special one-off 400ft events for the crazier among you.
3. You can jump tandem (which you can’t do in most places abroad)
To inject some form of romance into the fact I essentially bought my boyfriend a death wish for his birthday, I booked a tandem jump.
With a tandem jump, you are strapped in together, holding each other tight. It’s basically the most extreme form of cuddling that exists.
In the haunting lyrics of The Smiths, ‘to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die’. I mean, if you have to go out, why not go out in the arms of a loved one, eh?
Going tandem takes away quite a lot of the fear of bungee jumping.
If you want to do it but aren’t quite ready to stand on the edge, look down at the floor below and jump, a tandem bungee takes away that autonomy.
Rather than jumping yourself, you are pushed off, so you don’t have much choice in the matter!
Plus, if you fall backwards like myself, you can’t even see the ground to which you are plummeting.
Chris very kindly volunteered me to go backwards because he didn’t want to but I actually think falling backwards is less scary.
4. They are in some beautiful locations
Whether they are across glorious green fields, pristine lakes or winding rivers, bungee jumps in the UK tend to be in pretty beautiful locations.
While we didn’t get the luckiest with the weather, I am sure Wyboston Lakes is nothing short of beautiful in the summer.
You could even make a trip out of it by staying at the Wyboston Lakes Resort Waterfront Hotel!
We originally had the bungee booked in for September, but it was cancelled due to high winds and rain.
Luckily, the team at UK Bungee Club are ever-so-accommodating so it’s really easy to reorganise your bungee jump for free if the weather plays up.
5. It only takes an hour
Bungee jumping in the UK is a really quick process.
It only takes five minutes to get kitted up and a similar time to go up in the crane and jump back down. It goes by sooooo quickly!
While you spend more time signing your life away, watching other people jumping, and then laughing at the photos/videos afterwards, the actual bungee jump process only lasts a few minutes.
This is great because it doesn’t have to be a whole day trip – it only takes an hour out of your morning or afternoon.
6. It’s a really fun way of raising money for charity
Some people bake cakes, some run a marathon, and some fling themselves off a crane for charity. You do you, boo.
When I told people that I was doing a bungee jump in the UK, they would all ask ‘oh, what charity are you raising money for?’.
However, while my jump was genuinely just for fun (an idea most people can’t seem to wrap their head around), many people do it to support a charity close to their hearts!
UK Bungee Club has a really straight-forward booking process that makes it really easy to raise money for charity.
That’s why they’ve helped to raise over £1 million in the past two years. Not bad, eh?
7. They are big on safety
UK Bungee Club is big on safety. Whie the instructors have a laugh, you can also tell that they know the process like the back of their hands.
Each of them has received rigorous training and sat written and practical exams. As such, I never once felt unsafe or at risk of injury.
While the bungees are erected on the day of the jump, quite like those dodgy funfairs that travel to your little hometown once every year, everything is safe and well-tested.
And don’t worry, they always use a backup harness with two separate connections to keep you safe and sound.
8. They capture the whole thing on film
I mean, did you even bungee if it wasn’t on the gram?
You get the whole experience filmed and photographed for you, so you can look back on your bungee for years to come!
Oh, and laugh at the stupid faces you made on the way down*. *Mine was incessant adrenaline-induced giggling, whereas Chris looked dead.
Admittedly, you have to fork out £20 for the photos and £20 for the 360° video but at least when you buy both for £35 they throw in a free t-shirt too!
9. Because it’s really fucking fun
Uhh, need I say anymore?! Bungee jumping is practically the biggest adrenaline rush ever.
When we were lowered down onto the big cushion, I had the biggest giggling fit.
I don’t know whether this was adrenaline-induced or oh-my-god-I-am-actually-alive-induced, but either way, I certainly had good fun.
So, would you ever take the plunge and bungee jump in the UK? I couldn’t recommend it enough.
I’m already daydreaming about a trip back to New Zealand to go bungee jumping again (but in a slightly more exotic location this time around!).
That being said, I love that our little old nation offers experiences such as these. Who says you need to travel to have fun, eh?
