Looking for something different to do in the pursuit of fitness this summer in Scotland? Then Foxlake Adventures, Scotland's only cable wakeboarding park and one of the country's leading social enterprises, has launched the UK's first ever over-water rope adventure course.
A totally unique experience, Foxfall, is part of an expansion programme aimed at capitalising on the Dunbar-based parks' huge popularity over the past year. Described by Foxlake as 'Go Ape Meets Total Wipeout', the course is unique in that it challenges visitors to use agility and skill, relying on the water below as the safety system with no harness to keep visitors tied on.
The course which includes 23 separate elements has been built by rope experts RCD, leaders in their own industry they are known for their construction of the Northern Hemisphere's longest zip wire at Zip World in Snowdonia offering 100mph rides along a one mile route across the Welsh mountains.
Foxlake are holding an open day on Sunday 28th July from 12.30pm, inviting members of the public to come along and try out the course for the first time.
Since opening in 2012, Foxlake has introduced over 3000 people to the sport of cable wakeboarding and played an active role in supporting the Year of Natural Scotland and the adventure sports industry which already attracts 253,000 visits to Scotland each year. The park has proved hugely popular with young people as well as playing host to several high profile cable wakeboarding competitions and to training sessions for the GB snowboarding and freeski teams.
Foxfall is part of a wider expansion funded by Social Investment Scotland (SIS)'s Scottish Investment Fund which SIS manages on behalf of the Scottish Government. The expansion includes the building of a second wakeboarding cable tow, opened to the public last month, and has already enabled Foxlake to create new jobs for full time and seasonal staff.
Penny Lochhead, Director of Foxlake Adventures, said: “The course brings something unique to the adventure sports market in Europe which we describe as 'Go Ape meets Total Wipe Out'. We have the thrill and the challenge of not being strapped into a harness which allows more free movement on the course, with the water below acting as your safety system.
“We are confident that Foxfall will help attract even more visitors to the park, enabling us to increase our social impact on the community and around Scotland more widely, as well as raising the profile of wakeboarding as a growing sport.”
Steve Woods of Vertex, a leading consultancy company in the ropes course industry, said: “The Foxfall ropes course is a pioneering concept in ropes course design and without a doubt will be the first of many.”
Chief Executive of Social Investment Scotland, Alastair Davis, said: “As the only cable wakeboarding centre in the UK to be run as a social enterprise, Foxlake are somewhat of a flagship for the Scottish third sector. By opening up their facilities to community groups and schools, creating opportunities for young people to get involved in sport, and offering employment and training opportunities for young people, Foxlake are demonstrating how impactful businesses can be when they establish themselves as social enterprises. After such a successful first year I look forward to seeing the park continue to grow.”