Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Reviewing Our Experience Of The Treetop Walkway Kew Gardens London

View of green leafy tree canopy at Treetop Walkway Kew gardens

The Treetop Walkway is an exciting part of Kew Gardens London. Stepping up to the walkway in the tree canopy and looking out over the vista of the gorgeous Kew gardens was one of the highlights of our trip.

The many steps to reach the top was absolutely worth it and we took our time and enjoyed the views on the walk up to the top. 


View across the trees at Treetop Walkway at Kew Gardens


I have wanted to visit and experience Kew Gardens Treetop Walkway for years and when I got the chance I was so happy. I was especially excited to find out what it felt like walking high up amongst and above the tree canopy and it was amazing!

The walkway itself is essentially a walk at height on a wide safe pathway through the treetops of Kew Gardens. It is an amazing piece of architecture built with more than four hundred tonnes of weathered steel, which although quite industrial looking, has its own beauty and surprisingly does become absorbed and integrated by the trees all around.

View across to the walkway at Kew Gardens

The structure needs to be strong though as there are 118 steps up to the main walkway in the sky, then you walk up onto the pathway which is 18 metres or 59 feet above the ground! 

The walkway itself is 200 metres or 656 feet long and that means you really do get a great experience literally walking in amongst the amazing trees and seeing them with a totally new rarely experienced perspective.


Trees and branches with leaves at Kew Gardens Treetop Walkway


As a child I was always climbing trees and loved being high up in the midst of a tree among the leaves and berries and closer to the birds. However there is no way I could have safely climbed this high and now I would not even attempt it! So enjoying the amazing tree canopy in a safe way like this is just perfect.

Horse chestnut trees with seeds
 

I love looking up at trees from the ground level and being in awe of their beauty and majesty. It was amazing to be walking amongst the uppermost branches of the trees really close to the birds taking a rest in the branches, the fruits of trees, seeing the insects that live there and noticing he fungi and lichen at that level. It felt a real privilege and joy to be there. 


View between trees to the Glasshouses At Kew gardens


It is however important to note a few safety aspects of the walkway. By its very nature being so high up you need to be Ok with walking around at that height. 

The walkway is quite wide and has semi circular places where you can stop and look out over the views and let others pass as necessary. In some areas there are benches to sit.

To me it all felt very safe and secure. The walkway is designed to flex a bit and we certainly did feel that from time to time which initially was a bit strange, but we got used to it. We found it not bouncy and not at all like the swinging of a ropewalk, but rather feeling sturdy with some movement. The flex in the walkway is an important design feature so that it can cope with the winds without breaking.

The weathered steel walkway at Kew gardens Treetop walk

You do have to leave buggies and pushchairs on the ground and young children must be closely supervised. The rails are high but I would not like to take chances with very young children, so best to keep hold of them.  

 As there are 118 steps up and many steps down, you do need to be fit enough to walk them. You can certainly take your time, which we did and look out over the wonderful views on the way up, but if you have any issues with climbing steps it would be better to use the lift provided. It may be best to check ahead of your visit if you need the lift or assistance to ensure it is available and suitable for you. 

View looking down on the lift at Kew Gardens Treetop walk
 

Also personally we did avoid the large school parties which were there. It was wonderful to see the children so engaged and excited, but we wanted to go at a calmer time so that we could go at a steady pace on the way up without feeling rushed or obligated to go faster, and could drink in the atmosphere in a more peaceful way.  

View over the green tree canopy

It is best to check before visiting when the walkway is open both in dates and times. Clearly safety is always considered first so weather conditions need to be taken into account. Have to say although I am good with heights I was glad it was a still and warm day. I am not sure if I would have enjoyed it as much had it been windy and cold.

Spring, Summer and early Autumn are all wonderful times to visit and will give very different experiences of the tree canopy.  It does often close or partially close during the Autumn and winter months.

I thoroughly enjoyed the treetops experience and am glad that we took the time out to experience it. We spent probably about two hours exploring and absorbing the treetops. We saw some people wizz around in less than an hour and we could have probably stayed longer but had so much more of Kew Gardens to explore! It is both an educational and enjoyable experience.


Take a look at these wonderful books about or related to Kew Gardens 

The Story of Kew Gardens in Photographs


The Kew Gardens Beautiful Flowers Colouring Book Paperback



Kew: The Witch's Forest: Trees in magic, folklore and traditional remedies (Kew Royal Botanic Gardens) Hardcover – September 19, 2023


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6 comments:

  1. What an awesome experience! It would be wonderful to walk among the tree tops at Kew Gardens in London. I am not especially good with heights, but walking up the steps would give me time to adjust and feel secure. I doubt I would get close to the rails, but I have no doubt I would love walking alone the path peacefully. Thanks for sharing another London attraction I must be sure to visit and experience.

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  2. This is totally amazing. I can't believe I never heard about the Treetop Walkway at Kew Gardens. I, too, loved climbing trees as a child (although today heights rather bother me for some reason) and being among the treetops the way you can be on this walkway is like nothing I've ever heard of before. What a fabulous experience.

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  3. A great review of a magical place.Visited a few years back and I was blown away by the plants ,trees and history .It also contains the largest seed bank in the world and Kew replenishes plants that have become extinct in the wild



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  4. I am afraid of heights and, sadly, I would not be able to manage navigating the Treetop Walkway in Kew Gardens. So, I really appreciate being able to visit it vicariously through your vivid descriptions and wonderful photos! It looks like an awe-inspiring experience.

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  5. Thank you for taking me on a really nice trip at the Kew! I would love to do that walk, but don't think that I could manage it. So I will enjoy your views and dream about the possibilities. Thanks Raintree Annie for your lovely pictures and review.

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  6. I would absolutely want to visit this treetop walkway - I know I would love it - looks peaceful and heavenly!

    ReplyDelete

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