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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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