2 minute read
Weird weekends
south London thrills ―
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By Cara Cummings
Itching for an adventure - without leaving London? Shake up your spring with these electrifying south London experiences.
TLCC TRAPEZE SCHOOL SCHOOL, RUSKIN PARK
If hurling yourself at a target is more up your street - no judgement here - check out TLCC Trapeze School in beautiful Ruskin Park. Set up by a team with more than 20 years’ trapeze experience, TLCC’s two-hour classes are open to beginners and equip participants with all the skills they need to attempt their first mid-air connection: being ‘caught’ by an instructor on the other side of the trapeze rig.
From £30. Ruskin Park, Denmark Hill, SE5 8EL. www.tlcctrapeze.com
SWORDSMANSHIP TRAINING IN CRYSTAL PALACE
Wannabe John Snows and Joan of Arcs, listen up: the London Longsword Academy offers weekly group swordfighting - yes, sword fighting - training sessions in Crystal Palace. You can specialise in one type of blade, or try a ‘Mixed Weapons’ session to get a taste of several. Led by David Rawlings, an expert in historical European martial arts, you’ll learn as much as you lunge during 90 minutes of pure fun.
www.londonlongsword.com/training £18 per session; monthly plans from £55. St John The Evangelist Church, 1 Sylvan Road, SE19 2RX. www.londonlongsword.com
URBAN AxE THROWING IN VAUxHALL
Unleash your inner Viking this spring at Whistlepunks, the UK’s first axe throwing centre. Under the watchful eye of an instructor - phew - you’ll compete in teams of up to ten in the ancient, exhilarating art of hurling a deadly weapon at a target, as hard as you can. Truly thrilling stuff, even before you learn the ‘trick shots’ on offer…
From £22. Arch 25, Handel Business Centre, 73 Bondway, London SW8 1SQ. www.whistlepunks.com
BUNGEE JUMP IN BATTERSEA PARK
Legend has it that Battersea Park is even more beautiful when you’re upside down - so praise be for UK Bungee Club’s monthly jumps on the edge of the park itself. Leap from a crane platform 160ft high - with the river and London skyline as your view - and live to tell the tale. There are even tandem jumps available for couples, or friends, who really like to live on the edge.
From £99. Chelsea Gate Car Park, Carriage Drive North, London, SW11 4NJ. www.ukbungee.co.uk
STOP A ‘BOMB PLOT’ IN LAMBETH
Immersive gaming company Urban Missions specialise in gripping ‘mission’ games, where teams charge around London against the clock trying to solve problems using clues and prompts sent directly to players’ phones. If you fancy a wallop of play-along adrenaline this spring, try their ‘Bomb Disposal: Lambeth’ mission and try to stop a (luckily fictional) explosive device detonating in central London. The clock is ticking…
£12pp. Starts at Leake Street, SE1 7NN. www.urbanmissions.co.uk
BREAK THE BARRIER SPEED BOAT RIDE
There’s nothing half so much worth doing as messing about in boats - especially when said boats go really, really fast. Thames Rocket’s ‘Break the Barrier’ experience promises 40 minutes of white-knuckle twists and turns as you shoot towards the mighty Thames Barrier and back, all soundtracked by the greatest songs of the last six decades. Scream if you want to go faster, and you almost certainly will.
