When it was mentioned in the Northern Echo newsroom earlier this week that someone could have the opportunity to zipwire off the Tyne Bridge I wasn’t sure whether to jump at the opportunity or keep my head down and hope no one looked in my direction.
Come Friday (August 19) morning I was standing on the Tyne Bridge fully kitted out in my harness and helmet ready to fly over the river and down onto the Newcastle Quayside.
I’m not totally sure how I ended up here, maybe it’s because I’m still the newbie in the office, but I’d psyched myself up and was really looking forward to the experience.
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When I told my friends and family a couple of days ago that I was going to be ziplining off the Tyne Bridge their reactions ranged from “No way - you’ll chicken out” to “Omg, where can I come and watch”.
I’m known to be a bit of a wimp – I’m scared of pigeons, for example – so to say ziplining from 26 meters above the Tyne is out of my comfort zone would be a major understatement.
The zipwire has returned to Newcastle for two weekends this summer as part of NE1’s programme of events and over 1,300 people are expected to take part over five days.
Anyone wanting to send themselves soaring over the river can expect to pay £35 for the pleasure and can chose either a day or ‘twilight’ zip.
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As I was kitted out in my harness and safety helmet and given a safety briefing the nerves started to kick in. I’ve never done a zipwire before so this was a totally new experience to me.
Having watched others head off on the 320m adrenaline-fuelled experience over the river it was eventually my turn and time to get attached to the wire. The most nerve-racking part was sitting down on the edge of the bridge as I awaited my time to go.
This was it; I couldn’t turn around now.
As the staff got the green light to send me on my way I was detached from the safety rope and pushed off from the bridge.
The experience was exhilarating flying over the Tyne at high speed with the wind in my face. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the Quayside from a completely different perspective.
Before setting off on my zipline adventure I had joked about what could possibly go wrong. There was a chance I’d drop my phone or swear on Facebook Live which I’m sure would have gone down well with my boss.
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Turns out I hadn’t thought of the other thing that could go wrong… getting stuck.
As I flew towards the end of the line I had by back to the end zone and when the man put out his hand to catch me, I missed it. Then I missed the rope he threw to me to pull myself in. I was left floating above the Tyne, Boris Johnson style, as the poor staff came out to rescue me, although my rescue was quick and easy.
Apart from the slight mishap the experience was fantastic and if I was offered the chance to do it again I would – trying my best not to get stuck this time.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Whether you’re an esteemed adrenaline junkie or bit of a wimp like myself who wants to be pushed out of their comfort zone the zipline over the Tyne is a truly unique experience and great way to see one of the greatest cities in the world.
The Tyne Bridge Zipwire will be running the next two weekends (August 19, 20, 26, 27 and 29) with night-time slots on each Saturday.
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