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Are Rope Bridges for all age groups?

For kids to grand-parents, our Rope Bridges are a wonderful adventure for the whole family.

Grown-up supervision of kids play is always recommended, particularly with so much imagination and make-believe to be encouraged. With our structurally sound Rope Bridge walkway decks and our hand-weaved rope balustrades throughout in soft 'kind-to-the-hands' polyhemp rope work the fun can be both adventurous and safe.

For parents and grand-parents, our wobbly-Rope Bridge is an awesome re-connection to your inner-child, but secure in knowing there are rope balustrades both sides and a solid timber-slat walkway fixed to the ropes below.

What timbers do you use?

Our square profile timbers regularised, eased edge C16/24 Osmose Celcure treated timbers (Celcure AC-500 Treated Timber), certified as sourced from a well managed and sustainable stock.

We use glulam structurally engineered round timbers - glulam tensile charasteristics make it suitable for long span, load-bearing widths, such as Rope Bridges. Our laminated logs are produced from kiln dried redwoods. During a state of the art process, high quality planed sawn redwoods are glued together and they are passed through a high frequency hot press (Prefere 4535 adhesive | Prefere 4535 Data Sheet). Finishing through a moulder we obtain high quality timber columns with a perfect finish. Finger joints are used to enable us to produce lengths of up to 6.0m. All are treated using Tanalith E8000 with added BARamine™ technology (Tanalith Treated Timber).

What rope do you use for your Rope Bridges?

We use natural coloured (manilla 'white') polyhemp that is both 'kind-to-the-hands' and structurally sound. Beautiful in a kids activity area, handsome in creating a true 'Indiana-Jones' adventure and a product that will not rot or deteriorate through all weathers.

Typically, 24mm diameter ropes underneath the deck-board 'slats' for an important visual quality, but also a fixing point for the deck boards. We use a 12mm diameter polyhemp rope throughout the hand-weaved balustrades, typically with a friction-weave and hand-weaved balustrade rope work, with a linear strength of around 1.4 tonnes and an average of 24 friction knots every 1m of Rope Bridge.

We use structural rope systems to design an ‘all-rope’ design with break-loads in excess of all calculations plus a safety ratio. From swivel load ring to structural rope we employ rope ‘Soft Shackles’ load-tested and certificated to 15 tonnes and Super Ropes braided in manilla colour fabric load-tested and certified to 8.4 tonnes.

Rope Bridge Soft Shackle Load Certificate

Rope Bridge SuperBraid Structural Ropes in Manilla - Certificate

Can you build a Rope Bridge over a river?

A Rope Bridge over a river, stream or even a lake is a perfect "wow-factor" feature often providing a wonderfully adventurous access within your garden, woodland or estate.

We have created the longest Rope Bridge in the UK over a river and have the skill-sets and experience to design and install over water, at whatever height or length - take a look at our River Brue project.

Do you build stairs leading to a Rope Bridge?

Some of our projects are in wonderfully 'extreme' locations - we love this and our treehouse skill-sets and experience mean that extending the awesome Rope Bridge experience to include access stairs and platforms is not problem.

Our Rope Bridge project in the Seychelles amongst the huge 'Jurassic' granite boulders as the 'bare-foot' entrance to a luxury spa resort required both stairs and decking to complement the 'awesomeness' of the Rope Bridge.

Do you use reclaimed timbers?

For particular projects we are delighted to work with reclaimed timbers and can provide a complete provenance.

Recently we completed a Rope Bridge project for the National Trust with 300 years old pitch-pine milled for us from provenance-certified timber piles recovered Chatham Docks. Similarly, a Rope Bridge project in the Seychelles where a colourful patina and 'rustic' appearance was perfect within the huge 'Jurassic' granite boulders as the 'bare-foot' entrance to a luxury spa resort.

Reclaimed timbers supplied by Ashwells Timber.

Do you work internationally?

Easy, yes...we have projects in Ibiza, Marbella, Seychelles and Italy. Also, closer to home in Jersey and Isle of Man. Also, a project for the largest resort project in the Middle East, in Qatar.

We can package materials to worldwide pallet shipping, bring a small key-team and if necessary work with local staff. For us, Ibiza is as easy as Ipswich and Seychelles as successful as Suffolk.

How long can a Rope Bridge be?

We designed and built the longest Rope Bridge in the UK at 42m, so no problem working with all span lengths. Typically, a 20-25m suspension Rope Bridge across a river is fine and for treehouse fixed-beam Rope Bridges 3-6m are ideal. Log Beam Rope Bridges as an entrance to treehouses are usually around 3-6m with a fixed-beam or perhaps 10-15m as a suspension Log Rope Bridge.

What is a "fixed-beam" Rope Bridge?

Perfect for treehouses, either as an entrance or as a Rope Bridge between platforms or decks within the treehouse design.

We introduce a fixed slabbed round beam [structural] between the platforms or structurally secure timber posts. This establishes huge stability and structure between two fixed points enabling the Rope Bridge to be integrated seamlessly within the treehouse design.

The length-span of a fixed-beam Rope Bridge is limited to the length of the beam [usually up to 5.7m]. Typically secured half-height within the balustrade rope-work but alternatively lower down with the rope-work nearer the deck walkway or as a full height balustrade 'rail'.

What is a "fixed-deck" Rope Bridge?

Typically running between platform-to-platform the 'fixed-beam' installation concept to structurally hold both ends apart can be extended over longer spans with a fixed timber walkway.

Here we introduce interim structural points and create a platform timber-work for each integrated 'section'. This style of Rope Bridge can be designed and installed for disabled and wheel-chair access confirming to width, access and gradient advice.

What is a "canyon" Rope Bridge?

As a "wow-factor" feature within a garden landscape a suspension Rope Bridge across a 'canyon' or perhaps a lake is an awesome adventure. We find, design or create two fixed-points at either end and suspend structural steel cables between. On to this we establish ropes, a deck walkway and rope balustrades to complete a 'canyon' Rope Bridge.

This can include creating built platforms at each end both for structure and access, also mature trees at both end works really well for structure with platforms as required for access.

What is a "platform-to-platform" Rope Bridge?

Set between decks and platforms within a treehouse design and typically as a fixed-beam Rope Bridge.

The length-span of a platform-to-platform Rope Bridge is limited to the length of the fixed-beam [usually up to 5.7m]. Typically secured half-height within the balustrade rope-work but alternatively lower down with the rope-work nearer the deck walkway or as a full height balustrade 'rail'.

What is a "treehouse" Log Rope Bridge?

A Log Rope Bridge is the perfect solution where we design as an entrance from the grass, through a gradient up into treehouse and platform decks.

We use 'logs' so that the walkway works beautifully through the gradient.

What logs do you use?

We use gulam structurally engineered round timbers. Our laminated logs are produced from kiln dried redwoods. During a state of the art process, high quality planed sawn redwoods are glued together and they are passed through a high frequency hot press. Finishing through a moulder we obtain high quality timber columns with a perfect finish. Finger joints are used to enable us to produce lengths of up to 6.0m. All are treated using Tanalith E8000 with added BARamine™ technology.

Can you build a Drawbridge too?

We can create whatever you wish, including Draw-Bridges.

All our projects are custom-built by awesome teams so that the design imagination can flow. In this project we created a Draw-Bridge close to the ground and linked to a fixed-beam Rope Bridge by platform decks to create a magical woodland adventure.

For mum and dad, the Draw-Bridge was also functional as it could be lifted on an easy weighted pulley to allow a 'drive-through' track for the ride-on garden lawn mower.