This was bought for me by my girlfriend as a birthday gift. As such I didn’t really know what to expect.
First impressions were excellent - every member of staff we came across along the way, from the chap in the club shop to a smartly dressed man directing people to the Dare experience were incredibly friendly and a really great representation of the club. You can tell people care about where they get to work.
On admission we were directed to some lockers to store any loose items, and then onto a shoe swap area. This was surprising as I had reasonably grippy trainers on, but made perfect sense on the way back down (there’s a fairly steep slope that they need to guarantee a level of traction for everyone).
Our group gathered in another small room (there were about 10 of us in total) before being introduced to our guide, Jason. This guy made the whole experience for me. He’s a local lad who clearly loves the club and is open about how lucky he is to have the job he has - and he really makes the most of it. He struck the perfect balance between inspiring confidence in his knowledge, competence and leadership but also his comedy and banter to keep everyone entertained. There were a couple of nervous people, and he made sure they were as comfortable as possible the whole time and got everybody round.
After the brief, we all had harnesses fitted - meticulous attention alongside constant clear instructions. I couldn’t have felt any safer, this process was impeccable.
The first stage is some simple stairs before being attached to a safety rail for a climb up a fairly steep slope that brings you out to the top of the stadium. This in itself offers astounding views. Then comes the main part! There is a walkway, visible on my photo, which takes you over a glass ceiling and then out to the cockerel on the most overhanging section. I didn’t think I’d be nervous, but it did feel pretty mad looking down on the stadium with only a narrow walkway and a harness. Again, this is where Jason was incredible - talking us through various facts and fun that helped everyone through it.
After the cockerel, we returned to the top of the stadium where Jason pointed out the various skyline landmarks including those of local rivals…
I cannot recommend the experience enough. Such a great mixture of seeing the stadium in a different way that you can’t do elsewhere, entertainment and the thrill of the height. Absolutely brilliant.