Last Updated on 20 August 2026 by Colette
This post features a gifted experience & affiliate links
TreeTop Nets, Heaton Park has been on my children’s wish list for a while now (and even features on our list of things to do in Manchester with the kids this summer) but for one reason or another we hadn’t got round to visiting until this week!
We booked our TreeTop Nets tickets at the start of July so just had to cross our fingers that the weather would be kind on the day! We had planned a picnic and to explore Heaton Park with friends after we’d finished our allotted time on the nets but the weather wasn’t on our side – however, with having booked our Treetop Nets slot for the middle of the day, we actually felt like we’d had a really good day out anyway and didn’t mind going straight home afterwards!
Let’s get started with the answers to some frequently asked questions about Treetop Nets, Heaton Park and then I’ll let you know what we thought of it!
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What is TreeTop Nets?
Treetop Nets in Heaton Park is part of Treetop Manchester which opened back in May 2016. Zip World Manchester offers both Treetop Nets and Treetop Trek (which is in similar vein to Go Ape – we have yet to try but from what we saw of it this week looks like a lot of fun and the kids are already nagging me to book it!)
Treetop Nets is 2000m2 of super bouncy, giant net trampolines high in the tree canopy and linked by walkways, slides and tunnels all made of netting. Because of the 4m high walls, there is no need for a harness as you bounce and explore the nets.
Where is Treetop Nets Heaton Park?
Treetop Nets is situated in Heaton Park near the Northern Play Area – use postcode M25 2GT for your satnav or just search “Treetop Manchester” on Google Maps which will get you to the right bit of Heaton Park. (Heaton Park is vast and there’s a number of car parks so if you end up in the wrong one you could be faced with a bit of a walk!)
Parking for Treetop Trek in Heaton Park
The St Margaret’s Road car park is right next to the entrance for Treetop and perfectly placed for exploring Heaton Park too. Parking is £2 for 1-3 hours / £3 for 3 or more hours and you can pay for this by cash or card. The car park can be busy on a nice day so do make sure you give yourself extra time to find a spot (or just book a nice early Treetop session!)
How much does Treetop Nets cost?
Tickets for Treetop Nets are priced at £20 per person (or £13 for under 5s and supervisors) for a two hour session and this can be pre-booked online.
What do you wear to Treetop Nets?
When it comes to deciding what to wear for your Treetop Nets adventure, think “outdoors” – be prepared to get dirty and dress for the weather. Chloe wore leggings, whilst Ben wore old jeans – trackie bottoms would also be a good option. You don’t want to feel restricted by your clothes when you’re jumping and exploring! (I would also suggest if you’re getting on the nets with the kids, then it would be worth sticking on your most supportive bra!).
You also need to remove all jewellery before you get on the nets – best to do this at home so you haven’t got valuables lying around but the team at Treetop Nets will provide you with tape for newly pierced ears etc.
What age is Treetop Nets suitable for?
Treetop Nets is for children aged 3 and up. There is a minimum ratio of one adult per three children aged 3 or 4 on the nets. For children aged 5-15 years they can access the nets unsupervised but an adult must remain on site.
When is Treetop Manchester open?
Treetop Nets is open daily from 9am to 5pm all year round.
How accessible is Treetop Nets?
The pathways through Treetop Nets are made from bouncy nets themselves so are wobbly and unstable. This is a very physical adventure with lots of clambering, bouncing and crawling through tunnels and narrow net corridors which may mean it is unsuitable for visitors with mobility difficulties. The ground in and around Treetop Nets is uneven woodland.
It can get busy with lots of excited people but there’s no additional music or flashing lights. There are no staff in costumes.
The nearest accessible toilet is near the farm and The Stables Cafe.
If you have more information to add to this based on your own experience of attending – let me know and I’ll add it in!
From what I have read and experienced, I think the Trek is more adaptable for disabled visitors than the nets.
What we thought about our day out at Treetop Nets Heaton Park:
As I mentioned earlier in the post, we booked our Treetop Nets tickets about six weeks ago so had to cross our fingers that the weather would be on our side – and it wasn’t! We were treated to a grey miserable Manchester day with regular rain showers. Thankfully, with waterproof coats and the shelter provided by the trees we didn’t suffer too much and it certainly didn’t spoil our day – we even managed to find a break in the rain to squeeze in a picnic (though we were glad of our sit mats to cover wet picnic benches!)
We arrived a good 20 minutes before our session and checked in but then, because we were early, we popped down to the toilets ahead of getting on the nets. (This is advisable as the nearest toilets are a five minute walk away).
Before you are allowed to get on the nets there is a safety briefing – mostly focusing on following the one way system through the net corridors (which most children seemed to ignore in their excitement), making sure to use a sack on the slides (and to keep that sack with you to avoid too much germ sharing) and to be sensible on the nets – no forward rolls or acrobatics!
Safety briefing done and you’re free to explore the nets for the next two hours!
From the moment I stepped onto the nets I thought 1. This is going to be hard work and 2. I feel sick! But actually, once you got used to the bouncing along the corridors, it wasn’t as physically hard work as I thought it would be and I manged to pretty much keep my motion sickness in check (probably because I didn’t spend all that much time on the nets in the end!) The kids were momentarily nervous, especially as they climbed into the first net room to bounce but they soon got over it and decided they were quite happy to leap and bounce around. The enormous gym balls were their favourites!
Although there’s lots of picnic benches under the nets, it was made very clear to us that you’re not allowed to eat at Treetop Nets (though we did see someone bring in takeaway pizza from the Stables!). What you are allowed to do though is pause your Treetop Nets session, go have some lunch, and then come back in to finish your allotted two hours – which is exactly what we did as, having booked a 12pm slot (who does that?) the kids were starving and getting tired by 1pm. A quick pause for a picnic re-energised them and they were more than ready for round two! So, even if you don’t need to eat your lunch in the middle of your session, consider popping out for snacks to refuel!
The two hour session seemed to fly by and, whilst the kids were tired by the end of their time on the nets, I think they’d all have happily stayed for longer – Ben claimed he’d quite like to stay all day!
You might notice that Amy is missing from our pictures – she has a small fracture in her elbow from a fall the day before – but of course this gives us the perfect excuse to return (Ben is super keen to try the Treetop Trek next time instead!). Having tried the nets once myself, I don’t feel the need to go back on them – they were lots of fun but definitely played to my tendency towards motion sickness so I found I was happier on the ground and the kids certainly didn’t need me up there for any reason other than to take photos of them (which was surprisingly tricky!) or occasionally hold their sacks!
TreeTop Nets – our tips and tricks for making the most of your day
- Wear sturdy shoes – this isn’t an adventure for flip flops. (The ground under foot can be quite damp and muddy too)
- Dress for a day outdoors – you don’t want to spend the day worrying about getting dirty. Covered legs and long sleeves are preferable too to prevent rope burns.
- Take a change of clothes with you on a damp or wet day – Ben and Chloe had very wet bottoms by the time they’d finished playing on the nets.
- If you’re going on the nets with the kids – make sure you’ve got a decent bra on! (I doubled up with a non-wired one over my normal one but a good sports bra would be a better plan!)
- Take your jewellery off beforehand – no rings, earrings or watches are allowed. The team on reception will provide you with tape if necessary so if you’re freshly pierced like Chloe then you can cover them.
- Leave everything in the car – there is nowhere to store your stuff at Treetop (unless you’ve got a parent who is simply spectating from below who can be on bag watch). I appreciated that my jacket had zip pockets for my phone and keys!
- You are not allowed to eat within Treetop Manchester so if you take a picnic, you’ll need to eat this outside of the Treetop area. There’s plenty of space in Heaton Park itself for picnics. Take something to sit on as the picnic tables in the park are in high demand.
- Remind your children to keep themselves well tucked into their sack on the slides to avoid rope burns.
- The nearest toilets are down near The Stables cafe and farm which is about a five minute walk so don’t wait until you’re bursting!
- Dose up on antihistamine if tree pollen is your nemesis!
- Consider a quick spritz of insect repellent too!
Have a read of these posts next:
Find out more about the Treetop Nets Easter hunt here.
Find out what we thought about TreeTop Trek Manchester
Check out the new Forest Tubing experience at Zip World Manchester
Here’s 10 reasons why you should visit Heaton Park with kids
Why not check out our suggestions of cool things to do with the kids in Manchester this summer.
For more bouncy fun, have a look at this list of the best trampoline parks in Manchester
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