Highland Fling Bungee

I’ve always been a fairly calm person – I’m often told by my family that if I was any more laid back I’d be horizontal. So for me, the thought of doing a bungee jump didn’t faze me in the slightest. There was no feeling of anxiety or fear as we drove up the A9 towards Killiecrankie; in fact, the only worry in my mind was getting stuck behind a herd of tractors and missing our jump time!

Cain - my jumping buddy and that day's Small City photographer - was exactly the same. We were both very relaxed.

On arriving, we were greeted warmly by Murray - Muz to his friends - and his colleague Callum. Muz is the brains behind the Highland Fling Bungee jump and is an experienced campaigner when it came to launching himself off things from dizzying heights. He's previously worked on bungee sites in his native New Zealand as well as in Africa – including the infamous Victoria Falls jump.

They're a really friendly team - easily amongst the coolest guys you’ll meet. We start chatting and I'm curious to find out their backstories was and how on earth they've ended up living and working in Highland Perthshire. 

“We picked Callum up from the young offenders institute a couple of years ago – and he’s just got his tag off in the past few weeks so he’s here of his own free will now.” he joked.

The pair clearly enjoy working together and have a lot of banter going on. If anyone was feeling nervous, they'd soon find a friendly word or bit of chat to put their mind at ease. That said though, even at this point, Cain and I were still completely calm. 

The bridge is a short drive from the centre so we hopped on the Highland Fling shuttle bus with Muz and Callum and headed over to the site.  Were we nervous? Muz asked. Not us, came the reply.... At which point Muz hit me with one of his favourite lines.

“You get two kinds of people who do the jump – people who are shitting themselves, and people who are bullshitting themselves! If you think you’re not going to be nervous – you’re the latter!”

Bearing in mind that the team have welcomed over 30,000 adrenaline junkies since the bungee opened in 2011, and this is the first time I've every jumped, you'd think I might have paid closer attention. However, I brushed it off as a bit of banter and was still very chilled about the prospect of hurling myself off a bridge.

We parked up and headed to the platform and it was at this point noticed Cain had gone a little bit quiet. So when Callum asked who wanted to go first, I was happy to oblige. Admittedly I was on the wrong side of cocky now.

The final safety checks were all completed and an additional harness was added to my ankles. Just time to pose for a picture before getting hooked up to the bungee cord. Callum led me to the edge of the platform to do the jump, and by now I'm shuffling like a penguin, my feet securely locked together.

There I was – toes hanging over the edge, about to take my first look down at what I was actually about to do. I peaked, cautiously, into the water below and all of a sudden my face drained and I turned chalk white… oh shit!

Looking up at the bridge from below, it doesn’t appear to be that high but I now realised it most certainly was. I found myelf thinking back to what Muz had said in the shuttle bus and realised that in his infinite wisdom, he had been right.

I was up there for what seemed like an eternity but in actual fact it was only a few seconds. I would later find out from the Highland Fling team that some people get to this point and decide to turn back. Despite that being tempting, I knew I would be ridiculed by my mates and my colleagues if I didn’t jump – so I had no choice. Callum gave me a countdown and told me to leap out as far from the platform as possible. It was time. Three… two… one…

I shouted at the top of my voice - words that I really can’t repeat in this article – but I had done it. I had leapt off and I felt like I was flying! It's a difficult sensation to put into words. You're in free fall, but it’s absolutely exhilarating. As you hurtle towards the river below, your stomach feels as though it's stayed behind on the platform. You feel like you're moving in slow motion and that you're never going to stop – until the bungee cord kicks in and springs you back into reality!

Now it was Cain’s turn to take the leap of faith. I was raving about it, unhooking myself from the bungee as he did his own little penguin walk along to the edge. He's a long-time BMXer and is always doing daring stunts on his bike which maybe explains why his experience was the polar opposite of mine! He had felt nervous until he reached the edge, and than his inner daredevil kicked in and he composed himself for the jump. Focused, ready. He didn’t even make a sound!

According to Muz and Callum, most people who have jumped want to do it again and again and you can see why! They offer a discount if you want to go again straight away and I'll admit it was very tempting, but with other commitments that afternoon Cain and I had to decline. We headed off the platform, back to the shuttle bus and made the short drive back to the reception centre where our videos and photos were already being uploaded.

So, would I recommend the Highland Fling Bungee to others? Absolutely!  It is an unforgettable experience. The adrenaline rush, the feeling that you're flying, the sense of accomplishment afterwards – it’s all fantastic. So many people I've spoken to since the jump have said I must be off my head and that it’s too dangerous for them.

Cue the wise words of the Kiwi Muz once again: “Bungee jumping is one of the activities with the biggest gap between perceived danger and actual danger.”

There are so many checks completed at every stage of the journey leading up to the jump that it’s probably more dangerous crossing the road than it is to bungee.  So get it added to your bucket list and visit the guys at Highland Fling – you will have a laugh, you will have an amazing time and you will be able to say you’ve flung yourself from a bridge to a 40ft drop, and lived to tell the tale!