SCHOOLCHILDREN enjoyed a thrilling adventure when they were among the first to cross the new Burma Rope Bridge at Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens.

The pupils, from Portesham Primary School, were invited to check out the new attraction which was opened by gardening writer Roy Lancaster, who has a long association with the gardens.

The children followed Mr Lancaster across the bridge, which stretches 36 metres over the gardens’ Jurassic Swamp. One of the longest rope bridges in the UK, it cost £100,000 to build and marks the gardens’ 250th anniversary this year.

“It was really fun, but wobbly,” said Trinity, aged seven.

“I was scared at the beginning but then I loved it,” said her classmate, Sully, also seven.

Landowner Charlotte Townshend said: “It’s a brilliant addition for this end of the gardens and it adds a wonderful element of fun.”

Mr Lancaster is now one of the gardens’ “godfathers”, offering his advice when needed. He visits regularly and encouraged plans for the rope bridge.

He said: ‘It’s a magical place, a really special garden. It has the most important collection of its kind in the British Isles with lots of rare plants from forests and jungles."

The bridge is part of a full programme of events to celebrate the anniversary, which include a special 250th anniversary ale which was launched at the weekend. Abbotsbury worked with Dorset microbrewery Gyle 59 to produce the beer flavoured with Drimys lanceolata, also known as mountain pepper, an Australian rainforest shrub that grows in the gardens. Mountain pepper is used today as a bushfood condiment to spice curries. It is high in antioxidants and was once used to treat scurvy in sailors.

The ale is on sale at the site and will also be available on draught at the 250th Anniversary Fair on August 12.

Over the summer the gardens are the venue for a vintage car rally, a concert by Show of Hands, a barn dance and a tour by curator Steve Griffith.