We all know that what goes up must come down but that doesn't necessarily make the idea of jumping off a cliff or mountain backwards any easier. Once over the initial fear, though, abseiling - which means descending on a fixed rope - will give you a gravity rush like no other, and if practised under professional supervision, is perfectly safe.

An activity for all ages, abseiling involves allowing a rope to slowly feed through your "descender", a metal ring that is attached to your body harness, while you push yourself back from the rock with your feet and bounce down the rock face. It doesn’t take long for this strange movement to feel like the most natural thing in the world.

You not only get a close look at the hidey holes and crags in cliffs and mountains, but (if you have the guts to look down!) interesting views of the surrounding scenery that will look different every time you drop a few feet.

If the idea of quite literally pushing yourself over the edge does it for you, there are a number of climbing and adventure centres in the UK that can teach you to abseil, either as a one-off or as part of a multiadventure trip. They will provide all of the equipment and safety briefings and introduce you to the language of belaying, carabiners and pulling through.

The Peak District is an excellent place to experience your first abseil and a number of adventure companies operate there. If you are more of a city dweller then look out for charity abseils that often take place on iconic buildings and bridges.

There are abseiling clubs around the country and more information can be found from The British Mountaineering Council (www.thebmc.co.uk).

Click here to download a PDF of the 'A' page of the ABC of Family Adventures