Frequently Asked Questions
What is included in my session?
When you first arrive, you will enter our entrance/chill out area and be greeted by a member of staff, Loki (the lurcher) will probably also pop his head up from behind the counter to say hi too. We will then ask you to read and sign a short waiver and you’ll be given a blue card (more about this later) then we will take payment.
You will then be led into our throwing lanes where Andy will give you an induction (most of its common sense, like don’t hit yourself or others with the axe, but you know it’s gotta be said) We will then test your throw with our very authentic “medieval tennis ball on a stick” if you pass this stage without hitting your head we will then give you an axe to throw. Then you will spend the rest of your session trying to get the bullseye, or even trying to master some of our mini games. At the end of your session we will sign off your blue card, this means that the next time you come you won’t have to do the induction again and you’ll go straight onto our lanes.
Our 1 hour session is £20 per person. Depending on how busy we get depends on how many we will put on a lane but our maximum for one lane is 3 people, you will only share a lane with people in your group.
Do the axes bounce back like in the viral videos?
We have seen a few of the videos that have gone viral and most of them have one thing in common, rubber handled axes and/or rubber matting.The first thing you’ll notice when walking into our lanes is that it’s not like the places you see on these videos. Each of our lanes are separated by steel mesh with a wooden surround, this means that one person can collect their axe while the person next to them is still throwing.
We also have catch mats under the targets that are made from coconut fibre which absorbs the kinetic energy from the axes. The biggest difference is our axes. We have stuck with the Viking theme which means the axes that you’ll be throwing are the same style axes as the vikings use. These axes are called Francisca axes they are designed in a way that if the handle hits the target that the head will come loose, this will also dissipate most of the kinetic energy.
What's the minimum age to participate?
Our minimum age is 13 years old. Anyone 18 and younger must be accompanied by a parent/guardian and we are only able to have 3 juniors at one time. We try to have a staff member to supervise each child, we have 3 full time staff members.
How many people will you have on one lane?
At a push the most we will have on one lane is 3 but we prefer to have 2. We have 4 lanes which means the most people we can have in at one time is 8 to 12 people. If you would like to book a larger group please drop us a message.
Can we put pictures of people on the targets?
Unfortunately, no you can’t.
Are the axes sharp?
Our axes are sharp. I mean I wouldn’t want to try and use it to carve our Sunday roast, but it could definitely cut skin if you tried. For this reason we do say during our induction not to touch the shiny bit.
What made you come up with the idea to do Viking axe throwing?
Since about the age of 9 Andy has been throwing and making axes (and many other things). He has been a cabinet maker for most of his career, but back in 2017 he made the decision to leave his previous job. He quickly realised that nobody wanted to hire a 56 year old cabinet maker, but someone mentioned to him about a scheme called new leaf, so he gave them a call.
During a conversation with one of the guys at new leaf Andy made the joke that he should start a business teaching people to throw axes. Unfortunately starting up a new business isn’t cheap or easy and this wasn’t something he was able to do. Unfortunately at the start of 2018 Vanessa’s mother Chris passed away at the great age of 90. Vanessa and Andy both decided that they could use the inheritance to create the Viking longhouse that Andy had wanted but make it an axe throwing business, that way Chris’s legacy would live on in something that they loved.
How many axes can you throw in the hour session?
We have counted and the mean average is about 150.
How do you score?
Our scoring system is very similar to archery. We have the bullseye in the centre and 4 rings getting larger as it goes out. The bullseye is worth 25 points, then each section reduces by 5 as you move away from the centre. Which means you can score either 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 points with each throw. You then add up your score after 9 throws, and whoever has the highest score wins.
How often do we replace our targets?
It varies but on average we replace our targets every 3 to 4 months.
What axes do you throw?
We have tried to keep with the Viking theme, which means that the axes that we use are the same style the Vikings would of used. They are called Francisca axes, They date back to around 6th century and have been found in Viking graves. We do also have a small selection of different style throwing axes to so we have an axe to suit everyone.
Do you sell drinks or food?
We have fizzy drinks and tea and coffee, and we have a selection of chocolate bars. We do not sell alcohol and you mustn’t have a drink before you come. Alcohol and sharp things don’t go well.