Flax hemp. It’s a fibre as old as time. In fact, it’s the oldest fibre known to mankind. The earliest evidence of humans using flax dates back 34,000 years – with the first traces of spun, dyed and knotted flax fibres found in a cave in the Republic of Georgia. It was also the first […]

It’s amazing what skilled hands can do with our rope… Steve “Tag” Saint used to be an RNLI Coxswain and grew up with boats and ropes. Now he uses that lifetime’s experience to make some absolutely brilliant gifts and houseware. Check out our main picture – a rope design embedded in resin to create an […]

We love it when customers send us photos of our ropes in action. It’s great to see the diverse range of ways they’re used, particularly if it’s something unique and creative. Which is why, we were absolutely delighted when our recent customer – Stuart – reached out to us. Stuart got in touch with a […]

Here’s why our rope is great in the garden… Eighteen months ago we supplied customer Fred Fisher with some synthetic sisal (a polysteel rope) to make a rope rail in his garden. Now Fred has sent us some updated photos, showing how well it all looks today. The plants have established well, supported by the […]

Don’t monkey around when it comes to choosing the right rope! Take Trentham Monkey Forest in Staffordshire, a 60-acre woodland that 140 free-roaming Barbary macaques call home. The sanctuary focuses on the conservation of this endangered primate. Visitors can walk the 3/4 mile path and be amazed as the monkeys live freely within the forest. […]

We’ve made a great range of videos to help get your DIY project done right. So you can imagine we were pretty pleased when customer Steve told us that watching one of our short films helped with his decking project. And as you can see … the decking turned out brilliantly. Steve sent us a […]

Natural ropes are ideal to use in the garden. They’re made from plants and therefore only deposit biodegradeable fibres into the soil. And here’s an example of that – super-strong plant supports made from Manila Rope in the beautiful gardens of Newby Hall, close to Ripon in North Yorkshire. Our thanks to Newby Hall and […]

We reckon this is how to do decking! Isn’t it cool? A Loch-side platform to spend an evening, sipping a small glass of something. A peaty Scotch perhaps. Our thanks to customer John for sharing this with us. He used 36mm Synthetic Hemp bought from RopesDirect (and delivered in a flash) to finish off this […]

Put the Butser Ancient Farm in Hampshire on your ‘to do’ list.   We at RopesDirect think it’s an amazing place, doing fascinating research and reconstructing buildings and technology from the Stone Age to the Romans. It was catapulted to national prominence on the TV in the 1970s, not so long after it was launched. […]

Our draw cord / duct rope is being used to bring ultra-fast broadband to homes in the South and East of the UK. We’re proud to supply Trooli, a company that is truly making a huge impact. So far it has connected more than 270,000 homes to its fibre broadband network. That’s an incredible 4.8 […]

They say, ‘Don’t give up your day job!’. But back in 2020, that’s exactly what Pat Tidy did. She quit her job in the nearby town to launch her own crafts business – and she’s never looked back since! It all started as a result of the pandemic. As for most people, it was a […]

Fancy a history lesson? Get yourself down to the Ancient Technology Centre in Dorset. This outdoor education site provides hands-on historical experiences, in which visitors can work together to build full-sized reconstructions of ancient buildings and find out what life would have been like in the past. And we’re delighted to say, our ropes and […]

We have some great photos sent in by customer Tom who recently purchased some 60mm Manila to use as garden edging. Manila is a good strong traditional natural rope that is especially resistant to sunlight and stretches very little. It is ideal for use in the garden and being natural it complements planting and timber […]

Here’s another great example of how to use decking rope in a garden. Huge thanks to our customer Chris at Horti-Care in Cheshire for the picture. As a professional gardener with standards to maintain, Chris wants the look for his customer to be just right. So to finish off the decking in their garden he […]

When life and limb depend on it, you need the right kit for adventures! So we’re proud that Airways Airsports chose RopesDirect to supply hollowbraid polyethylene rope to tow hang-gliders up into the air. You can see the type of rope they use here: www.ropesdirect.co.uk/hollow-braid-polyethylene.html Airways Airsports tow hang gliders to about 3,000 feet above […]

We’re used to selling rope for decking. Very often customers choose our Synthetic Hemp rope. But it’s not very often we get sent photos like these. Decking rope extraordinaire! You have to admit it, Nick who did this work for a client did a fantastic job. He used our 14mm Synthetic Hemp rope. And used […]

Our customer Fred’s rope trellis sets the garden off a treat, as you’ve surely got to agree! He used some of our 32mm synthetic hemp www.ropesdirect.co.uk/synthetic-hemp-rope.html. The rope was attached to the posts with galvanised steel rings on plates. The rope was eye-spliced on to the rings. Here’s a close up so you can see […]

This chair is good as new – thanks to our rope and a little DIY! Customer Carol kindly sent us ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos, having mended her neighbour’s chair seat. With a 200m reel of our 3mm beige polypropylene multicord, Carol completed the transformation. “My neighbour wanted a much loved garden chair ‘re-seated,” she said, […]

“When ordering items online it can be rather a hit or miss affair with vastly different experiences. “I’m happy to report that RopesDirect are easily one of the best online retailers I have come across.” Not our words. This is what customer Jason told us after buying some of our Synthetic Hemp rope plus some […]

Every so often a customer delights us with pictures of their handiwork, using our rope to best effect. Peter’s decking rope looks brilliant, which is why we wanted to share it with you. Maybe it will help you plan your own garden using rope well! This is 32mm navy blue Polycotton Rope from RopesDirect, with […]

32 kilometres off the North Norfolk coast is the Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm. It generates green, clean energy to power more than 430,000 UK homes. And powering its way between coast and turbines is “Green Storm”, a crew transfer vessel operated by Green Marine, based in the Orkney Islands. They kindly sent us some great […]

Trying to do your bit for the planet by cycling more? Brilliant! Regardless of what it’s made from, riding a bike (rather than driving a car) reduces your reliance on fossil fuels – and that can only ever be a good thing for the environment. But did you know, the biggest energy use in the […]

We are seeing more and more people using rope in gardens. Very often people choose Synthetic Hemp rope (which is what we often recommend). It’s easy to see why, from these lovely photos sent in by customer Ian. He built this walkway through his back garden, in what will be a Tropical Area. The planting […]

Blue Polypropylene rope is cheap, strong and versatile. We supply it to industry in huge quantities, for building sites, utilities work, farms, forestry and fisheries. It’s also great at home, for example for tarpaulin sheets, tying things down in the garden, on trailers, in sheds and on lorries. It’s so good we’ve made a video […]

Ever thought about adding rope to your training session? When kitting out a home gym, rope is a really worthwhile addition – perfect for improving your endurance and building upper body strength. It’s great alongside the more expensive machinery such as a treadmill, cross trainer and weights. Manila rope (aka. manila hemp) is a particularly […]