If you’re looking for a great workout and an adrenaline rush, you should check out the best climbing gyms in London. These gyms offer everything from bouldering to top roping, so you can find the perfect challenge for your level of experience. They also have classes available if you’re new to climbing, or just want to learn some new techniques. So whether you’re a beginner or an experienced climber, these gyms are definitely worth checking out!
Mile End Climbing Wall
Climbing at Mile End Climbing Wall helps support the registered charity ‘DEVELOPMENT through CHALLENGE’, which offers opportunities for personal development to young people through challenging physical activity. By climbing at the centre, you help them provide these same chances to youth groups, vulnerable young adults, groups with special educational needs, and more.
The gym is located inside an old pipe engineering works in Mile End Park, a five-minute walk from Mile End Tube Station. It has grown to around 16,000 sq. ft (1500 sq. m) of climbing surface and was opened to the public in the late eighties. Offering a variety of courses both on and off-site, they have something for everyone from beginners to experts. Furthermore, the centre is frequently utilized by other development charities, groups, schools and climbers for recreation.
There is extensive bouldering (low-level climbing without ropes) at all levels, top-roped and lead climbing as well as more advanced training areas – The Board Room, and the famous Monkey House. With a combination of experienced staff, valuable services, and a relaxed social atmosphere, Mile End is the go-to place for Londoners looking to climb.
The Reach Climbing Wall
The Reach Climbing Wall has been a staple of London’s climbing gym scene since opening in 2008. With routes suitable for everyone, they offer classes to help beginners build up the skills necessary to become confident climbers. They also have a wide range of experienced staff to give advice on route planning and offer 1:1 tuition if you need that extra bit of support.
The club Auto-Belay system is an excellent way to improve your technique and work out by yourself. With this device, you don’t need someone else to belay for you at the other end of the rope. The gym is open seven days a week, allowing plenty of time to fine-tune your climbing skills.
Adult: £11 (£9 off-peak, Mon-Fri, before 4pm)
BMC discount: £10 (£9 off-peak, Mon-Fri, before 4pm)
Services discount: £8.50
Concession: £7 off-peak (Mon-Fri, before 4pm)
Junior: £7
With an extensive range of activities designed to provide climbers of all abilities belonging and progression opportunities, The Reach Climbing Wall is the ideal place to start your climbing journey.
The Castle Climbing Centre
The Castle Climbing Centre in London has a long history that dates all the way back to 1989 when the club was originally set up. Since then, the gym has become an iconic spot for many climbers of all skill levels to hone their abilities. For those just starting out, they offer classes and beginner training to help get them on the right track.
Both days passes and monthly memberships are available at reasonable prices and opening times run from early morning until late night to accommodate any schedule. With plenty of routes in difficulty, indoor boulders and outdoor selection, it’s no wonder why so many newcomers and experienced veterans like to call The Castle their home climbing centre.
The Castle Climbing Centre is a versatile facility that offers several different types of climbing.
At The Castle, you can engage in four different types of climbing:
- Bouldering is a form of rock climbing that typically takes place on shorter walls and without the use of ropes or other safety gear, such as crash mats.
- Top Roping refers to climbing higher walls with a rope that is already securely in place. The roping runs from the person controlling the rope at the bottom of the route, to an anchor system at the top, and back down again to where the climber is.
- Lead climbing is done on taller walls without a fixed rope. The climber attaches themselves to safety equipment as they move up the route.
- The Auto belay is an automatic device that eliminates the need for a belay partner by taking up slack as the climber ascends the wall and controls their descent.
Before using the roped facilities, you will need to know how to put on a harness, tie in and belay someone. If you don’t yet know how to do these things, no worries! The club offers to Learn to Climb courses that can teach you everything that you need to get started safely.
VauxWall West Climbing Centre
VauxWall West Climbing Centre is a world-renowned bouldering destination in London that boasts state-of-the-art facilities, great customer service, and wonderful climbing walls.
To continue its success, the team added HarroWall and VauxWall East in 2018, and RavensWall and CroyWall in 2019. This expansion allowed LCC to firmly establish itself within the London Climbing Community by offering climbing locations all around the capital.
The staff at the gym take special pride in ensuring that all of their climbers, regardless of experience, are supported with personalized instruction and technical climbing knowledge. The gym offers classes for both beginner and experienced climbers through which they can sharpen their skills or develop new ones. VauxWall West is a great place to meet like-minded people and enjoy an exciting outing.
In addition, the gym is open seven days a week from 10:00am to 10:00pm, so there are plenty of opportunities to join a session! Lastly, the centre’s prices are highly competitive with day passes at only £10 and monthly memberships available starting at £35. They also offer discounted deals if you book in advance – so it’s definitely worth checking out!
Arch Climbing Wall: Building One +
Fred, a climber from London started The Arch in 2008. It was the first 100% bouldering centre not just in London but hidden underneath railway arches on London Bridge. Despite its humble beginnings, it quickly grew to become part of the early climbing scene.
Nearly 15 years later, bouldering has become a widely popular sport, and The Arch London has expanded to 4 large centres located in Bermondsey, Surrey Quays, Burnt Oak and Acton.
The original vision for the business has remained unchanged – to give customers the best climbing experience possible, to be friendly and welcoming to beginners and world champions alike and most importantly, to create a space where people can come to forget their everyday stresses, connect with others, and become healthier by doing something they enjoy.
The sense of community is what makes The Arch feel special to the employees who work here and to the climbers who come here.
single peak (Weekdays after 3:30pm & Weekends + Bank Holidays)– £12.50
single off-peak – £9.50
10 entries (Any time, no expiry) -£95
1-month membership – £70
3-month membership – £190
6-month membership – £350
1-year membership – £650
shoe hire – £3
Westway Climbing
Westway Sports and Fitness Centre’s climbing wall is, without a doubt, one of the biggest and best indoor climbing walls not only in London but also in the United Kingdom. Routes are catering to climbers of all types regardless of age or experience. They have over 350 marked routes on 110 roped lines which go up to 13.5m high, as well as bouldering spanning 450sqm – Westway is THE place for climbers from complete beginners to experienced rock-climbers alike!
They offer a wide range of activities for everyone, whether you’re ready to climb and want to learn from scratch or develop your climbing skills through individual or group coaching.
Opening Times
Monday – Friday: 08:00-21:45
Saturday & Sunday: 08:00-20:00
Bank Holidays: 08:00-20:00
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