Comments on: Best climbing/bouldering wall in London?

Question: Best climbing/bouldering wall in London?

YouRebelScum — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:19:02 -0800

ClimbingFilter: I'm looking for the best wall for bouldering/climbing in London, for preference one with some long traverses for fitness training. While a bigger venue is better, this being London it's probably not possible to ask for something that isn't always full. A smaller venue with fewer holds but where you can actually spend some time on a problem would be better than a bigger venue where you have to queue. Some idea of when's the best time is also good. Location-wise, I'm north east, but I'd be prepared to go out of my way for a decent wall. Any ideas for outside bouldering would be wonderful, but I realise that's a slim chance.

By: azlondon

azlondon — Thu, 08 May 2008 13:07:48 -0800

There was a really good place over in Mile End I used to go to some number of years ago. This may be the place - it looks a bit more polished than I remember though.

By: Kirjava

Kirjava — Thu, 08 May 2008 13:39:15 -0800

I'm in Oxford and haven't climbed in London myself, but my friend there absolutely loves the Castle climbing centre near Finsbury Park in North London. It's supposedly huge, cool, and it also actually looks like a castle! (Even though it isn't really one, the history of the building is rather interesting).

By: freya_lamb

freya_lamb — Thu, 08 May 2008 13:59:18 -0800

Seconding Mile End, (azlondon has the right link) it's my local gym. Not so good for routes but great for bouldering. And now it's sunny there's lots of lounging/heron-spotting to be had by the canal afterwards.

By: genug

genug — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:04:49 -0800

2nding the Castle, which at least used to have a section dedicated for traverses.

By: Inkoate

Inkoate — Thu, 08 May 2008 18:02:23 -0800

I'll third Mile End. I used to climb there all the time when I was doing a semester abroad at Queen Mary college, which is just across the canal from it. As freya_lamb says, a great bouldering area, but the routes are only so so. If you're looking for traverses, though, I think you'll find it to your liking. When I would go in there in the afternoons, there used to be a guy who would just do laps around the bouldering cave, over and over again.

By: YouRebelScum

YouRebelScum — Fri, 09 May 2008 02:25:47 -0800

Great: thank's guys. Guess I'll check them both out. Both easy to get to from my digs.

By: southof40

southof40 — Fri, 09 May 2008 02:28:17 -0800

It's a _long_ time since I went there but I used to go the Sobell Leisure Centre which has a couple of different walls.