Rock Climbing in North London
There is a disappointing lack of climbable rock in North London. However, there are some excellent climbing walls and a few other climbing venues. Climbing centres differ in many ways but for the most part, indoor climbing is divided into three different types are bouldering, top-rope climbing and lead climbing.
Bouldering is a style of rock climbing, bouldering is rope-free climbing undertaken at a low height over crash pads so that falls do not result in serious injury. Routes are graded according to difficulty and little equipment is required, usually just climbing shoes and a chalk bag.
Top-rope climbing is the style most often seen at climbing walls. Climbers are harnessed and attached to a rope which passes through an anchor at the top of the wall and then back down to a partner at ground level, who pulls the slack rope tight so the climber does not fall if they let go.
For more experienced climbers, lead climbing presents a greater challenge as the climber is not anchored in to the top of the wall. Instead, they progressively clip themselves into different points on the wall as they ascend it, with their partner below giving out new rope as and when the climber needs it. As you are probably aware there aren't lots of mountains or rocks around London but that doesn't mean there aren't some fantastic places to rock climb in London.
The Castle Climbing Centre is the largest and busiest of the Central London climbing walls. This in addition to a wealth of well-set bouldering routes, makes the Castle a must visit for any level of climber. It’s not hard to spot this climbing wall: it’s 200ft high and a castle (in fact a converted Victorian water pumping station). It has extensive roped climbing and bouldering. It can get quite busy at popular times. It’s expensive for the occasional visitor, though membership deals make it more reasonable.
We are one of the UK’s largest indoor bouldering centres offering hundreds of bouldering problems for climbers of all abilities, London’s largest circuit board and a large, open-plan training area.