Top 11 most exciting climbing gyms in London

2020 will be a historic year as climbing enters the Olympic Games for the first time. Some were surprised, others saw it coming, but what is undeniable is its exploding popularity across the world as a unique balance of physical and mental toughness, flexibility, and agility.

Even though London is massive, there are gyms in every part of town and people hop from gym to gym to experience the wide range of difficulties, designs, and to keep in touch with the rest of the climbing community. There are dozens of centres across the city and new ones are popping up every year.

London’s climbing centres hold each other to an exceptionally high standard. Each one offers everything you would expect from any high-quality sports facility: sessions for beginner and advanced athletes, activities for kids and young adults, social events (UV climbing party with glowing holds, anyone?), competitions, charity events, and so on.

Here is a list of some of the most exciting — and local favourites — in the city.

NOTE: Every venue on this list has facilities like showers, lockers, changing rooms, equipment rental (including climbing shoes, chalk bags and/or harnesses), snacks and drinks, a shop, and space to relax. All of them have weekly route-setting. Some gyms have more than one location and offer a membership that applies across all their venues — worth doing if you live here.

Vauxwall

3 locations and the nearest tube stations:

Vauxhall (South) — see on the map above
Lambeth North / Kennington (South) — location linked
Harrow (North) — location linked

What is there?

Bouldering: YES
Sport-climbing: NO
Auto-belay: NO

First was Vauxwall in Vauxhall. Although it’s the smallest gym on the list, it’s big on spirit. Its calendar is full of fun competitions, challenges, and socials, which makes the energy so great here.

A clever feature on the walls are ‘Perma sets’ — routes around the gym that never change so you can measure your improvement. If you’re lucky, you might spot a pro or two swinging about here.

Their two brand new gyms have opened in 2018 — nearby in Lambeth and a massive venue up north in Harrow. A membership gets you in to all three.

The Arch

4 locations and the nearest tube stations:

Bermondsey — Biscuit Factory (South) — see above
Bermondsey — Building One (South) — location linked
Burnt Oak (North) — location linked
Acton — opening in 2018 (West)

What is there?

Bouldering: YES
Sport-climbing: NO
Auto-belay: NO

Opening two big bouldering gyms next door to each other? Sounds crazy, but in practice — it works. With two venues to pick from, you get twice as much variety, training space, and good times. As usual, tuition for all ages and experience levels are available and if you look in their calendar and you’ll even find the occasional Ninja Warrior event and parkour training in their jungle gym.

The newer location up the northern line in Burnt Oak is smaller but offers the same Arch ethos and caters wonderfully to the rest of us plebs outside zone 2 (*cough*). One more location opening up this year in the west promises to be a thing of beauty. Worth signing up if you plan on staying in London for a while.

The only downside here are the crowds after work on weekdays. Try to go off-peak or on weekends if you can.

Castle

Location above, the nearest station:

Manor House (North)

What is there?

Bouldering: YES
Sport-climbing: YES
Auto-belay: YES

If you only have time to visit one gym off this list — make it this one. Castle is a 4-floor giant built inside a Victorian pumping station modelled on a Gothic fortress. It boasts over 450 lead & top-rope routes, a massive network of bouldering rooms, training corners, cafe, chillout space, events, and much more. If you’re lucky, you might spot an occasional pro.

To top it all off — you can abseil down the outside of its main tower and eat food grown in their own organic veggie garden. Go.

Mile End

Location above, the nearest tube station:

Mile End (East)

What is there?

Bouldering: YES
Sport-climbing: YES
Auto-belay: YES

Walk through the park from Mile End station, stroll by the canal, and you’ll find this gem for rope-climbing (with some auto-belay routes) and bouldering. It’s maintained by a charity focused on young people, so you’ll find many activities for kids, families, and beginners here.

But if you are a seasoned climber, fear not. The rest of the centre is full of fiendish challenges like the ‘Monkey House’ — a room with holds covering the entire ceiling. During your visit, make sure you find the ‘secret’ garden (follow signs ;) ) to rest in the sun between routes. Magic.

Westway

Location above, the nearest tube station:

Latimer Road (West)

What is there?

Bouldering: YES
Sport-climbing: YES
Auto-belay: YES

Although it’s not a “dedicated” climbing centre (it’s part of a larger sports complex), the space at Westway has enough bouldering and rope climbing — with 4 auto-belay routes — for all grades, regular resets, a lovely cafe, and all the other facilities you’d expect.

It doesn’t get as busy after work as The Arch or the Vauxhall gyms, so this becomes a viable alternative to those who like a bit more space and a relaxed atmosphere. The space has been expanding to accommodate more bouldering for competitive circuits like Blokfest, so it’s well worth a visit.

Stronghold

Location above, the nearest tube station:

Tottenham Hale (North East)

What is there?

Bouldering: YES
Sport-climbing: NO
Auto-belay: NO

This bouldering-only space is one of the newer locations on the list and is also London’s largest indoor bouldering area. It is so vast and reset so regularly (two areas per week) that every visit will be completely different to the next.

It still has that lovely squeaky-clean feel — white walls, not many rubber marks, more space — so a session here is a real pleasure. It’s a bit further out than the central gym locations, which makes it another great choice if you want to beat the weekend crowds.