UKC

Hello UKC,

I'm considering moving to London for work and wanted to go try some of the bouldering facilities before committing to the decision. However it's impossible to tell from the websites alone which walls to concentrate on and so I was hoping to get some local knowledge from you guys.

For me climbing is all about the movement. I'm not a fan of low quality lines indoors or out, life is too short and too busy for 'choss'. Although amenities like cafes, weight rooms, shops ect are all nice and welcome bonuses the most important thing for me is the route-setting. So i'm asking for your opinions on the quality and type of route setting at the main bouldering walls in London.

Perhaps it would help to give a little information about myself to provide context for this question. I spent 4 years living in Sheffield for university climbing predominantly at 'the works' and on the peak grit (and don't forget the lime!). The works was fantastic, the quality of the route setting there is just top notch. Imaginative and often hard to read technical movement, which flows once you've unlocked the secrets of the problem. I found the setting at the works was so good it even had technical crossover to real rock problems. It's not often you can learn outdoor style technique at an indoor wall. Essentially if the works was in London there would be no need for this post. I used to boulder V10 max and these days i'm around the V8 mark following a serious non climbing related injury. I'm looking for somewhere to do some serious training, both technical and strength so a gym with a broad range of styles from V2-V6 to warm up on and refine technique / movement, plenty of V6+ stuff for learning new movement patterns and then strength training facilities such as circuits, moon board, campus ect. would be ideal. Just looking at websites Mile end and strong hold seem like potential candidates, but as ever local knowledge is best.

any of your thoughts and opinions would be greatly appreciated 

You could always go to more than, one most London based folks concentrate on one place and go to some others too....

However for what you're looking for I think you should defs check out Stronghold,  Stronghold's setting seems excellent.  It's a big old place so they've got lots of room to put up really interesting sets.

I mostly climb at the castle meself, but I go for the routes rather than the bouldering.

Maybe check out all the options before committing?

Where will you be living? This will have a bearing on what might be suitable after work unless you don't mind what time you arrive home.. Likewise, gyms such as The Arch open around 6.30am and would be suitable if you live near Bermondsey.

I'd agree that the setting at Mile End is top class and Stronghold impressed the one time I went there. The Arch has been revamped and I've only heard good things but haven't been lately. I've also heard Harrowall in Harrow is very good. The Reach in Woolwich is good if you want to lead climb, the training facilities are sufficient, but the bouldering might be limited if you are pushing V8+. Shout if you want to know anything more specific. Best of luck..

Bouldering walls really shouldn't be in your decision making as to whether to move somewhere for a job or not. Really.  Big picture - do you want to live in an outdoorsy city or not, do you want to have a lot of climbing on your doorstep - then sure, but the quality of the bouldering route setting? I mean, really?!

There are plenty of decent indoor bouldering options around London, I'm near Vauxwall East, Vauxwall West, and the Arch, mixing it up between the three of them works well for me. I think Mile End and Stronghold are also good, and the big centres (The Reach, Castle, Westway etc) all have bouldering areas but I've only really gone there for the routes.

One thing to realise is that the walls often get really busy on weekday evenings, as in having to wait outside for 30 min busy, so factor that into your decision making. 

Generally I'd say there's loads of great indoor climbing to be had in London. If you want to get outdoors it's awful, but indoors is good.

For great setting+training facilities stronghold is my favourite with a nice balance of what's on offer .Mile End is my second favourite.After these I would say Vauxeast+harrowall seem to cover a lot of whatever is missing from the above .

I found most of the walls in London to be much of a much and often the route setters will work for a number of the different walls as well as having their own internal teams.

I agree with you on the Works, the problems are good and more real like, though I think part of this is down to the layout of the wall.

For most walls, the vast majority of the panelling is laid out against the internal sides of the building, leaving the middle open and empty. However with the Works it is the opposite, only the ends of the building have walls and most of the panelling is free standing in the middle of it. I think this helps having more aretes and shapes, and different angles, this more varied layout allows for better problems. Though more straightforward flat panelling may be easier to work with and its the more standard/generic way to go, however I don't think it provides the best problems.

If you do move to London, just swap and change about the different walls, though indoors will always be second best to the outdoors.