UKC

Poor facilities in Kent

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 D2Adventures 06 May 2021

Hi All

I have recently moved to Kent from Somerset. I have been spoilt with Bristol being not too far away and having the choice of UCR, which i started using 22 years ago as a college student. since then the option for bouldering and roped climbing in Bristol has hugely increased. now in Bristol there is TCA, Block, Redpoint and Flashpoint, not including the University wall as i have never been to that one. I also had all the Mendip limestone to play on and it wasn't far down to Dartmoor.

Since moving to Kent i have found that there is next to nothing, there are a few bouldering centres in the county and next to no roped or lead climbing. I have found some of the boulders up at Tunbridge, but yet to go and explore them as i have not been back to Somerset to retrieve my boots and bouldering mat yet.

Does any one know why the facilities in Kent for climbing are so poor on the indoor scene?

 JamesO!? 06 May 2021
In reply to D2Adventures:

I think Chimera climbing in Tunbridge Wells and Canterbury might have something to say about that. The Climbing Experience in Maidstone is pretty good as well... Not to mention the proximity of Southern sandstone if you're in West Kent.

You are pretty close to London in most of Kent so if you want ropes you're looking at a trip in to Westway, the Castle, White Spider etc...

 Howard J 06 May 2021
In reply to D2Adventures:

With the exception of a few bits of sandstone, Kent is about as far from any outdoor climbing as it's possible to get in the UK, and I suspect the number of climbers in the local population is well below average.  Is someone is going to invest maybe £1m upwards in setting up a climbing wall unless there is a strong local base of potential customers?

1
 Max factor 06 May 2021
In reply to Howard J:

> With the exception of a few bits of sandstone, Kent is about as far from any outdoor climbing as it's possible to get in the UK. 

Ah, but weekends in Font, and often for no more bother than the schlep to North Wales. 

And depending on where you are in Kent, the Reach climbing wall is quite accessible if you time the traffic well 

 lithos 06 May 2021
In reply to JamesO!?:

and The Reach https://www.thereach.org.uk/ in Woolwich which is very close to NW Kent 

OP: have you used the Directory function on UKC to search for walls/crags etc

 Trangia 06 May 2021
In reply to Max factor:

Plus 1 for The Reach, best indoor climbing centre in the SE - just over an hour's driving from the Sussex coast. Also relatively easy access for Southern Sandstone. As you say Font is just across the Channel, and half an hour in Le Shuttle and about the same driving time as say N Wales, particularly if you plan it to avoid the Rush Hour traffic near Paris. Ditto driving to Freyre, in the Belgium Ardennes isn't too far.

 Brown 06 May 2021
In reply to D2Adventures:

I recommend moving from Kent to somewhere else. This will solve all your problems, as you could move somewhere with both good indoor and outdoor climbing.

Its the best decision I ever made.

1
 CantClimbTom 06 May 2021
In reply to D2Adventures:

Phahh!!!  The people of Kent are forged from a different metal, they have no need for this "indoor" or "bouldering" you speak of.

Some of their great climbs like  Monster Crack (original grade of "HXS ***!" because "HXS" didn't cover it) rise up 400 feet and the people who shaped them are still good case studies for criminal psychologists and climbers alike. Take a 5 minute read of this pioneer of some of the big multipitches Kent has to offer https://explorersweb.com/2020/06/11/legends-series-aleister-crowley/ this is the mindset you need for Kent.  Notable people in more modern times are Mick Fowler who added routes of his own, and here is YouTube video of some people climbing Fowler's most famous route The Great White Fright youtube.com/watch?v=NywlLx491MA& 

 Howard J 06 May 2021
In reply to CantClimbTom:

I'd overlooked the chalk, on the assumption that the OP is reasonably sane and has a fairly normal sense of self-preservation.

 CantClimbTom 06 May 2021
In reply to Howard J:

> I'd overlooked the chalk, on the assumption that the OP is reasonably sane and has a fairly normal sense of self-preservation.

Choosing a name like grimsage666 -- the Crowley link and some "Kent multipitch" I'd have thought would be right up his street? Let's wait for his reply...


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