Essex is a county known for its flat terrain… But there are some great indoor climbing venues which make up for it! Here’s our round up.

Dedicated to bouldering

If you want to avoid the heights and the extra gear which goes with roped climbing, head to one of these dedicated bouldering walls.

Colchester Climbing Project

These guys are veterans on the Essex bouldering scene. They’ve got a great venue in the centre of Colchester, offering a challenge for adults and young climbers alike. Minimum age 5 years.

Romford Rock & Boulder

Our nearest and dearest bouldering wall, Romford is a perfectly formed venue with light and airy cafe overlooking the action. The friendly owners always make the trip worthwhile. Minimum age 8 years. 

Indirock

The newest dedicated bouldering wall to hit the Essex scene, Indirock is proud to bring bouldering to South East Essex for the first time! We pride ourselves in offering great routesetting for experienced adult climbers as well as children, with new sets every Monday. Minimum age 6 years, with many options for 5s and under to experience climbing with additional supervision.

Roped climbing

Fancy reaching for higher heights? Here are some options for roped climbing in Essex, which can include top roping for beginners, and lead climbing for more experienced adventurers. 

Rock Hub Basildon

Rock Hub is a great resource in the Basildon sporting village, featuring walls up to 10 metres high. There is a small bouldering area and they run plenty of instructed sessions to help you learn the ropes. Minimum age 4 years. 

The Lock

The Lock is a giant venue with 120 roped climbing routes up to 14 metres high. They offer a variety of courses to get you started. Minimum age 5 years with instruction.

University of Essex

The University of Essex Colchester campus hosts a climbing wall which is open to all to use. They have a large number of roped routes and bouldering on offer too. Minimum age 14.

Clip ‘n’ Climb

If you’d like to take the kids somewhere a bit different and don’t mind too much about “serious” climbing routes, why not try clip ‘n’ climb?

Rock Up Lakeside

Why not break up your shopping trip to Lakeside with a bit of climbing! With 8m high walls, Rock Up offers something for all kids from toddlers and up. 

Jump Street

Jump Street is Chelmsford’s answer to your thrill-seeking needs. They offer a range of packages, from Basic to Mega climb. Minimum age 4 years.

So there’s our round up of the top indoor climbing spots in Essex. Whatever your age or ability, there’s plenty to keep you busy! 

If you’d like to try out bouldering for the first time, why not book onto one of our FREE taster sessions at Indirock? Running every Saturday and Sunday at 11:45am, you get a 15 minute intro session from one of our instructors, completely for free! If you enjoy it, you’re welcome to pay your entry at the end and keep climbing. If it’s not for you, we can part ways with no hard feelings.  Head to our bookings page to pick a date.