The Castle

I did the 4 week beginners course (Wednesdays 7.45-9.45pm), with a max in the group of 6 people, but our group had 4. They're really great there and Jane Cooper our instructor is very professional, friendly and has a great manner. After completing the course I now go every week and it's a great way to keep fit and have fun. It's addictive. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Great atmosphere, and one can have a go, wicked cakes in the cafe. Something fun and definitely different to do for an evening.

Best wall in London as far as I'm concerned. The bouldering is second to none, especially now that they're extending it massively, and I think it can keep up with the best walls in the country. True, it gets quite busy but that's for a good reason!

If you're after more space and are interested in climbing routes (rather than bouldering), the Westway is a good alternative.

Tired limbs today and the feeling that my body has been hit by a golf sale are a fair trade off for all the fun I had this place last night.

This place has a nice selection of challenging long climbs, damn near impossible overhangs and crash matt bouldering that will challenge even the toughest urban mountaineer. Handy boards explain the different routes, based on the colour of features, but I was happier choosing my own route up. The shape and scale of the building allow for the highest indoor climbing I've tried, the highest reach around 20m, which does seem awful high from the top, I assure you.

Add some good music, Public Enemy and DJ Shadow, and tasty snacks from the cafe and you've on to a winner.

Little tip once you're done - the 'gastro' pub round the corner serves free Chinese food on the last Thursday of every month...

Loads of good climbs for all levels. Can't say I felt as though I was climbing in a Castle, although admittedly quite a few of the climbs seemed extremely high and long!

Excellent place. A very friendly and enthusiastic community of climbers work there and while I don't naturally feel a part of this particular culture, they make you feel welcome, relaxed and safe.

The walls are well graded and range from the simple to the impossible (at least for me). There are several different areas on 2 levels and due to the unusual nature of the building some of the walls are quite high. It really does look like a castle, though I think it was previously part of a water treatment works.

There's a good hire and climbing gear shop (urban rock) and they play great music throughout - my last visit rotated through Air, Bob Marley, and a Cafe del Mar album before my feet and forearms gave in and I had to leave.

I'd recommend this to anybody looking for a thrilling way to get fit and have fun. We booked a Sunday afternoon beginners' session and were taken through all the safety precautions and climbing fundamentals before being let anywhere near a climbing wall.

We then did a few simple climbs to get used to it, before a break for lunch in the cafe. Can't say the cafe was the last word in fine dining, but then all I wanted was to eat something before attacking the big walls, and a toasted cheese and tomato sarnie did the job perfectly well.

From there on our lovely teacher assigned us increasingly difficult walls whilst occasionally rubbing it in that she had better upper body strength than all of us put together as none of us could tackle the big overhangs.

After the course you can come without tuition and build up the strength and skill to scale their hardest walls, knowing you've got the safety angle sussed. I've been back once a month since then and can't think of a more enjoyable form of exercise. Don't expect your arms to work normally the next day though!

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