So...I'm being a climbing spectator today! And yes the actual climbing part is awesome, but I'm…read moregoing to review the cafe as that is where I'm spending my time. For a small cafe in a sporting centre it's very good. The hot chocolate was nice, as was the latte, but nothing special. The paninis how ever were very yum! Hit the spot for sure. I couldn't decide between the Brie, Apple and cranberry or the salmi and cheese, so we got both and halved them :D yum yum! Not much fuss but tasty! We then shared a slice of paradise cake and my goodness! One of the best coconut cakes I've ever had :D nom nom! The staff are lovely, and the cafe space quite open plan and useful. Complete with a log burning fire *yay* toasty!

I've been hearing about bouldering a lot recently, and then a friend suggested a trip for her…read morebirthday. Yes please! I actually wasn't really sure what it was, and pictured that there would be more boulders and less walls. It is in fact just rock climbing without ropes and on shorter walls. The Climbing Academy seems like a cool place. It's a big space with a proper cafe serving sandwiches, cakes, lots of drinks etc and lots of seating as well for parents/observers. We were doing a 1 hour induction session which cost £10 including shoe hire. All you need to boulder is some kind of comfortable gym gear, and to hire the shoes. Super snug shoes with grippy soles to help you climb. I kept my socks on, apparently it's better to go without. Mmm, not when I'm hiring them it isn't. We were shown around the centre and the novelty of jumping on the squishy flooring never got old. I imagine if you fell from the top it would still hurt, but it was nice having padding to break your fall (seing as I'm used to falling while on skates onto a basketball court). Climbing was relatively straightforward. Apparently you're meant to start from a seated position on the floor, but due to my lack of upper body strength, that just wasn't going to happen. You follow the coloured grips on the wall and can challenge yourself by advancing through the colours. I think I just stayed on purple and black though because I was a bit rubbish. The instructor was really helpful and encouraging. As were the people I was with, so it was a good atmosphere. It was really fun climbing stuff, although my hands and arms were really sore really quickly. If you keep going you build up callouses, I'm not really sure about that. The hour went by pretty quickly. I would definitely go back, and the only reason this isn't 5 stars is because I feel like I wasn't really there long enough to experience properly. A fun way to spend a mate's birthday!

They have several climbing walls in varying difficulty, a skywalk and a drop. In our time slot we…read morewere just two people and the very friendly guide let us try the climbing walls before we headed towards the skywalk and the drop. It was real fun, but we don't really expect to be able to lift heavy things tomorrow. The skywald has different challenges, but you can always avoid the hassle by just gliding along. It felt completely safe. The drop is a 15m fall: you just step into the void and after a short free fall you are decelerated into a soft landing. We can only recommend that!

Reception was warm, friendly, efficient and informative. The lobby is huge - and it was filled…read morewith different kinds of sofas & chairs. The cafe makes a great decaf soy latte - and the views of the climbing walls are fantastic from the cafe. The lockerrooms are pretty nice - clean and lots of space (no bumping into people as you change or access a locker). The coin-return system used by the Edinburgh Royal Commonwealth recreation system is great - just leaves you with a key to keep track of though (at the Royal Commonwealth pool - the key is on a bracelet). The climbing gym itself is huge - I wasn't prepared for this from the pictures - there's no way to do it justice. The 25 m wall just goes on and on! There are walls that are at a slope (like slab climbing) and corner problems with shelves for mantling and problems you have to jump onto - which we don't really have at my local climbing gym chain (Touchstone). The materials used for the walls and the jugs/pieces are much more abrasive than what we have at my local gyms (though ours could just be worn). Everything is color coded as well - you have a climb with all the same color pieces -- it's much simpler that way, though at night - the kind of lights they turn on make all the red-colors blend together (ie, is that purple or red? I can't tell now that the lights are on!). The ropes they use are different, too - esp on the 25m top rope routes - much stiffer (for obvious reasons) and overall, the ropes all seemed to be heavier and stiffer. If you're used to having to "prove" you know how to belay - EICA just has you sign a waiver that says "I'm a grown up and I know what I'm doing and won't sue you if I'm an idiot" - no belay test, no belay card - have at it, kiddies! On this visit, I didn't get to try any of the outdoor climbing - but I'll work on my lead climbing classes and certifications this winter so I can travel and climb outdoors more next year. I hope to visit England again - and want to see more climbing gyms - I've heard there are some in old churches (ie, crazy high walls and indoors).

I went there recently for a meeting not a climbing experience, but what I could see was amazing. I…read morewill definitely be back to conquer the vast amounts of climbing possibilities and challenge my fear of heights! Its a place for adults and children. Lots of space inside and outside for parking. There is a cafeteria where you can eat, converse and indulge. I am sure they are offer memberships, so why not give it a try. Just one thing - you might need a car to get there. Not sure about the public transport as its a bit outside of Edinburgh , near Ratho Station.

Rock climbing is rubbish. It's rubbish. It's rubbish, it's rubbish, it's rubbish rubbish rubbish…read more Well, this is what I initially thought, until I lived with two ex-punk, Spanish rock climbers who, as you'll probably have guessed by the way I've described them, really liked rock climbing. It's a fantastic facility, even if I don't trust crash mats to fall on even from half an inch away, the staff are really professional and didn't laugh at my inability to get more than a metre off the ground as much as my pals... which was really nice of them and they helped me as much they possibly could. It had a real community spirit and sense of family. I actually had a really great time because I laughed so much. My arse felt great the day after too... Maybe if I could do it every day I'd look like Hulk Hogan like I've always dreamed of.

Okay kiddos, let's talk business. Are you a climber? Or, having never climbed before, would you…read moreconsider yourself an adventure-seeker? Someone who likes trying exciting new things? Don't mind the gritty feeling of chalk beneath your fingernails? The ache of muscles long-unused? If you're already a climber, then I can guess that you, like me, will pretty happily take whatever climbing venue you happen to be gifted with! If not, Alien Rock 1, happily nestled within the walls of an old church, complete with an upstairs observation deck, a small bouldering room, facilities that offer tea, coffee, and snacks, and a team that would be happy to teach you--well, go on then!! If you've never climbed before, you should know that this is not the sort of adventuring you can sashay your way into and pick up on the fly. Climbing gyms like AR1 are affairs where a little know-how and training are musts in order to not injure yourself or others. (If you're not sure if you would even like climbing in the first place, I would recommend scoping out nearby AR2 which specializes in bouldering, in which you can come and go as you please with little instruction except in the way of safety, and free climb without the aid of ropes). Climbing at AR1 means it is essential that you, or at least one or more of the people you are with, know what they're doing in order to safely belay and tie the knots involved to keep anyone from well... hurtling to meet the floor from great heights. Do I honestly have to stress this? Nah, didn't think so. If you've no experience belaying or tying the knots involved in top-rope climbing, no worries: Alien Rock 1 will teach you all the things you need to know, guaranteed. While it is pricey at around 45 pounds, I was lucky enough to have discovered a Meet-Up group for climbers in Edinburgh that allowed sessions for special discounted rates of learners that made it a much more tolerable 25 pounds or so split between a group of 6, arranged for a three-hour slot between 6:30 and 9:30 pm. (If you're looking to learn on the cheap and meet new folk at the same time, I would absolutely recommend sniffing around for this group: pennypinchers rejoice!) On the other hand, if you're just starting out but know a friend who's registered at AR1, if you sweet talk 'em some they may be willing to show you around the place and even belay you. If they do this willingly you certainly may owe them as it does end up a one-sided affair, as they can't climb themselves when you can't belay them in return. But you could certaily get an idea for if you like it! If you decide you fancy climbing more at AR1 on a long-term basis, or at least once a week, I would certainly recommend a few things: first of all, purchasing a white card, which allows you to enter at a discounted rate. Not only that, you should absolutely consider buying your own set of shoes and a harness, because honestly, who wants to stuff their own feet into the rented, smallish shoes that so many others have worn time and again? (Not only that, but watching my learning group attempt to sort out the variously colored straps and clips on their harness vs. putting on my own super-simple one made me feel quite lucky to avoid all that!) It's a sound investment as it'll save you hiring both accessories each time you visit for a fee of around a fiver ON TOP OF your entry fee of 9 pounds. (For more pricing, http://www.alienrock.co.uk/alien_one_pages/alien_one_prices/alien_one_prices.html should do you!) But enough of all that garbage. For those climbers who know their stuff, well, AR1 is certainly a pretty cool place to climb. Out of the gyms I've been to in the past it's extremely laid-back, with the staff appearing as needed to help but otherwise letting their climbers sort themselves out. The church-turned-gym itself is novelty enough, but having the upstairs observation deck filled with seating area that you can take a break and have a chat or a tea in is pretty cool. Also the tiny bouldering room available for warm-ups, learning, or just escaping the crowd downstairs is nifty as well. My only real beef with AR1 is mild at that, and it's merely the wish that while there are plenty of climbing routes to scope out on the main floor, I do wish that they'd have a bit more difficulty ranges to choose from at each section. Tying in over and over to just have one in your range means you do feel you kill some time roping up, so it'd be nice if there was at least an easy, medium, and hard per wall. Some it seemed to my untrained eye had only hard, some only easy. But routes change all the time, so who could say what'll be up on my next visit! What more can I say here that I haven't already? Climbers gonna climb, and AR1 is a lovely wee facility to get your game on. You'll certainly find me flexing my puny climbing muscles at AR1, and are welcome to shout a hullo if you do, after all climbers are normally the friendliest of folk! So go on then!! Climb on!!

Oh this was good fun. If you have ever wanted to zip-line and climb along a tightrope in Loch…read moreLomond this is for you. At 25 pound per adult, I am not sure it was 100% worth the money, although you had an instructor with you at all times, and the safety kit was of a high standard. My brother and i arrived an hour before our booking time and were allowed to go early by ourselves, which was an added bonus. There are lockers with keys (at no additional cost), to leave any unwanted coats, bags etc. You are then given a safety harness, asked to take your height and weight against a colour coding system and given a rope and buckle. A 5 minute safety presentation is then given and you are good to go. The instructor will attach you to the smaller course of about 8 obstacles, including a zip-line, tightrope and some bridges. I was shaking during the first tightrope I could not get my balance at all and freaked myself out. Eventually, with the help of a lovely isntructor who reassured me I was fine (if you do fall as such, you basically zipline to the next platform), I managed to make it to the next platform. We then went on the taller course, which was so much fun. Personally favourites include jumping/stepping between tyres, swinging rope bridges and wooden x-s. The final 2 obstacles are another rope bridge which leads you to the final zipline. At this point you get an incredible view of Loch Lomond. We were definitely lucky to be able to go round ourselves, it took us about 45 minutes. They said it could take up to an hour and half, due to more people etc etc. If you are scared of heights, there is a path along the whole route that any other members of the party could walk around and watch you swinging from the trees. A great idea if only one parent wants to do it, the other parent can take photos! The minimum age is 7, but there is also a height restriction. A really good and fun addition to Lomond Shores. I feel a yelp event swinging along?!

I like this because it has lots of different things to do and I love there pizza and chips meal…read moredeal for 2:50 it is amazing with the McDonald's fries .the best part is that it has a person in it and it has water. The thing is it doesn't have a time and it dosent have a capsule so why call it the time capsule that's why I gave it 4 stars ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

I used to come to the Time Capsule every Saturday morning between the ages of 9 - 11. This was when…read morethey held the childrens ice-skating, where you could skate around and they also held a little dancing on ice disco where the leader showed us some moves and we had to copy. After this wild workout everyone got a little paper bag full of tuck shops sweets, it was great! After the ice-skating my dad usually took us to the swimming pool, the river rapids were my favourite part and I could swim here for hours. I particularly remember the scary red dragon statue and the cave men who looked down on your when you were swimming round the pool, one of them was wielding a spear which I have to admit, was a little bit scary. They also have a huge play area with ball pools, slides, climbing walls - it just looks amazing. Unfortunately, my parents never let me go here and I feel that I've missed out. At the moment the play area pool is closed for major refurbishment, who knows what it will look like when it's finished? I think I might take a trip back soon for good old times sakes. A fantastic day out for all the family!

When I was in Glasgow on Wednesday 17 July 2019 , the Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena was…read morehousing a T-rex exhibit. Banners along the streets marked that the critter skeleton was in town and observable at Kelvin Hall from 18 April 2019 through 31 July 2019. I was a little confused as the exhibit hall looked to be part of an indoor sports arena. It was a wee bit of culture shock for me, and I was like - am I in the right place. Sure enough, a worker at the front desk pointed me towards the exhibit. The T-rex was pretty neat and had a lit-up informational display approach. Is it glow in the dark ink or an electronic display, or just really bright ink... Walking around in the exhibit was easy as the floorpan was well designed for human bipedal locomotion. A gift shop by the exhibit hall exit provided physical offerings to remember one's experience(s) by.

I was all set to give Kelvinhall three stars - partly for being such a beautiful historic building…read more(from the outside), and partly for the nice staff who work there. That was until last night, when I discovered that the water in the taps in all the changing rooms is apparently not fit for human consumption. W-w-w-w-hat?! In a sports hall? Where there is no access to water that is ok for drinking (apart from in the gym). I visit Kelvinhall twice a week and have been drinking the tap water for around a year ... I was horrified. You'd think they'd put up a sign at least? Apart from that, Kelvinhall is closing for refurbishment sometime this year so don't expect anything flash at the moment. Here's hoping they do something nice with it for it's reopening (and sort out the water!)

This is a great place in Motherwell, on the route of express buses from Buchanan Bus Station and…read moreround the corner from the main train station in Motherwell. It's got a soft kiddies play area (Ziggy's) a trampoline area (BounceZone) and an amazing lazer zone (Lazertag). I remember when the place opened me and a mate went in for a look and got a tour around the place when it was fully lit and they showed us the equipment. It was super cool. A regular Sunday afternoon booking followed for almost a year in a big squad where we would shoot each other up with silly avatar names. Sometimes we even hooked up our I-Pod to shoot each other up to our favourite tunes. Sneaking around in the dark with the Metal Gear Solid theme tune playing.. about the most fun I have ever had in my life. The lazer zone is really really good, probably the best one around, with 'Gems' kicking around which are computers on the wall that shoot you if you don't shoot them first and they give you special powers that give you an edge. They change the layout often enough to keep it interesting and there are a fair few game options. The prices are decent and the staff are friendly and up for a laugh. They do bookings and lock ins which is cool. The only annoyance for me is that they need to run through the equipment every single time which is a pain when you just want to start shooting people in the face! Good for kids.

Not one for the mindless shooting of people in the dark, i gave the laser quest in here a miss…read more However i do enjoy a soft play area, so Ziggy's was perfect. We took our nephew here when he was visiting and he loved it; three floors of netted in soft play, ball pools, ropes and slides. You can see everything the little terrors are up to in here, and run in to rescue them if need be. It is also really cheap, and perfect for a rainy afternoon where the kids would usually be causing havoc on the couch with crayons. I was too big to go in though (sadface)