Had great fun here for my brother's birthday with a couple of mates…read more Small carpark out front and easy check in- though do remember you'll need a little time for this- people who've climbed more often can check in novices and it's good for a range of abilities. I was stupid enough to go still with stupid long nails, so as a little point i'll say maybe don't do that yourselves to make the most of your time £10 for a day pass (I think 8 for members maybe?). There's a little cafe with cake, toasties, hot and cold drinks (soy etc available), basic changing rooms, loos, car park, and they do hold classes too. They provide little chalk bags, and let you get on with it on a range of colour coded courses, downstairs, and the small upstairs. The crash mats are generously deep and squishy, and there are some good challenges to get your fingertips stuck into. It was cold, which is the nature of the building, so i'd advise a hoodie you can take off once you're into it in the winter. I don't know how warm it gets in the summer months.

Very cool place for climbing/bouldering!!! Suitable for…read morestarters novices and experts. Really enjoying every time I am there. Also a good place for a first or second date ;) Very exciting routes which changes monthly I think. You will pay 10 £ for a day pass incl. climbing shoes. Looking forward for my next sessions.

I decided to take my son and niece to Rock Up last Saturday afternoon to see what all of the hype…read moreis about. As my son is a little young for the actual climbing we let them loose in the soft play area. On first impressions, I really like this venue. It seems to have something for everyone. There are lots of climbing walls/activities that appeal to all ages up to adulthood. The pre-schoolers can get their fill in the soft play maze, which is a great size as it is not so big that your child can get lost. Unlike, many of these type of attractions the café sold half decent food. The coffee was easily drinkable and they offer a varied menu including paninis, pizza, kids meals, pasta, cakes, fruit and more. To drink they have the usual hot drinks, including Mocha, plus cold favourites including milkshakes and fresh fruit smoothies (blended on site upon ordering). My only complaint was that all of the staff were very young and clearly inexperienced. While there I made a number of very basic requests which were met with blank gazes, or else took at least three members of staff to answer. There was also quite a long wait for the simplest of items from the menu.

I went for the 3 hour introductory course - providing instruction on safe rope and belaying…read moretechnique. Was great fun and great value. Take a friend and have a great afternoon.

Previously known as the Welsh International Climbing Centre, the Summit Centre is where I learnt to…read moreclimb, and it is a really friendly and well-designed bouldering and climbing facility. It's located about half an hour's drive from Cardiff in The Parc Taff Bargoed area, and the climbing wall features 400+ routes over an impressive 20,000 square feet of surface. There are 8 metre overhangs, Grades between 4a and 9a, both top roped routes (better for beginners) and lead routes (for more advanced), a self-belay device (enabling people to climb without a partner), smaller children's walls, and a dedicated bouldering room. The instructors I've learnt with have been really encouraging, friendly and good fun. All the staff there seem to love their jobs, too. The centre also offers 3-star bunkhouse accommodation for groups (although living in Cardiff I've never stayed overnight) and offers other adventure pursuits both on site and in the surrounding countryside - including gorge walking, kayaking, high ropes, canyoning, abseiling and caving.

A great climbing wall. I never go here as much as i should do. I think it's because it's always…read morequite busy. If you are a member of the brookes gym, you get a discount. Otherwise it costs about £5 to climb (no time limit). A great place to meet climbers and also, a bunch of trips are planned by the people on this wall to Wales, Scotland, Pennines etc. So if you are looking to go on a climbing trip, it's worth rocking down here and meeting some people.

Went to the wall today it has had a complete revamp and an extension…read more It is now a fantastic facility the extra space has made climbing on those busy nights more pleasurable. The new bouldering is now top class no more waiting to do the grey wall (although I now miss it) there is now great climbing everywhere. It now cost £7 to get in which is a bit steep but there is a 12 entry pass which is good value. also great job on the paint job it now looks cool.

This place has no polish whatsoever. It's grubby, there's chunks knocked out of the furniture, and…read morepeople clomping around in muddy boots. And that's all a really good thing. We took the kids here (seven, five and two) and spent an hour tobogganing on a dreary Saturday afternoon, and it was awesome and incredibly good value for money too - about fifteen quid, all in. Make sure you take gloves, trainers/boots, or whatever else you need to do your task. Check on the website to see what's going on, and make sure you phone and speak to the lovely people there before turning up, just in case there's a group and you need to book a place. Try the climbing wall! That's next on my list...

All the instructors at Ackers have to be really highly qualified to get the job, and you get some…read morereal quality tuition , pariticularly in the skiing which i recommend. Especially if you're a new skiier, and are perhaps going on a skiing holiday, i sugest you have a few lessons on the dry slope at Ackers first, just to get a grasp of it all. The 100m slope is available as well just to practice on, on certain days, so you can pay for an hour or so and use it unlimited amounts of times. However, be prepared for the difference in terms of skiing on real snow! The falls can hurt more! Also, I'd advise not to wear loose clothing, because it can get stuck in the webbing of the slopes. Although, in terms of value this slope is great. It's cheaper than the snowdome and a good laugh! Site Facilities BBQ Area, Carpark, Facilities for Disabled, Off-street Parking, Picnic Area, Toilets, Training Room(s), Shaded Area

Had a go at Rock Climbing for the first time last week. Had the chance to do something with Tanja…read more(my wife) while the children Tim (4) and Jamie (15 months) were off our hands for 2 hours. Well what do you do with 2 spare hours. Living in MK there are many things you can try your hands at. We had to book a week ahead to get the time we wanted and once there we were introduced to our instructor (Austen). As soon as he attached our line we were off. Not having done this before I did not know what to expect. Let's just say we had GREAT fun. In 30 minutes we both managed to get up to the top 5 times. If you use your legs to push your arms do not get too sore, but I did get a bit of a sweat on. The hardest thing for me was the first time I had to descend from the top. 13 metres up and having to let go. After a couple of goes I was really enjoying the drop. Will we go again? Definately.

As a climber in Oxford, I was excited to learn that the university has its own bouldering wall…read more However, 'Iffley', as it is fondly known, is one which you will either love or hate. Unlike most modern walls, which have screw-on or bolted resin holds, Iffley is a brick wall with inserts of what feels like real rock, postioned in numbered tiles along the wall. It's 2-3 metres high, so is for bouldering only, but you need to provide your own mats for safe landing. Only members of the University Mountaineering Club are allowed to use the wall, and they have access to some club mats, but if you're not a member, it's still good fun to go and watch people doing bizarre gymnastic moves on teeny holds. The holds are numbered and there's a guidebook with graded problems, which consist of sequences of numbers. These range from traverses to awkward sit-starts, to dynos and even more inventive moves involving the roof beams and nearby door frames! The holds are rather unusual, including some metal bits and some vital chips in the brickwork. Don't even think of trying to smear, as the wall is polished to death. The place has a great atmosphere if there are a few people down there, and it overlooks the hall where hardy people can be seen waving martial arts sticks around or performing aerial stunts on trampolines. The main problem is that the wall is simply the wall of a corridor, so climbers and other sports centre users can get in each others' way. It can be quite awkward to watch climbers, but there's often a Pilates ball or a pile of gym mats to sit on. A very different experience from climbing at Brookes and well worth a go if you're a member, or a look if you're not. Before you turn your nose up at it, just remember that Johnny Dawes has climbed here.

Always have a sale of some sort, and it's always quiet. I just bought a Karrimor fleece camping…read moreblanket reduced from £13.99 to £2. They sell genuine new branded products such as Karrimor, Helly Hansen, scarpa, Burghaus etc, always at heavily discounted prices. Have a really good range including cycles and equipment, first aid kits, climbing equipment and clothing. Parking in the West Orchards shopping centre car park or one of the others in town.