An old church might seem like an odd place to have a climbing wall but it actually works…read moresurprisingly well. The high walls are perfect, with climbs in excess of thirty feet. The view when you get to the top is amazing as well; you literally get a totally different perspective on the building. Plus, it doesn't have that hot sweaty feeling that some climbing walls have - all the space means you can breathe a little better. All the space means the sound gets soaked up a bit too - sometimes gyms can sound like factories with all the machines going, but this place certainly doesn't. Usually the only sounds that will interrupt your thoughts are the echoes of whatever the receptionist has decided to put on the sound system. As well as conventional climbing walls there's a large bouldering area, with soft crash mats that have caught my body on the many occasions that my fingers have decided to give out. The atmosphere's great though, and nobody judges you if your new or just a bit crap like me. If you do want to improve they have excellent instructors on hand, who are very patient (they get a lot of school groups in here so they have plenty of practice. Bristol Climbing Centre is unique, a great place to learn to climb, and a wonderful environment to do it in.

it just never ceases to amaze me the wealth of exiting and slightly unusual things to do in and…read morearound Bristol. Set within an old church, god knows how much effort must have been put in to convert the building to a climbing centre, the South West's biggest Climbing centre - if you didn't know! There are all sorts of levels of walls and sessions available to accommodate for the real beginner (which is where I was) and the more experiences climber. 12 meters doesn't sound very high until you get half way up it and feel like you might be able to reach the clouds with your next step up! They run things like Easter courses so great for kids but also for adults.

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.

I went for the first time with my eldest for a birthday party. It is a huge climbing place situated…read morein one of the old warehouses and is like a tardis when you step inside. There is a small bar with plenty of seating and serves a good range of both food and drink, you then walk on upstairs to where the main climbing centre is. The staff are friendly and professional and certainly focus on the safety aspect of the sport, there is a huge area for climbing and abseiling and also the boulder room where you can just free climb with deep cushions to land on should you slip. The party itself was well run and the instructors kept the kids entertained in between taking turns in climbing. The food was normal kids party food but was tasty and soon demolished. I would certainly keep this place in mind not just for a kids party but for a new activity to take up myself - all in all a very enjoyable visit.

This is one of the greatest places to hang out in Bristol! If you're thinking about getting into…read moreclimbing, don't hesitate - sign yourself up for their beginners' course. It costs around forty pounds for two evenings of two hours each and you get great tuition and the chance to meet some nice people to climb with too! There'a a really great bouldering wall, which does get busy but you can always pop upstairs where there's a smaller, quieter one. The toproping section has a variety of levels and although it gets really packed on weekday evenings, particularly in winter, you can normally get on a rope without having to hang around. The Lead section has lots of the intermediate and more difficult climbs, although if you're new to leading, there's only a few climbs at Grade 5 - I guess you'll just have to learn quickly!

I dropped my 7year old daughter off here for her friends birthday party, I thought thats a…read moredifferent place for a kids party but she loved it. They had food, music and even thier own climbing wall with skilled instructor to watch a give a little climbing lesson. We were given a leaflet with a price guide as we left and it's very reasonable and would recomend it to any one.

Boulders is the largest indoor climbing centre in the country with lots and lots of space for you…read moreto get to grips with the walls. I hadn't been climbing in while so opted for a £25 two hour long refresher session. I was really impressed by the instructor we had and the group was small enough to get plenty of time practicing and personal advice to improve our techniques. Sadly I was luckily enough to start climbing at the Llangorse rope centre were we got to climb on real rock formations within the safety of a centre. I would have loved it if Cardiff had something like that and a bit more character. But then for the serious climber Boulders offers plenty of challenges and is a good practice area. Also has a lovely cafe to recover after a hard session.

Boulders is Cardiff's best indoor climbing centre, and is a lot more convenient for city dwellers…read morethan having to travel all the way the South Wales Valleys (to the fantastic Welsh International Climbing Centre) every time they want to go climbing. The wall offers taster sessions for beginners if you want to have a go for the first time, as well as climbing lessons for children and adults. For those with more experience, you can simply pay to climb unsupervised - and they have some really challenging routes, plus a bouldering wall to build up strength. Membership is worth it if you're planning to go regularly. It's also open long hours, which makes it great for evening climbs after work - from 1-0am-10pm Monday to Friday, then 10am-6pm at the weekends. You can even grab meals and refreshments there from Boulders Cafe.