The Castle's Routes

by Mike Langley - Route Setting Manager

This place is huge - so many lines, so many routes to set! The Castle currently has 450 set routes over 95 lines. We have a great mix of leading and top roping, so if you’re a total beginner or one of the country's hardest route climbers there is always loads here for you to do.

The Facts:

• Over 1000 sqare metres of walls
• 450 routes
• 95 climbing lines of which 54 are top rope and 41 are lead
• Grades from F4 to F8a or UK 4a to 6c/7a
• Routes up to 12.5 metres high

We have a massive range of slabs, featured walls, splitter cracks, roofs, off-widths, stepped roofs, flat panels and long overhangs. The Castle’s routes are the most varied and have some of the best setting in the country. The setters get to make use of the full range of angles, features and walls making great climbs for everyone.

Regular guest setting from one of the worlds best route climbers, Steve McClure, ensures a little bit of spice in the main lead area. Other recent guest setters include British Lead and Boulder Champion Gaz Parry and in-house setter and British Team climber Audrey Seguy.  

The 400+ routes are set by a varied team of around 15 setters, who between them re-set the routes on a four month basis ensuring constant clean, new and inspiring routes. At the Castle we also strive for grading consistency so have an experienced team of four regular route testers. One of these, the Routes Manager, climbs all new routes in the centre.  
 
There is no rock in London so the plastic is our rock - Climbing at the Castle is not practice for real rock climbing, it is rock climbing. You won’t find more passionately set routes throughout the whole grade range any where else in the country!

Have fun,

Mike

Bouldering at The Castle

By Ray Eckermann - Boulder Setting Manager

The Castle is the best bouldering venue in London. Now I know that sounds like a bold statement but if you ask around, it’s what you will hear.

Our grade range is well considered and we will always have something on the wall for everyone no matter if you are the current world cup holder, or the last time you left the ground was way back when your Mum lifted you into your pram.

The Facts:

• 195 problems at any given time.
• 30 traverses
• Grades range from British 4a – 6c

We have put a lot of thought into our choice of wall design, giving us realistic featured walls, top out walls, angled panels, slabs, curved ply, roof, articulating and steep walls. We compliment our ply walls with a large range of volumes. Our team of core setters works very hard to ensure a great range of problems, be-it an easy adventurous beginner’s problem, technical slabs, juggy roof traverses or steep power problems.

We set by area. This means a whole new area of 25 problems every week you come in. We run a monthly 20-problem ‘Boulder Ladder’ competition designed to help our customers gauge their progress... and win a few £50 vouchers along the way. We set a themed circuit every month and our 3D angled ply boulders offer a large range of long traverses.

We are always looking at new ways to improve the bouldering here, so come in and give it a try and let us know if there is anything that you think would add to the world class facilities we have at present.

Cheers,

Ray