"From daring to wear trousers in the mountains to knocking on 9a, the story of British female climbers is one of rebels and disrupters, trailblazers and game-changers. And now the stories of these women who rock are headed off on tour and may be coming to a climbing centre near you!"

The Castle is very proud to be the first climbing wall in the country to host the incredible Women Rock photography exhibition, featuring a range of incredible climbers from past to present. Curated by our friends at the British Mountaineering Council, they describe the photography exhibition as "[tracing] the history of British female climbers from 1861 right up to the present day. The women featured have all broken barriers whether its First Ascents, First Female Ascents, First Female-only expeditions, smashed grade barriers or the like."

There are some huge names in climbing here - from the blurry, black and white photos of early pioneers to the modern day athletes succeeding on the competition scene. 

Afterwards, you can head down to the Castle Shop opposite Reception where you'll find our Women Rock display, with a range of intriguing books from female climbers and outdoor pioneers, including Gwen Moffat's seminal Space Below My Feet - Moffat being just one of the incredible women featured in the exhibition. 

So grab yourself a coffee, and head on up to the Café mezzanine by the lead wall and get inspired before your climb! 

This exhibition has now closed. For more information about the rest of the tour, please check the BMC website. 

The Castle was the first stop on a countrywide tour for the Women Rock exhibition, curated by the BMC. It first premiered at the Kendal Mountain Festival last year and will be on display upstairs in our Café Mezzenine until the 29th October.