The Arch Climbing Wall

It doesn't look like much when you walk in, but don't let that fool you. This place is massive! It's bouldering only FYI.

First thing you do when you walk is check-in and you'll see the first boulder. It's built with wood so it's slick, but the rest of the gym is much better and textured.

Upstairs there's loads of lockers, feel free to bring your own lock. There's an entire built in table that goes down quite a ways with stools and outlets so you can study there or downstairs by their little shop/cafe.

As you walk in more you'll see the training area, with a great board, loads of campus boards, bars and other essentials ya need. There's a slab wall, on the other side has a traverse area and next to it is a circuit wall. As you go further there's more variety, loads of overhanging, slab, and good features. Their system is on the V grade and by colour.

Overall a pretty cool place to check out! Not too far of a walk from the Bermondsey station.

Reasonably priced for a day pass, I came to the Arch during a London trip. It was January and I'm not sure if there's heat or not (or maybe I'm just cold blooded) but man, it was so cold inside here. After a while it became difficult to climb with cold fingers and toes. But before I became too cold to climb, I was fun exploring the routes. The grades are indicated by color, makes it hard to figure out the rating without looking back at the wall charts. Otherwise solid climbing gym, almost as good as Touchstone's and Brooklyn Boulder's places.

This was a great find, recommended by a couple of friends who had started bouldering. It's a sizeable place with plenty of routes (for bouldering only). It's got a great atmosphere - really relaxed and fun. There's an area for chilling out in, should you wish, and tea and coffee available.

It's also got facilities, so you can shower, change, lock your stuff away and rent shoes or chalk. Basically, everything is really easy!

The routes change regularly and it's clearly marked how difficult they are. I think there's an app where you can check off which routes you have done, which sounds like a good idea though I haven't used it.

There's a good variety of walls. I'm no pro, but there is a mix of terrains, inclines and techniques and the types of routes cover all of them, so even if you're a beginner you can take on diverse challenges so it isn't tedious. I think it's one of the reasons bouldering appeals to me - it requires logic and routes are different, so you need to keep thinking about your approach.

Top marks for atmosphere and size, probably the most important elements of a bouldering gym.

You can get one off entrances, monthly/annual (and I think quarterly or six monthly) passes, or buy 10 entrances for a discount. You also get some vouchers if you take the introduction class there, which gives you a half price monthly pass, for example.

I love this place. Have been going here for two years now. The people are friendly. And you rub into so many helpful compatriots here, it is almost not difficult to not like this place.

It opens super early, which makes it ideal for me before I head to work. The problems are rotated often enough to keep you happy. And the consistency maintained by the setters is commendable.

The best part is, with another facility opening up at building one which is two minutes away, all covered under the same membership, it'd be crazy not to get one.

This is the best bouldering gym I've ever been to.

This place just opened three months ago, and according to its website has "over 11 000 square feet of bouldering, dozens of circuits offering hundreds of climbs" and "is one of the biggest climbing facilities in the UK." Which I definitely believe - I've been to 20 or so climbing gyms in the US, Canada, and the UK, and this is definitely the biggest bouldering gym I've ever seen.

The staff's friendly, the prices are normal, and the facility is just so friggin' enormous, I still can't get over it. They lay their routes out according to color, so basically there are eight or so colors of holds, and all the routes set within each color fall within a certain range of difficulty (e.g. V1-V2). Each color has 30 or so routes associated with it, so you're looking at 240 total bouldering problems right there (assuming that I remember the number of colors correctly).

240 bouldering problems! That's fucking insane!

The gym I go to in san francisco has, like, *maybe* sixty! And that 240 figure isn't even counting the ~30 bouldering-comp problems The Arch had up when I visited!

They've also got plenty of other training gear - a bunch of hangboards, a moon board, a training board, just all sorts of crazy stuff.

If you like bouldering, you have got to go here. This place is the best.

Popped in here to buy a first set of climbing shoes for my girlfriend after she completed a beginners climbing course up at the Castle.

They had a tiny selection of kit and when she did take a pair to the counter to ask to try them on in her size, was told they were too busy letting more people in to climb and couldnt serve us.

I doubt we'll bother climbing here if the only objective is to cram in as many customers as possible. The Reach and the Castle get my vote every time!

The Arch is a fun climbing gym that specializes in bouldering (no top roping here).

They have over 200 mixed level problems on different terrains and inclines which they rotate every few weeks to keep people engaged (they bring some famous names to help them design the new routes) and they even made an app so you can track your progress.

The rest of the facilities include a dedicated stretching/gym area with hangboards & fingerboards, low walls for traversing etc. Free showers & bathrooms which are always in excellent condition. And also a lounge area and a cafe were you can rest for as long as you like.

They also do plenty of lessons & workshops every week but i haven't tried those. Finally, you can rent shoes & chalk if you don't have your own and you can ask for a key for the free lockers.

I went here last Saturday with a group of friends. We booked an introduction class (via e-mail) in which there were around 15 people and 2 instructors.
The class lasted about an hour and then we were let loose on the facilities, though the instructors were around if we had any queries on how to handle a route.
The instructors were very friendly and engaging (as were the rest of the staff).
We spent a good 5 hours overall there and were definitely tired by the end of it.
There are various routes you can take on the walls (which are colour coded). The routes are moved every 6-8 weeks to keep things fresh.
Every one of our group said they would definitely love to return.

The Arch is my local climbing wall and it's the biggest bouldering venue in London. Since January 2015 it's comprised of two centres on the same complex which offer routes of varying difficulties (v0-v8) and across a mix of different environments.

The staff are friendly and helpful and avid climbers themselves. Routes get reset every 6-8 weeks and both centres include a training area for those keen beans.

It's a gym that offers solely bouldering with no options for top ropes or lead climbing but always good to work on your strength and technique.

The secret is out! This is the best climbing spot in london. It has everything you need, from places to warm up, practice your technique, and chill out with a hot drink and a power bar. The equipment on sale is also very reasonably priced, especially when there is a sale on! Come and meet others who are passionate about the sport, especially the awesome staff.