Rock Up Lakeside Climbing Centre Review – Climbing fun for all

Disclaimer: We were gifted a free session in exchange for our honest thoughts, as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Read on for our Rock Up Lakeside Climbing Centre Review

I’ve mentioned previously how much the children love climbing, so when we were told of a recently opened climbing centre in intu Lakeside Shopping Centre, Thurrock called Rock Up they were very happy to try it out.

Rock Up Lakeside Climbing Centre Review

The Lakeside climbing centre itself is located near to House of Fraser and opposite McDonald’s, and has a whopping 27 climbing walls inside, a vertical drop slide, soft play and a cafe.

Rock Up Lakeside Climbing Centre

You can book in advance or rock up on the day, but please note that they can get busy (weekends and school holidays), so while you may be able to get a slot on the day, if maybe for a few hours later.

You’ll have to turn up 30 minutes before your booked time slot, this is to allow for queuing, putting on your harness and to listen to the safety briefing. Jewellery has to be removed and long hair tied back for safety reasons. You are then harnessed up and ready to climb – parents can be trained on how to climb in their children if they want to go inside too.

You clip onto the climbing walls with a special locking system which is on the harnesses, on the harness itself is something which resembles a key, this is pushed into the hole at the bottom of the climbing wall and with a few other very simple motions, you clip safely and securely onto the wall. The same is done in reverse when you want to unclip. Each wall has a safety mat at the bottom when this is up against the wall then you are free to climb that wall when it is down on the floor that wall is in use.

Inside the climbing centre are 27 climbing walls, towering over 8m and all varying in difficulty levels – some are perfect for beginners to start building their confidence on and ranging up to harder climbs.

The kids couldn’t wait to get going, they’ve climbed a few times previously, including Harry having a climbing birthday party last year.

The site is very well laid out with enough space between the walls to safely manoeuvre around without bumping into others and there are enough walls so you never really have to queue for a wall – there is usually something free so you do that one then hop onto the next.

The staff inside this centre are all so very friendly and knowledgable if the children are worried or get stuck they are able to show them how to do the climb or advise on footing etc. even racing with the children on double climbs next to each other – Harry especially loved having to compete against, when his sister refused.

Bright colours and lighting make this a very fun place to be and help to ensure the kids want to try out all the different climbing walls.

The centre is suitable for all ages from 4 years old all the way up to adults and is bookable for corporate days and parties too. For children too young to climb there is a soft play area they are able to enjoy (there is a charge for this).

There is also a cafe inside the centre so parents can relax and watch their children from here or you can all enjoy afterwards, selling hot and cold food, drinks and snacks this is the perfect way to unwind and cool down a little after a climbing centre – Emmy and Harry were very glad of the cooling slushies being served after their session was over.

Sessions last for an hour and no experience is needed at all – you just need to be wearing comfy clothing you can move around and climb in and trainers.

There really is something for everyone here and you can take the climbing walls as slowly or quickly as you like – some are timed walls where you start the timer at the bottom and hit the button at the top to see how quickly you can get up the wall. Emmy loved these ones, trying to beat her time with every climb. We were treated to one of the staff demonstrating his skills on these walls – he was in fact so quick that my video camera failed to start and he was down again before it started filming – 4 seconds to scale the wall, which is super impressive!

For the very brave, there is also a verticle drop slide for you to try out. This comes with a separate fee which you pay on entering the centre and you get two tries. You have to wear a special set of overalls to cover all your clothing, remove your shoes and wear a helmet to protect your head.

You then head to the bottom of the slide and a bar is lowered down. You have to hold onto this for as long as you can before letting go – it is winched upwards and you hold on far as long as you are able. Being able to hold your own body weight is key to this, the longer you hold on the higher you go. It goes all the way up to number 10 and Emmy managed to stay on until number 7 – you can see this and the climbing walls in our video below.

Prices start from £10.95 for children and £12.95 for adults and if booked online you save money.

For further details and to book, please check out the website. Rock Up currently have 7 venues including Birmingham, Hull, Lakeside, Meadowhall, Rushden Lakes, Watford and Whiteley.

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