Walton Hall & Gardens
The reliable default: gardens, a children's zoo, a big playground and plenty of room to run. Pay for parking, nothing else.
The Northwest Face
Warrington, Cheshire
The building is the point. High ceilings, tall walls, a Victorian church on the A49 that has been a climbing centre since February 1996, which makes it older than a good number of the parents bringing children through the door.
Inside there are 54 roped lines including lead and top rope, eight auto belays for when there is nobody to hold your rope, and a bouldering area of about 100 square metres for the ones who would rather stay near the floor.
The clubs are where children actually get taught. Under 18 clubs start at age six. There are weekend sessions, and a school holiday club that runs 90 minutes for £17 a climber, ages six to seventeen, booking essential and 48 hours notice if you want a refund.
Casual climbing is possible but the supervision rules are strict. Under 18s need a registered, competent adult climber with them, and under 12s need a registered parent or guardian over 18 who is climbing too. You are not sitting this one out.
Budget properly. The one off lifetime registration is £15, after which adults climb for £12 and under 12s for £9, with day registration at £13 if you never intend to come back. Add shoes at £3.50 and a harness at £2.50 each and a first family visit is comfortably over £30. There is a cafe and more than 35 parking spaces, which matters on Winwick Road.
What it costs: Climbing entry is £9.00 for under 12s and £11.00 for under 18s, but under-12s are only admitted accompanied by a registered parent or guardian, so an adult cost is unavoidable. The adult pays either £13.00 day registration or a one-off £15.00 lifetime registration plus £12.00 per climb. A first visit for one child and one adult is therefore £22.00 minimum. Harness and belay hire £2.50, shoe hire £3.50. School holiday climbing club £17 per climber for a 90 minute session, ages 6 to 17. Ten climb pass £105, 28 day pass £51.
Know before you go
- Work out the real cost first. One child at £9 plus one adult at £13 plus £15 registration is £37 on your first visit, and £22 every visit after that.
- The £17 holiday club, where they take the child and you do not climb, often works out cheaper and calmer.
- Under 12s cannot climb without a registered adult climbing with them, so this is not a drop off unless you have booked a club session. Read the age rules properly.
- Shoe hire is £3.50 and harness hire £2.50, which stacks up fast for two children. Trainers with a flat sole are fine for bouldering if you are just trying it out.
Worth knowing: Clubs take climbers from age 6. Under 18s must be supervised by a registered adult climber, and under 12s need a registered parent or guardian over 18 climbing with them.
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What visitors say
★★★★★ 4.8 across 393 Google reviews.
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