Glasgow Climbing Centre

Wow. What an awesome place this is — built in an old church!
I came here today as part of my forty-​something birthday celebrations having booked a 1 hour family taster deal — £45 including the hire of climbing shoes, helmet and harness etc.
On arrival we sat in the Balcony Café area as we were a few minutes early and admired the multitude of climbing walls reaching up to the old church roof rafters.
Our instructor Mark was really nice and friendly and walked us through the building to the equipment area to get kitted out — nothing like an early morning harness wedgie to wake you up! We then headed out to a practice wall to learn how to tie on to the rope and also how to belay each other — Mark was über safety-​conscious which is very reassuring.
Once we’d all had a go at climbing and belaying, we headed to the main area to hit some more walls. At first I thought an hour wasn’t enough but actually after 45 mins on the walls, my forearms were giving up!
Will definitely go back again and the only reason I’ve not given it 5 stars is based on value for money as the first 15 mins were spent getting kitted out and learning how to tie our rope etc. actual climbing time was only about 40 minutes and I did 3 climbs in that time — that said my arms couldn’t have taken much more as a beginner!
Great fun

We were booked for a family session which was an hour of instruction and a shot on some of the walls.
Our instructor Mark was excellent, particularly given that the group was 2 adults and 2 teenagers — he kept all of our attention, and ensured that we were all safe and competent, and weren’t going to let each other accidentally plunge to our deaths/​severe injury. I felt very safe the whole time.
I don’t know much about climbing, and what particular features or challenges that you’d look for from a climbing centre, but this place looked pretty awesome to me. Because it’s in an old church, the climbing walls are really high, and there’s loads of them, with all sorts of different gradients, and a big overhanging wall too. There’s also a bouldering area in the basement.
There was a café, which wasn’t open when we were there, but looked like it provided some nice healthy options — there was a choice of smoothies which caught my eye.
I thought an hour wouldn’t be long enough, but even though I’d only done 3 climbs, my arms were pure burst by the end, so it was actually plenty of time. I’d love to go back here and practice some more.

Great little climbing gym!
Good spread of grades and route types. Nice little café up the stairs where you can break up your day crushing with a cup of tea!
The best time to go is definitely during the day, mid week, if you can. It can get pretty busy in the evenings after work.

Church on the outside, rock walls on the inside! The Glasgow Climbing Centre is truly rock climbing Glasgow style.
The centres facilities are abundent and plentiful, it boasts a climbing shop, toilets/​change rooms, lockers and even a Café upstairs. The Café overlooks the main climbing floor and has plenty of tables and some armchairs up the back. The food is of a really lovely quality, i have tried the veggie haggis Nachos and they definitely hit the spot.
The lockers are up the stairs behind the café and take 1 pound hostage until you are done with your locker. I recommended pants with a zipper to hold your locker key as you climb!
On to my favourite bit, the climbing! Downstairs is where i spend most of my time in the Bouldering cave. When we first signed up the routes for bouldering were amazing and you had many options and could really see yourself progress. We LOVED it! However we had a brake and upon returning i believe they held a competition down there and put in new routes and took out all the old ones. Upon entering all of my favourite routes and the ones i had been working on were all gone! The routes that were up were too confusing for those of us without the spiderman gene and the once lively and friendly area was left deserted.
Down in the bouldering room we have made lots of friends as the nature of the sport is so supportive. I would be working on a route and someone will come over and tell you where they put there foot and all of a sudden you’ve mastered another route and made a new friend. One time, this lovely guy saw we had left our chalk bag at home and let us use his while he was downstairs with us and when he left gave us a brand new one he had with him so we could keep bouldering without him! what a gem!
The wall climbing has a back room painted entirely blue which is a lot calmer and quieter if you are new to climbing or like me are not friends with heights. I feel this room gives you time to climb at your own speed.
The Glasgow climbing centre is by no means short of climbs, they are always updating them which is great as you will never be bored. The staff are super friendly and down to earth and are always keen to answer any burning questions. The climbing shop has everything you could need. its 10 pounds for a life time membership so if your looking for a healthy and sociable new hobby definitely pop in to the Glasgow Climbing Centre!

I come here a few times a week to hang out in the bouldering cave downstairs.
I decided to do the intro course (I’ve climbed before and could have probably stumbled through the knots and harness but why rush things?) and I was not disappointed. I think that for the money this was an excellent and well paced course — I love that it was two sessions and that some real techniques were discussed for getting both belaying and climbing more controlled. Very friendly instructors too so I can’t recommend this enough.
It can get very busy at the weekends and in the evenings (and I mean very busy) but that’s not a problem as the crowd tends to be super friendly and they’re good at sharing the space.

After the last round of triathlon insanity I decided to get back into climbing, having not been regularly since I moved up from Engerland.
Glasgow, unlike where I used to climb, is not purpose built but occupies a disused church so I often wish the climbs were longer but obviously there’s not much they can do about that! There’s a really good selection of routes for leading, especially if you climb 6a and above but there are still a good few 5’s around and even a sneaky wee 4 if you haven’t lead roped before. It can get very busy on the top ropes so they could do with more of them but if you are wondering when is best to go, the centre is über quiet when a home game is on at Ibrox (just think twice before bringing your car as you may walk a long way for a parking space!).
Joining up gives you a lifetime membership so you know the only costs are whenever you climb and any equipment hire. All you have to do is demonstrate you know how to put on your harness and tie in and how to belay. Membership gives you discount in their shop as well.
Would also recommend the Balcony café — nice for a wee break if the old forearms are starting to ache and you can watch other people climb from the height of the top of the wall whilst you rest!

Every year me and a friend do something ‘extreme’. We have done a few things like zorbing and white water rafting. It has been great. When money is tight however. we just go rock climbing.
I am hopeless. Utterly hopeless.
Gutted I was in here standing frozen for minutes while wee kiddies scaled above me like Robin in and old episode of Batman, giggling all the way. Not my manliest of moments.
This is a friendly enough place though, with a good mix of beginners and proper serious climbers hanging off the tallest climbing wall with one hand.
You can just sort of sit around here and absorb all the activity for a while, it’s great.
The real selling point of this place is the interior, which is immense, in a converted Church and the downstairs bouldering section which is alot more doable for me, and alot more fun. You don’t have to spend half the time you’re there sorting ropes, you can just get on with it.
I’m due to go back, I think I could get more out of it now I am alot fitter.
Recommended.

Since I am too scared to actually climb a real rock face, I was taken here by a friend a few years ago, in a desperate attempt to get me involved in some kind of sport. I made a complete fool of myself, ended up dangling in space and worrying that I would fall. So, I managed to make a visit to the rock climbing centre a typical night out. Result.
The actual centre is pretty cool: I was impressed by the activity and intensity, and there are plenty of people around who will help out, without being patronising (although I surely deserved it). It seems to have a good social aspect as well, and is the place to meet up with enthusiasts for the outdoors. They also train groups, sell good quality gear– I have been on enough school trips to recognise quality, even if I can’t use it. Not far from the Underground and near Ibrox, it is a good reason for a mountaineer to head southside.

I remember going here when I was at school and my friends and I couldn’t help but snigger at the hilarious harnesses that framed our instructor’s nether regions.
As the weeks went by, we got a little more adventurous each time, working our way up the levels and tackling the different climbing walls. At first I was a little scared about being responsible for the safety of my friends as they climbed, as we were attached by ropes and had to lower eachother down the wall.
This is a great place to go if you’re looking for something a little bit different, including climbing on various skill levels and you can even abseil down the outside of this gorgeous big church building.

Fancy strapping yourself into a harness, wearing some tight shoes and attempting to scale an ever steepening pinnacle? No its not Thursday night is fetish night, its the Glasgow Climbing Centre.
Opened since 1994 and still going strong, the climbing centre offers a fantastic opportunity to do a bit of rock climbing in a dry and safe environment. Whether your using it as a pro looking to stay sharp or as a complete amateur trying it for the first time, there are routes to suit of abilities and nerves. Priced a little steeply at over £7 a pop its still a fantastic facility and a chance to do something that’s not just cool but is amazingly good for your health… if the heights don’t get to you that is!
With other facilities such as a café, new since the last time i went, and a shop for all your climbing gear needs, this place is top notch. Oh and dont worry that you’ll ever get bored climbing the same routes (around 270 combined top rope and boulder problems) as they are changed every 3 months by the resident team of trained spider monkeys kept in the basement, a spectacle in itself!

This climibing centre was a church originally but got made into a church. great fun and not bad price either.

Former church now renovated into a 40 ft wall for both leading and top-​roping. A welcoming environment for beginners, with challenging routes for experienced climbers. There is also a bouldering wall, café and gear shop inside. With over 160 routes and 100 boulder problems, the centre is great value for money and suitable for all ages and grades.