Bouldering in south-east London

South-east London has fewer climbing walls than east or central London, but the ones it has cover a lot of ground: a big bouldering hall in Bermondsey, a new not-for-profit wall at Surrey Quays, a roped centre with bouldering in Woolwich, and, a little further west and south, Substation in Brixton and CroyWall in Croydon. All five welcome beginners, and all five run something for young climbers.

Prices and times below were checked against each gym's own website on 2 November 2026, except CroyWall's opening hours, which are shown only as an image on its website and were last confirmed on 2 October. Prices change, so check the gym's page before you travel.

The walls at a glance

• Gantry Climbing, Surrey Quays (SE16): bouldering only. £14 day pass at any time.
• Climbing District Building One, Bermondsey (SE16): bouldering only, and the biggest of the five. £15 at any time.
• The Reach, Woolwich (SE18): mainly ropes, with bouldering. £15 peak, £12 off-peak.
• CroyWall, Croydon (CR0): bouldering, plus auto-belays. £15.50 peak, £11.50 off-peak.
• Substation Brixton (SW2): bouldering only, with a sauna and a kids' room. £13 off-peak; the peak price isn't published.

Gantry Climbing, Surrey Quays

Gantry opened in October 2026 in the Surrey Quays Shopping Centre unit The Arch used to run as a climbing wall, a short walk from Canada Water station. It's run by a community interest company, with 120+ problems graded V0 to V8, a training board, a circuit wall and a dedicated kids' wall.

• Day pass: £14 at any time, £12 concession, £9 under 18. Students pay £6 on Wednesdays from 5pm, and Sunday Slayer entry is £8 from 3pm to 7pm.
• Passes and membership: 10 visits for £115; membership £65 a month (£55 concession, £40 under 18). Its Fairer Access scheme takes 40% off for people receiving certain benefits, and there's a Pay What You Can membership.
• Opening hours: weekdays 10am to 10pm, weekends and bank holidays 9am to 7pm.
• Shoe hire: Gantry doesn't publish a price yet.

Climbing District Building One, Bermondsey

Building One is the former flagship of The Arch, in a converted biscuit factory hall on Drummond Road near Bermondsey station. It has 300+ problems, a competition wall, training boards and a café, and a Climbing District membership also covers London Fields and Tottenham Hale.

• Day pass: £15 at any time, including bank holidays; £12.50 concession, £9 under 18.
• Membership: £72 a month, or £55 off-peak (weekdays until 4pm). An under-18 can be added to a membership for £10 a month.
• Opening hours: weekdays 6:30am to 10:30pm, weekends and bank holidays 9am to 9pm.

The Reach, Woolwich

The Reach is on an industrial estate off Harrington Way, about ten minutes' walk from Woolwich Dockyard station, with a large free car park. It's mainly a roped wall (auto-belays, top-rope and lead) with a bouldering area, so it suits anyone who wants to try both.

• Day pass: £15 peak, £12 off-peak (weekdays before 4pm, not in school or bank holidays). Concessions £12 peak, £10 off-peak; under-18s £8 at any time. New climbers pay a one-off £5 registration fee.
• Passes and membership: a 10-session pack with no expiry is £125; adult membership £59 a month (two-month minimum), junior membership £38.
• Opening hours: weekdays 10am to 10pm, weekends and bank holidays 10am to 7pm.
• Shoe hire: £3.50.

CroyWall, Croydon

CroyWall is London Climbing Centres' south London wall, near Wandle Park tram stop. It's bouldering-led with auto-belay routes, and it's the cheapest of the group's eight walls.

• Day pass: £15.50 peak, £11.50 off-peak. Magic Time is £8 on Tuesdays from 6am to 4pm, and concessions pay £9.50 on Student Fridays. Children aged 4 to 10 pay £9.50 peak, £7.50 off-peak.
• Membership: £85 a month (£65 off-peak), covering all eight London Climbing Centres walls.
• Opening hours: Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10am to 10pm; Tuesday and Thursday 6am to 10pm; weekends 9am to 9pm.
• Extras: shoe hire £4.50 (£2.50 for juniors), harness hire £2.50, and a £2 registration fee on your first visit.

Substation Brixton

Substation is on Brixton Hill, so strictly south-west London, but it's an easy trip from much of the south-east. Along with the bouldering there's a sauna, cold plunge, yoga studio, physio and a café-pizzeria.

• Day pass: from £13, the off-peak price before 3pm on weekdays. Substation doesn't publish its peak price. A 10-climb pass is from £130.
• Opening hours: weekdays 7am to 10pm, weekends and bank holidays 8am to 8pm.
• Children: under-18 passes from £12, and under-10s get free shoe hire.

Youth and junior climbing in south-east London

All five walls let children climb, but the rules and the sessions differ. These are the regular youth programmes each gym publishes; most don't list session days or times, so book through the gym.

• Climbing District Building One: Rockers Club, 60-minute instructor-led kids' classes all year, with extra sessions in school holidays. Building One is the only Climbing District wall that takes children from age 4 (Marmosets, 4 to 6), then Little Rockers (7 to 10) and Rockers (11+). It also runs NICAS bouldering for ages 7 to 10 and 11+: Level 1 is £105 for six sessions, Levels 2 and 3 are £255 for a 12-week term.
• The Reach: the widest youth programme in the area, which reflects its roots in youth work. NICAS Wild Climbers from age 3, NICAS Climbing and NICAS Bouldering from age 7 (waiting list), a Kids Club at £17.50 per young person, and a Youth Academy for climbers aged 7 to 17 at NICAS Level 4 or equivalent, from £70 a month (JR Youth Squad) to £120 a month (Competition Squad, three days a week).
• CroyWall: Junior Bouldering Clubs for ages 7 to 17 (60 minutes, £19), New Heights auto-belay sessions for ages 7+ (£20), and a weekly NICAS club for ages 7 to 17 from £71 a month. Juniors aged 14 to 17 can climb unsupervised; younger children need an adult supervisor, and one adult can supervise up to two juniors.
• Substation Brixton: The Wild, a separate woodland-themed climbing room for ages 2 to 8, booked in sessions for 2 to 5 and 6 to 8 year olds; SubClubs coaching for ages 7 to 10 and 11 to 14 on weekdays in term time; and a Climbing Academy for ages 10 to 16, with a selection day on Saturday 7 November 2026. Children must be 5 to climb in the main area, and 14 to 17 year olds can take an independent climber assessment.
• Gantry Climbing: has a dedicated kids' wall and £9 under-18 entry, but doesn't yet list any youth sessions or clubs.

See every wall in the area on our south London page, or compare prices across the city on the price comparison. New to climbing? Start with our beginner's guide, and for discount sessions across London read the cheapest bouldering in London.