Welcome to East Anglia’s premier climbing facility. Here at The Cragg we have climbing for everyone five years and up.
New to climbing? Have you climbed for years? We have a wide range of activities and course for all levels of climber.
If you are a competent climber and belayer and are over 18 years of age you can climb at The Cragg as
an unsupervised adult climber. You will need to register at reception before you start climbing here. We offer yearly registration or a day registration for those that are on holiday, on a work trip or just passing through the area.
Our bouldering room is an exceptionally popular part of The Cragg. Whether you are new to climbing and want a direct access into the sport or you are a seasoned hardcore ‘boulderer’ we have our bouldering only registration option. This allows you to use the bouldering room to your heart’s content but if you would like to climb in the rope room then you will need to register accordingly.
The Adult Introduction course is the perfect place to start your climbing life. This two part course takes place every month. Part 1 is on the first Sunday and Part 2 is on the third Sunday (one or two exceptions apply where bank holidays are involved).
During these training days you will be taught the basics required to climb here at The Cragg and most other climbing walls in the country. Skills taught are:
Lead climbing differs from top-rope climbing in that the rope starts on the floor and is led up the wall as the climber ascends. This is a fairly advanced form of climbing and as such before attending this course we ask you to have climbed regularly (at least once per week) for about three months and are climbing comfortably at a grade of f5+.
The Learn to Lead Climb course will give you all the skills and knowledge to be a safe and confident lead climber. The four hours spent learning will lay the foundation to take your climbing to the next level. As well as best practice, you’ll learn how to avoid the pitfalls of leading a climb. We teach everything through practical demonstrations, guided coaching and personal experience.
What you’ll learn:
Have you reached a plateau in your climbing? Does it seem like the next grade is miles away? Do you know what is holding you back? Are you happy with your grade but feel like your climbing style could be improved? Do you fear falling off?
Our qualified and very experienced coaches are available to help you improve your climbing.
One-off ‘masterclass’ style sessions are available but to really see a marked improvement we recommend a block of coaching sessions.
Be warned… Homework will be given!!
If you climb climb on a regular basis then you will probably like our membership packages.
Meet DanDan the Monday night man.
Every Monday night from 7:30pm until 9pm Dan runs our adult social group. The idea of this group is to give the opportunity for people to climb and meet new people. You may be new to climbing, new to the area, or your regular partner just isn’t available. Dan will be there to provide belays, advice and whatever else you may require of him.
Climbing is perfect for children. It boosts confidence, improves agility, tests the mind and is great for improving fitness.
Our children’s courses are the most extensive in the region and due to popularity are growing from strength to strength.
If your child is aged 6 years or over, the best way to start climbing is with one of our junior clubs.
During the club your child will take part in the National Indoor Climbing Award Scheme (NICAS). NICAS is a UK wide scheme designed to promote climbing development and accredit individual achievement on artificial climbing structures. We offer 4 levels of the scheme, all of which are designed to cover a huge breadth of climbing skills, knowledge, equipment, and advanced techniques in a fun, nurturing, and progressive manner. For more info about the NICAS scheme, please visit www.nicas.co.uk
For those aged between 6 and 8 years old, our Pre NICAS sessions are designed to give a gentle and fun filled introduction to the world of climbing. We instil safe climbing techniques from the beginning, and once your child has demonstrated sufficient understanding of the risks involved, and is 8 years or older, they will be invited to join our NICAS Level 1 course.
For those aged 9 and upwards, our NICAS Level 1 courses are the place to start, providing the opportunity to develop essential skills and techniques. Your child can then work through the various levels of the award at their own pace, whilst receiving first class tuition from our highly experienced team. To join directly at NICAS Level 1 we require you to attend one of our Start Climbing courses that we run during the school holidays.
For ages 6-8 this is easy going climbing lesson with the aim of getting the children to climb as much as possible whilst instilling the safety aspects of climbing.
Minimum age of 9 years.
During this course we deliver NICAS levels 1-3 and aim to improve everyone’s knowledge and climbing ability. Registration onto NICAS is mandatory in this class. We also ask that the children attend the Start Climbing course or equivalent private tuition before joining.
For those that are working on their NICAS level 3 and 4 awards.