CLIMBING & BOULDERING IN CHELTENHAM & GLOUCESTER
Whether you’ve never climbed before, or you’re a seasoned pro, we look forward to welcoming you to 270 Climbing.
NEW & FIRST TIME
CLIMBERS
First time climbing, or need a refresher? Click below to book onto an Intro Session and you’ll be on the walls in no time.
EXPERIENCED
CLIMBERS
If you’ve climbed or bouldered before & know what you’re doing, just click below to complete our waiver, register and you’re ready to roll!
Keep scrolling for some of the key details on our climbing and bouldering facilities
C2. CLIMBING
With walls up to 18m high & hundreds of routes across lead, top rope, auto belays plus our IFSC standard boulder comp wall, here’s what we have within our hugely impressive roped climbing centre, C2.
Over
2,500m2
CLIMBING
SURFACE
18m Outdoor
LEAD WALL
17m
INDOOR
WALLS
15.5m
PILLAR
8.5m
overhang
PROW
Up to
22m long
ROUTES
Grades from
4+ to 8c+
Dedicated
AUTO BELAY
Balcony
IFSC
Outdoor
SPEED WALLS
IFSC BOULDER
COMP WALL
B2. BOULDERING
Here’s what you can look forward to in B2, our comprehensive and inclusive main bouldering centre.
Over
1,000m2
CLIMBING
SURFACE
150+ BLOCS
16ft
KILTER
BOARD
16ft
wide
SPRAY
WALL
12m
78°
BOULDER
ROOF
Five
SLABS
Boulder
CAVE
Outdoor
COMP
WALL
WARM-UP
AREA
TRAINING
GYM
B1. BOULDERING
B1 is our unique dedicated short-reach bouldering area. Perfect for adult beginners and shorter people as well as youngsters under 7, to learn to boulder in a smaller, more relaxed and bijou space.
200m2
CLIMBING
SURFACE
SHORT
REACH
CIRCUITS
Great
for
NOVICES
LIQUID
CHALK
ONLY
Available
for
PRIVATE
EVENTS
OUR SETTING PRINCIPLES
We aim to provide high quality problems for all abilities and make climbing accessible for everyone.
We invite you to have fun, explore and challenge yourself.
Our circuits are designed to test your limits and help you develop your skills across the key areas of climbing – the physical, the technical and the psychological.
Not all routes suit everyone the same. The harder the route, the more techniques will be required to climb it and the more of your skills it will push – whether this is finger strength, blocking power or the mental challenges that are associated with committing to a challenging move.
Overall, it could be said that our setting style leans more towards the technical side of things, but the aim is that this equips you with the expertise needed to progress. Focussing on acquiring skills and unlocking problems is a big part of our philosophy here. The idea is that, once you can do all the tags in one circuit, you will have hopefully developed and be equipped with a range of skills and are ready to move on and try the next level up.
We’re proud to offer a huge selection of shapes, macros and volumes from the biggest and the best brands and manufacturers in the business.
Our setters work on a seven-week rotation, meaning everything within the centre will have been reset within seven weeks. Keep an eye pinned on our socials for the dates of when stripping/setting is being done in specific areas. Also be sure to check out our Setting Board within the centre for any tweaks and re-adjustments to problems.
BOULDER GRADING
Ok, can of worms opened. Everyone has their own opinion on grades and they can be hugely personally subjective. We use our own grading system within bouldering which is designed test different physical and mental elements.
The decision to go with a numbered/coloured tag based system wasn’t made lightly. While we’re never going to please everyone, we believe our system improves experiences on our bouldering walls and give us more control over what we set. We feel it provides a smoother progression path, compared to, say, the V grading system. We recognise its different and may need some getting used to; however, we’re passionate about it and believe it benefits development and helps alleviates the negative pressures of grade chasing – something we’re just not here for.
Our circuits are graded using a combination of numbered levels, from 1-7, and three coloured skills tags – grey, red and black.
Both tags show the start of a route and its difficulty. The higher the level tag the harder the problem. Coloured tags indicate reflect the type of skills required.
LEVELS
From easy to hard.
SKILLS
What’s required.
A grey is more related to physical power and basic moves – you’ll need strength, flexibility and endurance for these.
A red adds technical skills – routes with these tags will test your balance, co-ordination, positioning and techniques.
A black builds on the physical and technical elements by being more psychological – there will be a need for a committing move (or moves!), and a combination of technical and dynamic co-ordination on routes with black tags.
FAQs ABOUT CLIMBING AND BOULDERING
The Rules
Please scroll to the bottom of this page to read our full Climbing Rules of Play, but in brief, some of our key headline rules are:
- All participants must be registered and have paid for entry/membership before climbing.
- Be mindful of others.
- There's no top out boulders at 270.
- Apart from the Fun Walls, clean climbing shoes must be worn whilst climbing.
- Tops must be worn in all indoor climbing areas.
- No food or drinks allowed on the mats. Only sealable drinks allowed in climbing areas.
- Must not be under the influence of drink or prohibited drugs when climbing.
- Access is restricted dependent on the entry or membership type - for example, if you paid for entry/membership to bouldering (B1 & B2), you are not allowed to climb (in C2) without payment. If you wish to access both bouldering and climbing you must purchase a climbing & bouldering entry or a combined membership.
Chalk
What length rope is needed?
Climbing with Children & Supervision
Shoes, Clothing & Appearance
- Climbing shoes must be worn whilst climbing. Climbing shoes must not be worn in toilets. Barefoot entry is prohibited in the café bar. We recommend wearing closed-toe shoes when using weights in the gym.
- Free shoe hire is provided for all first time visitors and particpants on Bouldering Intro’s, all NICAS courses and our Squads.
- Tops must be worn in all indoor areas. Tops may be removed in the outdoors climbing areas.
- Please change clothing in the changing facilities. The changing room is an open-plan, communal space used by all ages, so please use the cubicles to undress in privacy.
-
Jewellery and piercings must either be removed or appropriately covered before climbing.
- Loose hair must be tied back.
What about bags & personal belongings?
- Try to only bring essential items and store backpacks, bags and unnecessary clothing in lockers or designated storage areas.
- Lockers are available in changing rooms and in climbing areas and can be locked (using your own padlock). Storage is available in changing rooms and in climbing areas.
- We cannot take any responsibility for theft or loss of personal items during your visit.
Lost Property
Food & Drinks
- Sealable drinks may be taken into climbing areas but must be stored in designated areas. Hot drinks must be in takeaway style containers with a lid. Keep drinks off the mats. Only water bottles are permitted on mezzanine areas.
- Please consume food away from the mats (preferably in the café bar or on any of the outside benches around the park). In the café bar please refrain from consuming food not purchased on the premises.
Can I get additional support?
If you need extra assistance in participating around the park please get in Contact with us prior to booking to discuss your requirements.
Are dogs welcome?
Yes absolutely but dogs are not allowed in any climbing areas. Well behaved pooches are welcome in reception, seated areas of the café bar and all outdoor areas of the park. Dogs must be kept under control and on a lead at all times. They may be tied in numerous locations around the park, however not where they block access or cause issue to passing people.