Reviews of The Climbing Academy - "The Newsroom". (Gym) in Glasgow (South Lanarkshire).

The Climbing Academy - "The Newsroom"

484 Reviews

163 Comments

Gym

Rock climbing gym

124 Portman St, Kinning Park, Glasgow G41 1EJ, United Kingdom

Description

Information of The Climbing Academy - "The Newsroom", Gym in Glasgow (South Lanarkshire)

On this page you’ll find the address, open hours, more popular times, the contact, photos and real reviews of this business.

This business has received very good reviews from their customers, so probably it’s a place you should try if you are looking for this kind of services.

Map

Open hours of The Climbing Academy - "The Newsroom"

Popular times

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Reviews of The Climbing Academy - "The Newsroom"

H.

Great at place for kids to start climbing. Kids area is separate from adult climb, and has a variety of skill levels. There is an easy climb-to-slide area and more challenging areas but for the older primary kids. My only complaint is that there is very limited food. There used to be more choice before covid, so perhaps that's the issue. As of Sept 2022, there is coffee and tea, porridge, tray bakes, soup, sandwiches and a vegan pizza. I'm sure there used to be breakfast rolls. Still a nice change from soft play if you want to the kids to burn some energy and develop their skills.

J. d. J.

The Climbing Academy in Glasgow. It’s a big gym, so there are more then enough routes to keep you satisfied. Grading is 5/5+ and then it goes to 6A etc. Easy to use app Griptonite to see the levels and keep track of what you have climbed. I did miss a bit more slabs. Almost everything is vertical or overhang and slabs can be so much fun and scary. Coffee is really great and plenty of choice from food and snacks. Training area is small, but enough boards to train those arms and fingers.

T. C.

Great bouldering climbing centre. Helpful and friendly staff. Lots of route options for all levels. Availability to hire shoes. Options for classes and coaching. Everyone is very friendly and even when attending alone it feels such a welcoming place! Recommend!!!

G. W.

Great range of climbing walls and the staff were fab. Nice bunch of people climbing too giving my kid tips on how to climb. Store has some nice things in it too and the cafe had a barista machine and soft drinks as well as some snack type things. All in very good

L. C.

Been enjoying my first month as a novice climber, a good range of challenge in the route setting as I wasn't put off as a beginner and have noticed that I have progressed! Staff members go out of their way to support and extra thanks to Ben who welcomed me and made me feel confident during my early climbs. Lovely social environment with approachable staff and customers always up for a bit of problem solving.

K. T.

It was my first time going with a friend. Great venue, really friendly atmosphere. Special mention to man with glasses and a moustache at counter (sorry I can’t recall his name) who was really friendly and helpful, and explained everything I was asking about. He also made me an excellent coffee. Lovely cafe in the venue too. Much recommended for a fun and challenging day out.

C. G.

First bouldering gym I've ever set foot in and so far the coolest I've been to. Friendly staff, excellent music and very challenging and well designed problems. Also, their colouring system for the grades seems quite intuitive.

K. L. S.

Great centre! Been going since January and it's always a lovely, welcoming environment to be in. Love the routesetting - always very creative no matter the level of climb - it's clear thought and effort has went into all the designs. The staff team are always really friendly and easy to talk to. Ben has been especially helpful with chats about beta and general assistance when I've brought along newbie friends. Note: walls aren't a grippy material - if you're climbing here for the first time and used to a more textured walls, it might be a surprise! Note 2: iced coffees are EXCELLENT. As is the vegan pizza.

M. A.

Spacious bouldering area with lots of boulders to choose from. In addition, one can find here a nice training area with a campus, and a variety of fingerboards. A major drawback (from my perspective) is that the holds are probably not being cleaned all that often, meaning they are often exceedingly slippery.

c.

We took along a 7 and a 9 year old to try The Newsroom during midterm break. They had a great time. There were enough climbing routes to suit both of them across both children and adult areas. Kate at reception was so patient leading us through the registration process.Lovely tea and coffee while resting weary arms.

s. t.

Brilliant friendly climbing gym, always changing and set new routes, can get very busy at night but during the day can be nice and quiet, also has great wee gym area and changing facilities, coffee from the cafe is a must and pizzas smell good aswell

J. P.

Got such a warm friendly welcome from the team today. Staff seemed to really care. Great setting, great kids area, great food.

J. J.

Very nice boulder with variety of paths of nice range of difficulties. However, when we went, it was a Friday evening and it was very crowded and cold.

K. G.

Took out daughter here and she had a great time. The cafe was lovely, had a fab hot chocolate and they had a great selection of treats and sandwiches.

L. S.

Love this place. Spend several days a week here. The staff are super friendly and the cafe attached is just lovely with lots of options along with vegan friendly food. There's a great kids section for young climbers and the main bouldering area is good for new and old climbers alike. Highly recommended 👌

I. T.

A nice climbing gym with a wide range of different hold-types and climbing styles. The routes are well-set, but the grading is inconsistent at best. The centre could do with using a better method of denoting the 'start holds', as much of the red paint on the screws has rubbed off.

K. W.

My partner and I were visiting from out of town and found this bouldering gym online. We had a lovely experience with the staff ensuring we felt welcomed. They even let us borrow a chalk bag! The climbs were fun and there were so many different routes to try! It never felt very busy either. We also both tried a smoothie and really enjoyed them! Would highly recommend this spot!

J. H.

Nice place and a good size but the holds are becoming very polished and slippery and don’t seem very well looked after compared to other gyms outside glasgow. mainly the blues. But the routes are well set, and interesting to climb.

S. D.

Best indoor bouldering gym in Glasgow. Larger than the Propstore and the climbing centre on Paisley Road only has a small basement for bouldering. £30pm for the first month and £36pm after the first. Amazing deal if you climb 2+ times a week Edit: A lot further post pandemic now and capacity has become a pretty big issue. Arriving after 6pm expect large crowds which don't die down until 9.15~pm in each main climbing section. Still a great gym but too busy to get a good session in after 6pm Monday-Thursday

C. A.

Not great if you don't like a busy gym, but great in every other way :). Cool wee trendy food place too.

S. S.

This is an excellent facility for all abilities. I started taking my 5 year old twins here because I knew that they would be able to focus on climbing and not faff about with ropes and harnesses. They particularly like jumping off onto the big mats. There are plenty of areas within the centre to keep them interested on multiple visits. It was never a problem to hire the right size footwear and the staff have always been friendly and helpful.

J. M.

Professional climbing for all ages. The large cavernous ex-factory hall was not well heated but that's ok for the climbers who get hot quite quickly. Loads of interesting wall features and well maintained. There is a cafe/bar where you can get hot beverages, snacks, eneegy bars and small cakes. The place is well lit. In winter the seating area gets warmed up a bit by infrared radiators.

D. K.

(Sorry I posted the picture when I was too busy to post the review) Great facility for indoor climbing in the heart of "kids indoor experience district", Kinning Park. Relaxed vibe and (covid permitting) an active cafe. Loses a star only because (despite what I said above) it would be good if there was more bouldering/small wall stuff.

R. T.

Very friendly staff and a great workout. I also recommend their smoothies

C.

Love this place. Service is great people are friendly, monthly pass is definitely worth it seeing as there is 2 in Glasgow :)

P. D.

A bit too busy between 5.30pm and 7.30pm, but great gym

L.

Very very big gym. A lot of routes. Good training facilities. Cafe and children climbing area

A. M.

I normally go to Hang On in Hamilton (it's closer to me), but thought I'd try here for a change. Liked the diversity in the shape of the walls, like a long steep overhang. Also liked the endurance routes. I'm used to a tough texture on the wall so kept slipping if I tried to smear, but that's personal preference. Maybe could do with some slightly easier routes that are a bit puzzley.

I. M.

Very friendly staff who were happy to help on my first visit with one of the kids. Decent prices and great facilities.

P. N.

Great place for a climb and a coffee. Staff are great.

K. G.

Great place to climb indoors. Many different routes for all levels, friendly knowledgeable staff, a shop and cafe. Recommend the hot chocolate with all the extras as a post climb reward.

G. C.

alex was very helpful when assisting me buying climbing shoes. all of their advice was informative about what might be the right pair for me. 7/7 would recommend

S. S.

Amazing and relaxed place. If your 35 or older just remember your body is fragile lol

V. S.

The place itself is good for climbing but one of the people who serves you at the till is terrible. He’s the one with glasses and two black rings on one of his wrists as a tattoo. He was cheeky to us when we came in even though I only asked a simple question and threatened to kick us out when we were having fun. Overall the actual place is good and me and my friends enjoyed it but that guy was definitely the worst part.

W.

Great bouldering. Inventive and imaginative problems. Good training facilities. Lost one star as limited food options during the week and parking can be an issue (due to the popularity of neighbouring children's activity centres)

K. L.

I would definitely come again! The best part is the really friendly team!

J. A.

Great place for everyone that wants to climb. It has a great variety of walls both challenging for experts and accessible for new climbers. I would thoroughly recommend it as the premier indoor bouldering centre in Glasgow!

S. M.

Great climbing, something for everything. good atmosphere

A. K.

Been climbing here for quite a while now. Nice cafe, nice circuits and nicer folks around!

C. T.

Some of the best problems I've climbed on in a good while, really sick gym

S. H.

Large gym with a fantastic variety of climbs and circuits available. Some of the holds needed a fair amount of brushing though, as they felt slick, and some of the matting is being updated throughout the center so some is firm, others over soft. From reading reviews, there is a 12 week change around period for routes: this seems fairly long, however this means you tend to explore different grades that you wouldnt usually explore.

I. R.

Nice place for bouldering. Very expensive an too crowded in non peak hour. £14 pounds for a pass and boots.

J. S.

Recently became a member following the month's free trial given when you get membership. I've had lots of fun and met some great people in a really positive, open atmosphere. The courses are updated regularly and each of the grades offer an easy way to "step up" the difficulty without being too frustrated. I would urge new climbers to go right to the back of the facility on their first visit to see the example holds for each so you can see how their system works. Right next to that, you can find the different grade routes along with the easiest and hardest problems marked yellow and red. The centre can be very busy after 6 on a weekday. If you can get there before there's a little more space and you won't get in anyone's way. The centre usually quietens at about 8pm. Weekends are quieter, especially if you get there early. The staff are great and as many people are saying, the cafe is good too. Their coffee is excellent and pretty cheap for what you get.

J. H.

First time at this place. Seemed really cool. £24 for two people with shoe hire seemed a bit steep but nothing to compare the price to. Probably will return. Nice staff

G. B. (. b. c.

Good. Fun. Does what it says on the tin. Food is quite expensive. Entry and member ship are acceptable. Staff friendly and knowledgeable. Shop is nice with good range of facilities. Separate kids area for younger people. Large area for adults with good range of challenging climbs. Changing rooms. Toilets. Shower and lockers are available.

P. M.

An excellent climbing gym purely dedicated to bouldering - no ropes here :). Gets pretty busy after 7pm weeknights, earlier is definitely better. The staff a really friendly and helpful with advice. In fact most folk are friendly, and will offer advice to beginners if they look like they need it. Great atmosphere.

R.

Climbing for all different levels, even climbing to the canteen. Great cakes.

M. W.

Great little place. Has a nice cafe, and facilities. Some interesting routes but the grading system is one of the most confusing I've seen (I've been to a few dozen climbing centres). If you don't mind climbing randomly with no idea on what's hard or easy you'll have a great time. I'd happily give it 5 stars if I knew what level I was climbing at.

M. R.

Great people good food and epic climbing

l. l.

We enjoy the boulder problems at the newsroom, the staff was patient and helpful when we tried shoes in the shop. The mats are good and the workout area has enough to warm up and do a few pull-ups at the end. Thanks!

C. L.

My first experience of a dedicated bouldering centre, the place is excellent. Continually updating routes and challenges. Great for giving an alternative method to keep fit, great for improving your climbing and on top of that, staff are great and very sociable.

C. G.

Great bouldering gym with nice staff - routes seem to change often and have a decent range of levels. Nice coffee and good selection of snacks in the cafe.

D. L.

Really good size bouldering wall. It's never been so busy when I've been that you have to wait for a climb. Cafe with food and hot drinks (no beer tho) which is reasonably priced. And currently first months climbing is half price at £25 which is amazing

A. M.

Bouldering only. Good atmosphere, friendly staff. However, can be very difficult to relax as often busy. Advice: avoid peak times if possible, you'll enjoy it a lot more! Great dedicated training areas for building grip strength.

L. S.

Loads of routes, updated regularly and they're always interesting and challenging. The staff are great and there's a nice atmosphere where someone will always help you out if you're struggling. I love the fact you can just turn up and climb, you can even rent shoes so you don't need any equipment.

S. S. S. S.

Wide variety for bouldering, very large selection of routes and walls which offers even more choices for different levels of climbing. They have something for everyone. The staff is very friendly and helpful as well.

J.

Go climbing. I always wanted to do it, never did, but I love it now! Bit pricey although it makes sense considering the size of the space for how quite it is off peak. Going again tonight :)

C. H.

Took the kids to a nibas level 1 session. Instructor was engaging, set different challenges based on ability, kept the kids occupied etc. Layout of the centre means you have to follow the kids around the walls if you want to observe, other sites tend to be more linear so you can observe without having to trail them quite so closely. Coffee and cake were good, not sure if the place is dog friendly any more

A. A.

Couldn’t rate them high enough, class place to spend time

I. S.

Fantastic birthday parties! We celebrated by daughter's 9th birthday at the academy and it was excellent. Great facilities and a safe environment. Superb and really lovely staff who made the experience fun and challenging for kids and stressfree for parents. Thank you.

A. K.

It is a great indoors bouldering centre. They have a lot of walls so even in peak times you can find a route that fits your skills. Very friendly staff, they also have a wee café and a shop. Best place for indoors bouldering in Glasgow!

P. M.

Great place for indoor bouldering with a huge range of problems for beginners to experts. Whether you want to climb up a straight vertical wall with all jug holds or do a crimpy overhang the TCA has something for you. Staff are friendly, facilities good and enough space that you rarely have to wait to climb!

D. R.

Fantastic day out, have been going to this particular climbing academy for a few years now and have never had a bad experience the staff are amazing and helpful the walls are constantly changed and vary in difficulty and angle, overall the academy is a great time for parties, couples or singles anytime of the year.

J. G.

Great space to train as well as climb, well signed and cleaned with good rules in place with the current situation. All staff very friendly and helpful.

Z. G.

First time back climbing in a while and TCA is always one of the best places to practice. Plenty of climbs set for each level

R. B.

I've been a member here for several years, it's a great place to go bouldering with brilliant staff. A very relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

P. H.

People that run this community conscious place are lovely. Can't wait till it relaxes a little on the covid restrictions so we can sit and have a tasty bowl of soup again.

M. M.

Awesome! Hooked from our first visit! Monthly membership price is so reasonable too, the staff are so helpful too.

K. W.

The best place in Glasgow and possibly Scotland to go indoor bouldering. The route setters are great: they set interesting problems that change frequently to keep things interesting. Only downside is that it gets really warm when the sun shines (but, let's face it, that is rare) and really cold in winter.

M. W.

Great climbing and facillities. If your thinking about it just go and do! I went to the other rock climbing centre and ended up coming back because of the climbing and staff. Specifically "Hal" who was very informative and so enthusiastic. 10/10 will climb again

o.

Friendly staff, lots of mid-grade boulders. Bring a brush!

A. K.

Great space for climbing, the staff are friendly and very safety conscious as well. The shop is also great with some well priced kit and decent sale clothing as well!

M. I.

Great for indoor bouldering. The problems are interesting and varied and are updated frequently. The staff are helpful and friendly and there's a good atmosphere.

W. C. 3.

I showed my 9 year old the Google walk through as he had never been to the place before and now he's a member of the boulder club! He absolutely loves the place :-) Facilities and staff are first class!!

A. M.

Friendly and helpful staff, nice facilities and a well set up and laid out centre

c. j.

Great bouldering wall, staff are great too.

b.

Took two kids for a session, they both had a great time, friendly and helpful staff and nice sized area for the kids.

W. D. M.

Great climbing walls, holds get clogged up very quickly

D. C.

Excellent as always for the wee ones (kids climbing wall). Can get busy; so phone in advance to avoid set classes/kids training etc

M. A.

Staff are friendly and on hand to help, fellow climbers are also really approachable, routes are easy to recognise and a good challenge!

K. A.

Great place to climb but peak times are rammed and its kinda pricey. Great food and nice coffee with a selection of cakes.

T. R.

Excellent bouldering walls with a special area for kids, my 4 year old loves it here.

d. H.

Excellent facilities. Very helpful staff. Was moderately busy for a sat morning.

S. v. E.

I had a really good time here, it's a cheap and easy way to waste a few hours of your day and get some exercise in, definitely recommend!

J. E.

Good range and quantity of routes. Smallish warming up area. Friendly staff.

M.

Great place to learn to climb! Fantastic atmosphere and staff.

T. L.

Good, chill place to climb, staff and customers are friendly. Easy to get to from the subway as well

G. H.

Quality. Friendly staff. Accessible for amateurs. Good value.

M. S. (. N.

Great bouldering routes that change regularly, good coffee & I even like the music.

H. L.

Very nice place, friendly staff and loads of routes. Good routes too.

J. M.

friendly staff great climbing walls would recommend to new and experienced climbers

A. C.

I may be a cripple but it was nice to sit and watch my family in the tearoom area.

R. O.

Quite a relaxed place to hangout fun for the kids and good coffee. A little on the expensive side for children ‘s activities

D. M.

Friendly Staff and great climbing environment. Would recommend

C. C.

Love this place. Great atmosphere and always challenging routes. Great exercise and fun

P. F.

Great place to train, has pretty much everything you need.... Really cool setting too..

S. A.

Good fun for kids but pricey for what it is. Think a better pricing structure for young kids could help encourage uptake more.

T. G.

I climb here eveyweek and it's great I can't wait to the new TCA with rope climbing as well.

T. W.

Great routes, friendly staff. Good COVID measures in place too.

J. S.

Good price and good climbing station.

C. C.

Very good for bouldering of all levels!

A. A.

Good friendly place with a good selection of routes 👍

A. K.

Good place for kids lots to do lots, kids will be shattered after here that's what I love if you have young or older kids bring them here

J. S.

Great place, Freindly atmosphere and good routes and problems :) would recommend!

E. W.

Very nice and varied problems, good facilities with several different types of training options and helpful staff.

C. M.

The staff are warm and very helpful the routes are well set and the food is good

J. S.

Great place! Always changing the routes to keep it interesting and challenging. Nice community feel.

J. A.

Fun day out, abs were hurting like crazy for the next week after, but it was a fun day out.

j. M.

Busy but good. Great range of problems. Staff seemed really cool.

K. K.

Brilliant place ☺️

J. B.

Very friendly. Great climbing. Always changing routes

A. B.

Go up, jump, repeat

S. G.

Good facility lots of routes. Really busy and unfortunately full of climbers.

F. M.

Great selection of climbing grades and friendly and knowledgeable staff.

D. R. B.

Brilliant place! Great staff, great atmosphere, great boulders!

A. S.

Great place for the whole family with a wide range of activities for any age.

S. F.

Great time bouldering on climbing wall.

y. f.

Great place. Lots of variety and excellent hot chocolate.

L. T.

Staffs were friendly, auto-belay system were awesome to use.

A. M.

Brill

D. '. M. C. (. M. C.

Great place to start bouldering from the very beginning

B. _.

Great day out. Good exercise and can't wait to come back

A. O.

Great place to climb

P. T.

Friendly staff and locals ,good music good coffee

B. M.

Brilliant facilities, friendly staff, excellent cafe.

J. W.

Good facilities and we'll looked after wall

C. M.

Lovely staff, supportive clientele. Big ol' walls

J. S.

Friendly staff and challenging routes that are updated regularly :)

R. M.

Year round climbing/bouldering fun away from the MIDGES!

H. M.

Fun place , all abilities welcome.

s. k.

Excellent gym, great folk!

D. K.

Great staff good facilities

A. M.

Great place so much to challenge yourself

M. J. S.

A good place for bouldering

D. S.

Damn, those youth comp problems today were hard!

T.

Awesome place, awesome staff.

J. M.

Excellent facilities and friendly staff

J. B.

Walls 👌

r. D.

What a fantastic way to keep fit

D. M.

Best bouldergym in Glasgow.

K. F.

Fun even without friends

J. L.

Amazing bouldering center

C. L.

Great place, great team.

M.

walked out very sore

c. c.

Great centre and routes :)

G. P. M.

Best place in the whole world

A. m.

Great climbing center

A. S.

Love it

J. N.

Diverse range of routes

A. M.

Always awesome!!! 🤩

J. H.

: )))) Lovely place

G. T.

Absoloute quality 👌

L. A. C.

Very expensive

R. M.

Pretty good centre! Some of the setting is good, & the community is fun & friendly. The staff are nice & the food at the café is very good. They have a separate area for kids & kids parties, which is really refreshing. Geometry could use some work - I find that too many of the walls are overhung. more creative / less strengthy routes set on verts & slabs would've been nice, and less space dedicated to training areas. I also don't like their resetting schedule - they reset by colour rather than by wall, so there are several weeks where my grading ranges haven't been reset & I've got nothing left to climb.

J. S.

K.

S. R.

s. w.

I. H.

A. H.

A. G.

Y. Y.

K. H.

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