Rock Up Watford - Crazy Climbing Fun!

From a young age my children have never been happier than when they are climbing. From their first tentative attempts to get up the stairs (followed by a very nervous mummy) to climbing trees, trolleys, fences and, well,  pretty much anything that they could shimmy up! Whilst they have done some climbing courses there is no where near us where they could just go and climb for the fun of it...until we found out that a new Rock Up was opening at the Intu Centre in Watford.

Rock up is an innovative all weather climbing centre which has 26 varied climbing walls for children to test their climbing skills on. It also has a cafe for the parents and a soft play area for families with younger children (children can climb from age 4).

Our visit began at the desk where the children were given a coloured wrist band. This was linked to their timed session. I liked the fact that there were not too many children as it meant they would get to try out all the different climbing walls and it wouldn't be too crowded. We then went for a safety briefing where the children were helped into their harnesses and given instructions of how to climb. It was all very simple. They needed to wait by the climbing wall they wanted to do and an adult helper would clip them on. When they reached the top of the wall (or as far as they could go!) they could simply let go and the rope would gently lower them back down to the ground where they could unclip themselves. The staff were friendly and engaging and made sure the children were happy and confident before climbing.

Then it was time to let them loose! There was a great variety of walls to climb. Some with lights, some with ropes and different styles of foothold. My children's favourite was a clear wall where they could climb both sides and race each other to the top! There was a vibrant atmosphere and as a parent it was great to be able to sit an have a coffee whilst the children enjoyed themselves. There was a first floor cafe as well as a ground floor seating area so you could cheer your children on to reach the top of the wall!

Both of my children had a fantastic time and were pretty worn out by the end of their session. As well as having a lot of fun it was a brilliant way to get exercise especially as the weather gets colder (and rainier!) and it's less appealing to be outside. Climbing also builds upper body strength which can actually help with their writing skills too!

I would definitely recommend a visit to Rock Up Watford. They also do birthday parties and you can organise trips for groups such as brownies/cubs. To find out more why not visit their website or check out their Facebook Page.