Chimera Climbing Canterbury

Fantastic experience: Friendly staff, good facilities and a pleasant atmosphere. The have good coffee, healthy snacks and pizza!

Fantastic experience: Great, staff are cheerful and although when we go it's mostly adults anyone could do it.

Fantastic experience: Had a great time on our first visit and we will visit again. Great family activity and a fun challenge

Fantastic experience: The staff and members are very friendly and welcoming. The children's clubs are great, and have helped my son grow and become more confident while getting in some great exercise. Highly recommend for everyone.

Fantastic experience: Great climbing centre with some really interesting problems. The staff were super friendly. Grading was a lot closer to outdoors than I'm used to but they had a lot of routes at easier grades! Don't be surprised if you are visiting from elsewhere and you can only do routes a couple of grades lower than you're used to.

Fantastic experience: A truly brilliant bouldering gym! After spending 3 days per week here for the past two years, I can confidently say this is one of the best places for indoor bouldering in the south east. Great route setting with one wall changed on a weekly basis; ever-friendly, helpful and passionate staff; banging coffee; warm and welcoming bunch of humans and good doggos make for a great community. What more could you wish for under one roof?

Fantastic experience: Staff were very nice and informative. The climbs were fun. Would recommend even for beginners to bouldering.

Positive experience: Good fun and a great time but the parking isn't very good and the workers car take up all the spots

Fantastic experience: Great boulders, the orange upstairs is ruining my life and keeping me up at night. I will be back.

Negative experience: Did not visit. Too old to take up climing

Fantastic experience: Very friendly staff. Lots of challenging climbs and a great atmosphere especially during competitions.

Positive experience: Very friendly climbing centre. Smaller than I thought compared to other places I have been, but lots of different challenges to try for different abilities. Good coffee too and a friendly atmosphere. Not much parking.

Fantastic experience: Great wall, very similar to the Tonbridge wall and now the new Chatham wall! Excellent blocs as great staff

Fantastic experience: Really friendly. Wide range of climbing

Positive experience: Space could be utilised for proved efficiency. In need of ventilation of some sort. If in place already (best to update or review) Online forms and background software seemed to not work out on my arrival, forming a queue and resulting in prolonged wait time. Friendly staff ( referring from 1 visit only) Drinks of a normal/average price

Fantastic experience: Amazing community of climbers and super friendly staff.

Fantastic experience: Very kind staff, super helpful! This place has a very welcoming atmosphere, very beginner friendly and best suited for all levels of climbing!

Fantastic experience: Went to a womens evening and it was great. Really friendly and helpful. Chilled way to get into climbing and get advice on technique

Fantastic experience: Great venue, nice setup and a really fun workout. I will definitely be coming back. Lovely and very helpful staff too!

Fantastic experience: Great climbing Gym, more than enough surfaces to cater for a busy session and a great atmosphere.

Fantastic experience: Amazing climbing centre based on the Font system Great routes, staff and vibes. It's my home from home ♥

Fantastic experience: The best vibe of any climbing centre. The staff are always friendly and helpful

Fantastic experience: Incredibly friendly and welcoming. Great equipment and good atmosphere.

Fantastic experience: Great climbing centre. Really helpful staff. Please bring one to Ashford.

Positive experience: Great climbing gym in Canterbury. 4 stars because it's pretty expensive for what you get and it's often quite busy. If you go enough the £63 a month is worth it. Shame there's no blue light/NHS discount.

Positive experience: Small climbing wall that makes good use of the space. Lots of different styles of climbs, setting was fun. But for a centre of its size (no training room for instance), I did think it was overpriced. This is compared to my experience at walls in the Yorkshire area where you pay significantly less for a larger centre.

Fantastic experience: 9th Ash Scout Group took the Scouts, Cubs and Beavers to Chimera over 3 evenings as part of this term’s theme of exploration and discovery. Tim and his team were absolutely amazing. The evenings were so well planned and they made the sessions interesting, challenging and immensely fun! All of the kids absolutely loved it and all want to go back again. Thank you so much, we shall return!

Negative experience: Overpriced for the facilities (£14) and they tried to give my friend some rental shoes with holes in. Would not recommend

Fantastic experience: Been around 4 times now and always enjoyed myself. Fitness wise I'd say I'm at the "not fat but definitely enjoys pasta" stage but I find there's always climbs I can do and each visit I'm managing a few extra climbs I failed the visit before which is a good ego boost. Staff and everyone I've spoken to there are very friends and keen to give advice and just generally chit chat which give it a good atmosphere. Go with a friend, the pushier the better, as it helps to encourage you to reach for that next hold that you would have chickened out of if you were alone but can actually do. We tend to stay a whole afternoon or evening as there's no time limits to your visit as you'll tire quickly if you're a noob like us but a quick sit down / stretch / coffee / chat with who you're with and you'll be ready to go again for a while.

Fantastic experience: This was my first visit, as a supervisor for grandchildren. It is a very impressive place with climbing walls to suit all ages and abilities. The cafe area sells a wide range of drinks and snacks.

Fantastic experience: Great climbing centre and incredible community. I started climbing here a little over two years ago. For the modest price of £16 you get a pair of shoes and unlimited time at the gym for the day. Compared to the $40 I pay back home for a day pass that's a steal. The staff are super sweet. They're kind and friendly, extremely knowledgeable and always willing to lend a hand when you're stuck. I've seen them climb up to encourage kids who are too scared to come off the walls! The walls themselves are some of the best I've been on, and I've seen many around the world! They're extremely clean as well as the holds. On any given day you may find the staff power washing the holds out the back. Even in the cold! The routes are always fun and challenging. There's a great range in talent and specialties among the team so you're always sure to find a route that's exciting or scary. Oh and the rumours are true, they make great drinks!

Fantastic experience: Great gym, great route setting and friendly helpful staff. New routes constantly added holds cleaned well when they are. Brilliant.

Fantastic experience: So as someone that was a little apprehensive about going for the 1st time, I booked a taster session and off we went. The staff were fun, chirpy and very knowledgeable and put us right at ease straight away. It was a wonderful experience and we're going back real soon. The prices are more than affordable and definitely the more you get into the more you will save in the long run.

Positive experience: Cool centre, staff are lovely and helpful. My only criticism is that it's so expensive. It's a shame as it prices a lot of people out in the community. There should be a scheme for people on benefits or with disabilities that can't afford it so they can still enjoy it. Other than that its clean, well run and really fun.

Fantastic experience: Was staying in Whitstable for a week and the usual how to entertain the kids web search was actioned. This place come up and since my 2 boys (13 & 14) frequent our local bouldering club thought we'd do a bit of boulder tourism. Facilities and staff cannot be faulted and boys really enjoyed their time. But need to be aware it it one to one supervision if climbing yourself or two to one if just supervision.

Fantastic experience: Unique for Kent. Bringing the good vibes and climbing community to Canterbury. Recommend Rock Ninjas, excellent tuition for kids

Fantastic experience: Friendly people and an amazing spot

Fantastic experience: Been taking my son and daughter to their academy club for a year now. Atmosphere is great - supportive, relaxed, and recognising that each kid learns differently. Staff are very friendly and it has a feeling of a community there.

Fantastic experience: I've been going here the last few months with my son... What a great place! Initially I thought it should be higher, but the climbs are changed weekly, the routes clearly graded, the staff are truly amazing and just so welcoming and friendly, and it's crash matted everywhere! Highly recommended!

Fantastic experience: Friendly atmosphere really good gym a little on the expensive side

Positive experience: Nice climbing place, but really busy on Saturdays.

Fantastic experience: Great place and excellent value for money.

Fantastic experience: Great experience for the kids and me. We'll run and very friendly staff, great coffee and cakes.

Fantastic experience: Love it

Fantastic experience: I took my two daughters. We all had a climb, nine of us are experienced but had a great time. Very friendly staff and good few hours fun. I ache today though!

Positive experience: Great safe space to have children learn the art of climbing in an indoor area with spring floors for safety... building upper and lower body strength. Friendly and helpful staff

Positive experience: Nice wall with good routes and good facilities, but £14/£16 a session is a tad too much to be somewhere to go regularly, unless your loaded or get consession entry.

Fantastic experience: Friendly centre with lots of great routes. Always playing excellent tunes

Fantastic experience: Friendly staff. Every time I go, I spend at least 2hrs climbing. A good variation of routes to climb.

Positive experience: I visited this centre on Sunday with some friends. The centre itself is a modest climbing gym with the space being used well. What let this place down sadly is due to one particular instructor who was running a children's birthday party whilst we were climbing. Myself and 4 others were setting problems on the spray wall and whilst I was nearing the top of the board (and one a particularly challenging move), I was horrified to hear that the instructor had led a group of children directly underneath me. If I hadn't stuck the move I would have landed on top of 2 or 3 kids and probably the instructor as well. I dread to think of the injuries that would have been caused to the children if I had landed on them. The seriousness of this needs to be addressed with the staff at the centre. UPDATE: The centre manager has been in touch and apologized for the incident and has assured me disciplinary action will be taken. I'd like to add that we all had an enjoyable experience up-until this unfortunate situation and I would not hesitate to return to the centre next time I'm in the area.

Fantastic experience: Great climbing centre. This a bouldering only climbing centre however has good mix of slab and overhang. The routes are very well levelled and you can tell a lot of thought goes into them. I go there every time I'm in Canterbury.

Positive experience: Really good fun and even beginners can climb you do need to be fit though as it's quite exhausting if your not strong as your hands and arms have to carry your weight also if you have long nails it's hard to get s grip as your nails get in the way of holding on.

Positive experience: Great place. Possibly a bit overpriced though

Fantastic experience: Great atmosphere and wide range of climbing routes from beginner to expert. And they play great music too! Walls get new routes weekly, so there's always something to try

Fantastic experience: Good route setting and a good amount of space

Fantastic experience: What a spectacular place! This gym may be (relatively) small but it punches way above its weight. Not only is the route setting excellent, regularly changed and kept in good clean condition but there is a great sense of community, delicious coffee and passionate & highly skilled staff. There is an ever-improving community of regular climbers who are always willing to share their knowledge and skills and now the gym offers a range of tuition options from kids clubs to private tuition so if you want to improve your climbing and/or have fun doing it this is the place to do it. It is a gym, a community hub and a second home for many, myself included. What a gem

Fantastic experience: Took my 5yo and we both loved it - calm and safe environment. We'll be back again

Fantastic experience: Chimera is awesome just wished it wasn’t as far from Ramsgate !!

Fantastic experience: A hidden gem in Wincheap, Canterbury. Amazing fun

Fantastic experience: Great staff and super fun!

Fantastic experience: My son and grandson had an amazing time here, lovely place and friendly helpful staff

Fantastic experience: Excellent service at the desk. Great walls.

Fantastic experience: Having been displaced indefinitely to rock-poor Canterbury for professional reasons, I am grateful to have the Chimera gym here to keep my climbing from quickly sliding backwards to square one. Different gyms present different styles of climbing. The style at Chimera features big, powerful, and daring moves, often on spaced out holds. It will make you stronger (eventually?)... or, you can climb vicariously through the impressive shirtless muscled dudes. The gym is cleverly designed with a variety of walls -- there's a small slightly overhanging traverse wall, two massive overhangs, a freestanding boulder, a cave, a couple vert walls, a smooth wooden slab, and a top-out slab with a fireman's pole to get back down. Pretty cool! The training island has the essentials. There is also usually a spray wall (at the time of writing it's been replaced by a dyno contest for a month now but surely it'll be back soon!!), which I've been meaning to start using. Survival as a climber in Canterbury is possible . It's also friendly to beginners and kids -- try the small wall upstairs or the top-out slab, they are not too high! The staff are super friendly and happy to lend advice, and oh yeah, the coffee is good!!

Positive experience: A great bouldering experience. I wish the walls were a bit higher though

Fantastic experience: Great service

Positive experience: Great place for climbing. Not sure the grip changes are great for the smaller kids. Still a great place though.

Fantastic experience: Love it here.

Fantastic experience: Very friendly place, my son enjoys going bouldering there, a wide range of routes for all levels available. Nice bar/café for those that are waiting or having a break.

Fantastic experience: My girls went for a one hour holiday club lesson and really enjoyed it! The instructor was fantastic as we're all the staff, girls now talking about doing proper lessons. Little cafe and seating area with toilets.

Fantastic experience: Great facility. The staff were friendly and professional. The venue catered for beginners to expert climbers. There were many young children, adults and an oap. Tea, coffee and cold drinks were available to purchase and seats and tables for people watching.

Fantastic experience: Really enjoyed the variety you get in this place with a calm, focused atmosphere and plenty to do. All levels catered for. Expect a serious work out.

Fantastic experience: Friendly staff, routes for all levels and a nice cafe.

Fantastic experience: Since the centre opened the route setting has got better and better. Staff members are friendly, the holds are clean and routes are updated in just enough time - just wish the centre was bigger!

Fantastic experience: I tried the Friday Social session because I had no experience at all and wanted to be guided into it. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience and introduction to bouldering. The facilities are fantastic, everyone there is having a great time and the staff are wonderful. I was guided on everything and really helped into the best techniques. The staff member who was guiding us was really clear, friendly and made the evening. I will be going back! If you’re new to this, I really recommended one of the social sessions or a guided session.

Fantastic experience: A great place to climb with loads of routes added each week!

Fantastic experience: Good calue for money. Very friendly, climbing is more tiring than you think!

Fantastic experience: Excellent climbing and lovely staff

Fantastic experience: Brought my 6 year old daughter here to try climbing. The staff and customers are exceptionally friendly and welcoming, and were always at hand to give advice. We've been back since and had a great time again. Many thanks!

Fantastic experience: Very friendly, wasn't too busy and challenging climbs. I personally think it's a bit pricey but seems to be about the going rate.

Positive experience: Lovely staff, ours kids always enjoy it and I do, they have a nice cafe for drinks/cakes in there, I'd give it more stars if we could all climb at the same time because of the 1:1 ratio of climbing adults:children but I'm guessing this is an insurance thing. Wed come alot more often if we could though.

Positive experience: My grandson is an experienced indoor climbing facility. Not the best he's used but very good.

Fantastic experience: A great place to exercise in these grey dark days.

Fantastic experience: Amazing staff and centre! Great for all ages and the community here is just fantastic!

Fantastic experience: Chimera - A mythical creature, a Lion with a Snake for a tail. Wow, first impressions, it's a lot smaller than the only in Tunbridge Wells. But... It is a cosy centre, good music, great staff, and grand climbs! The boulder is a bit small but they also have campus board area so ‍♂️ If you're new to Canterbury and an avid climber, they offer monthly membership :)

Positive experience: Kids loved it easy no hassle is what it is...

Fantastic experience: Really good wall, compact but with absolutely cracking routes, decent coffee as well, and great tunes

Fantastic experience: Great place with nice friendly staff. Thank you. We'll definitely be back soon.

Fantastic experience: Great place

Fantastic experience: Was nearby for the weekend so popped in for a climb and was impressed by the centre. Route setting was very good and i was impressed by the use of space! Was easy to sign up beforehand online, was nice not having to sit around for ages signing waivers. It was a little pricey for a day pass, but I understand it must be expensive to run and that covid must’ve been a set back. Staff were lovely too, only wish I lived more locally!

Positive experience: Definitely one of the best experience you can have if you are looking to try something new. Facilities and difficulty levels for all kinds of climbers. The staff are lovely and very helpful in encouraging you and giving tips to improve your climbing techniques. I only wish their monthly membership cost wasn't as high if not I would have loved to sign up. But at £55 to £60 a month, it's not viable for the casual goers especially if you live in different town. However if you are looking to go once or twice a month the fair price of £16 is still nice for all day access to the rockclimbing gym.

Negative experience: Wouldn't let me climb as I had two kids with me, even though they were experienced. Shame as its not possible to bring more than one child, stupid policies and no understanding, they wouldn't even let the children sit out so I could have a go, unless they stood in the car park! Absolutely ridiculous, be warned

Fantastic experience: It was very good and well organised staff very helpful and patient! My grandchildren of 9years a nd 13 years enjoyed it and Will go again when they come and stay . Also the place was very clean and everything they needed. Well done and thank you !! Elaine Caraccio

Fantastic experience: Great centre

Fantastic experience: Not the biggest centre but they do a lot with the space and it doesn't feel cramped or crowded. Good inventive route setting.

Positive experience: I have been taking my 2 kids to Chimera for over 4 years now and we’ve always absolutely loved it. Having been to Tonbridge Wells a few weeks before, (which was jam packed,) we were very much looking forward to visiting the Canterbury centre. I booked 2 spaces online (the only last 2 available that day) which was very early at 8:40 on a Sunday, which we didn’t mind as saw it as a great start to the day. Having woken the kids up very early (no easy feat), and driven nearly an hour to get there (again, I don’t mind as it’s something that we really enjoy doing)… we were greeted by what could only be described as the world’s most unenthusiastic, arrogant jobsworth I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet. We walked in, and he literally said nothing “I’ve booked for 2 to climb” I said…. “My Wife and I aren’t climbing, simply supervising the kids”… something that we have done many times all of these years. I was then informed that we should have in fact booked 4 spaces! And that they were fully booked to accommodate us! Whilst the staff member that was serving us mumbled and sighed to his partner, he then informed us that spectators also now need to pay..??? Why would my wife and I pay to simply stand around with our hands in the air.? Not only that, there was hardly anyone there! The car park out the back was empty!! We were the only car there. I’ve never felt like I had put someone out so much in my life, and made to feel so uncomfortable. With that we walked out and drove an hour back home, with 2 disappointed kids in the car. We won’t ever be back. ====== Response Thank you for taking the time to explain the situation. If only that had been communicated better on the website, and in a more professional and apologetic way once we had got there, I would've fully understood. Looking back at the website booking system, there is simply a line tagged onto the tick box covering the point that all under 16's should be supervised - having been many times before, I simply assumed that it covered the fact they would need to be supervised, not that a supervisor would need to pay. It might be worth while making that more obvious, so as other customers, who have been before, are aware of this big change. Not only that, as the staff member was then willing to let us pay and then climb (suggesting he was willing to break the size restrictions) - why not, as a gesture of good will, say 'it's new policy, so we'll let you supervise free this time, but just so you are aware next time... you will need to pay. I of course appreciate the free sessions, and I have adjusted my review, and put this down to covid causing businesses issues... but a bit of customer care and satisfaction goes a long way...

Fantastic experience: Great bouldering!! Lots of good routes, friendly staff, nice coffee!

Fantastic experience: Great place.

Fantastic experience: I'd never been to a climbing place and was very happy with the reception I was given. Some really easy climbs for beginners like me with an easy to follow guide to find the more difficult grades of climbing difficulties. Will definitely come again.

Fantastic experience: Everyone is so welcoming and friendly, great atmosphere. My home from home. Reset sections every week means there is always something new to conquer! The music taste can be a bit hit and miss though, I guess you can't have everything. But the coffee is amazing, freshly ground. Yum!

Positive experience: Really good bouldering spot, very harsh tough grades but a really good friendly spot, i'd go more often if I was based in Canterbury.