Description
The Climbing Academy: The Arc is a vibrant, purpose-built indoor climbing and community recreation facility located in Chippenham, Wiltshire. Operating as a modern hub for families and active individuals, this premium venue brings together an exceptional blend of sports, social spaces, and outdoor play within an open green setting alongside the River Avon. It is one of the top things to do with kids in Chippenham, welcoming children, teenagers, and adult beginners to scale walls and stay active together.
Planning a family session is straightforward and affordable, with standard off-peak single entry passes starting from £7.80 for children under eight, £8.80 for under-16s, and £12.50 for adults. For those who prefer to keep their feet on the ground, visitors are welcome to use the public cafe or supervise young climbers without paying any entry fee.
If you are looking for the perfect destination for an active day out with family and kids, this inclusive facility provides superb physical engagement and a warm community environment. By offering accessible climbing paths alongside a free skatepark and wooden play structures, it serves as a wonderful space for children to build confidence, coordination, and strength safely.
Features
- Paid
- Host birthday parties: Yes
Features
Core Features
- Sensory Play and Movement: Seamless indoor bouldering rooms and soaring roped walls designed with diverse texture holds and logical route angles to develop fine motor skills and spatial awareness.
- Interactive Family Space: A dedicated, staff-supported family climbing layout tailored to make initial roped ascents comfortable and rewarding for younger climbers and parents alike.
- Integrated Outdoor Action: A fully unified facility pairing professional indoor sport infrastructure directly with a free outdoor skatepark and a custom play park.
Top 5 Highlights
- The 14m Roped Climbing Room: The centerpiece of the facility is its impressive 14-metre-high indoor roped climbing room. Outfitted for top-rope and lead climbing, it offers a fantastic progression playground for older children, teenagers, and parents looking to learn harness safety and build vertical confidence.
- Accessible Indoor Bouldering Rooms: For those wanting to climb without ropes or harnesses, the low-level indoor bouldering arenas feature thick safety matting and creative wall profiles. Routes are updated regularly, giving kids a fun, puzzle-like physical challenge to solve using their hands and feet.
- Staff-Guided Roped Tasters & Auto-Belays: Perfect for families new to the sport, the centre offers automated braking belay stations alongside structured introductory courses. Booking an easy 1-hour Family Taster or an Adult Taster session allows you to try roped walls safely under expert instructor guidance.
- The Free Arc Skatepark: Located right outside the main building, this custom-built, unsupervised concrete skatepark is free for the public. It is open during daylight hours and welcomes local kids and teenagers on skateboards, scooters, BMX bikes, and inline skates.
- The Arc Park & Café Deck: Families can relax at the dog-friendly Arc Café, which serves up artisan bakes from Pano Bakery, hot pizza, light bites, and local Marshfield ice cream. The cafe features a bright indoor area and an outdoor wooden viewing deck looking directly over the skatepark, an outdoor climbing wall, and "The Arc Park"—a beautiful natural-wood playground packed with a treehouse, slides, and sand towers.
Beyond the Main Attraction
- TCA Network Access: Your safety registration forms and passes unlock entry to the entire Climbing Academy network, including sister hubs like The Mothership and The Church in Bristol.
- Westmead Open Space Walking Loops: Take a stroll through the pedestrian underpass under the A4 bypass to access peaceful, circular riverside walking routes in the neighboring nature fields.
- Sustrans National Cycle Route 403: Running along the very edge of the Westmead playing fields, this safe, off-road path connects the facility directly to the wider town and scenic Wiltshire countryside.
6.04 miles
