Any adult can come and give bouldering a try, regardless of starting fitness level or whether they have any previous experience.
All you have to do is turn up, register and watch a short safety video. You can hire shoes from reception and get started by yourselves, you don’t need to book a taster or induction but you can if you’d prefer some help to get going.
At Chimera, our centre has a range of different routes (known as problems or blocs in Bouldering) to climb, from beginner through to advanced. These are colour coded to make it easy to spot the right blocs for you. So, there is something for everyone, including some lower walls for anyone who is worried about heights.
Climbing is great for strength building, improving balance, flexibility and co-ordination. But the best part is you are doing all that in a fun, social environment, whilst having a laugh with like-minded people.
No expensive gear is needed! You can wear any loose, comfy climbing and rent shoes and chalk if you don’t have your own. That’s all the equipment you need.
Open 10am - 10pm in the week, and 9am - 6pm at the weekends.
At the weekends, while adults are welcome at any point, the quieter times are once the kids' clubs have ended just after 2pm, so if you are looking for a bit of peace and quiet, try and arrange your visit for the afternoon.
If you want to save time at the centre, pre-register online here.
Yes! We have seating and café areas for spectators at all centres.
Yes. Translations are available at reception or on request.
Yes! Climbing is a social sport. Just make sure everyone registers online before their first visit.
Only if they are booked into a supervised session (like a kids’ club or party). Otherwise, an adult must supervise them.
Yes – both are available to rent or purchase.
Yes – all centres have showers and changing facilities.
Yes – our cafés and seating areas are perfect for relaxing or getting some work done while your child is in a supervised session.
No booking needed for casual climbing – walk-ins are welcome! Coaching sessions and kids’ clubs must be booked in advance.
Children aged 12+ may climb unsupervised if they’ve completed at least 10 supervised visits and passed an assessment by a Chimera coach.
This applies to all our Direct Debit customers: Green Card, Green Card Plus, kids club (Academy, Rock Ninjas, Little Monkeys), Adult Development Class, K&S memberships.
We are unable to pause accounts, due to the sheer volume of membership customers across our three sites and the frequency with which this may be required. Unfortunately the administration is unfeasible.
If you know that you will be unable to use your membership for a longer period of time e.g. Summer holidays, you have two options available to you:
- Retain membership over the summer holidays.
- Cancel membership, but please note that we ask for a month’s written notice. You can then reinstate membership just before September.
For Club customers:
Please note that for club customers we charge for 48 weeks rather than 52 to allow for holiday and illness absences. If you do cancel over the summer, we cannot guarantee a space in the same club.
You can rent climbing shoes and chalk at reception. We recommend wearing comfortable clothing and bringing a reusable water bottle – refilling stations are available.
Yes. All first-time adult visitors must register online before climbing.
• Tunbridge Wells: Free on-site parking
• Canterbury: Limited parking + pay & display nearby
• Chatham: Limited free parking + multiple paid options
More info on Chatham parking.
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Some independent businesses run regular coaching sessions at Chimera. These external providers operate independently and do not pay Chimera to use our facilities. We do not receive any share of their coaching revenue.
All we ask is that participants cover the cost of entry.
For those customers who commit to monthly coaching arrangements with external providers on our premises, we ask that they also sign up for Chimera’s Monthly Green Card. This ensures that access is valid, simplifies administration, and is cheaper than paying standard entry each time.
We appreciate your support in helping us keep Chimera centres running fairly for everyone.
For more details about running instructed sessions at Chimera, please contact: coachingmanager@chimeraclimbing.com
Please contact accounts@chimeraclimbing.com to update your direct debit details.
This applies to all our Direct Debit customers: Green Card, Green Card Plus, kids club (Academy, Rock Ninjas, Little Monkeys), Adult Development Class, K&S memberships.
Cancelling part or all of your membership is simple, please just email accounts@chimeraclimbing.com
We require one month's written notice for cancellations. You month's notice period will commence from the date that your email is sent. During your notice period, your Direct Debit mandate should remain active. The final payment will be calculated based on this notice period, ensuring that only the necessary amount is debited from your account.
For example, for a cancellation email sent on 15th March from a Green Card member, the period will run until 14th April. The April invoice will be 14/30 of the membership.
Once your notice period is complete, no further Direct Debit payments will be processed. Your mandate will remain active unless you request that either Chimera or your bank cancels your mandate. This simplifies the process if you wish to return at a later date, as you will not need to redo your mandate.
Climbs are colour-coded and follow the Fontainebleau system. Start with yellow, orange, or purple routes. Use the TopLogger app to track progress.
Absolutely. We have beginner-friendly routes and offer intro coaching to help you get started.
The best way to contact Accounts is via our email address: accounts@chimeraclimbing.com as our Accounts staff consists of people who work part time from home. We will endeavour to respond to your query asap.
Yes – we run fun, safe birthday party sessions with qualified instructors.
Yes. Please contact your centre in advance if you need assistance.
Not at all – climbing is for everyone.
Bouldering is indoor climbing without ropes, using padded mats for safety. Climbs are shorter but powerful, making it fun and accessible for all skill levels.
Yes – we offer 1:1 private coaching sessions for adults at all centres.
Please email accounts@chimeraclimbing.com giving a brief description of your injury / illness. We will cancel your subsequent invoices and raise a credit note for you, where appropriate. Any credits will be applied to invoicing when you return. We request that you email accounts@chimeraclimbing.com when you are ready to return and we will reactivate your membership and access.
Comfy clothes like leggings or sportswear are best. Climbing shoes are required and can be rented at the centre.
All centres are open 7 days a week.
• Canterbury: Opens at 8am on weekends
• Chatham & Tunbridge Wells: Open from 9am on weekends
Weekdays: 10am–10pm at all centres.
Direct Debits are collected on 1st of each month. It generally takes a week to confirm and 10 days for your payment to reach Chimera.
If you start your membership midway through a month, you will be charged a portion of that month, then from 1st of the subsequent month you will be charged the full amount.
If you would like to discuss the possibility of altering your collection date, please email accounts@chimeraclimbing.com
“A very high standard climbing gym. Spacious luminous and very nicely designed. Setting is great and creative. Caters to all skills and abilities. The best thing is that “easy” routes incorporate holds one would usually find in more advanced routes. A very good variety of problems. The cave is super, it can be used as a traverse wall. Genius! Staff is very friendly and welcoming. Will definitely make it my habitual climbing gym.”
Chatham Centre
