The Climbing Hangar Plymouth — Local services in Plymouth

Love it. This is the fourth Hangar we've visited and I was very impressed yet again. We are visiting Devon and so have visited the Exeter Hangar, Boulder Exe in Exeter and now also the Plymouth Hangar. The first thing I noticed was that there seems to be masses of parking here. Can't imagine there would ever be a problem, even at peak times. It was nice to be recognised as Southampton members by a staff member (thanks again Tash) and we were given a brief tour by another staff member who was super friendly and kind. It was a setting day (I think we were told this is Thursday and Friday) but despite parts being closed for this, there were masses of routes. Definitely requires two visits to cover all the ones you'll want to. The holds were not uncomfortable but I had to cut my session a bit short as it was two days climbing in a row for me and I think I overgripped with it being so hot today and concerns about sweat. Anyway, the setting was great as ever and I loved the familiarity of knowing the difficulty of each route from the colour scheme at all Hangars. My mother sat in the cafe and commented on how nice the atmosphere was with people chatting to each other and families visiting together. A gym was being built in a side room, so that will be interesting to try out next time we're down in the area. All in all, a climber's paradise. Hard to plan a holiday now that doesn't involve a trip to a nearby Hangar. Many thanks,...

Update 2025: Some downgrades, but still a top grade climbing venue.

the in house 'bakery' is gone, meaning the world class focaccia is no more. Pizzas are still good, but not as special as before. The cafe is still well worth a visit, but it's less spectacular than it was. Setting seems to have become a bit less accurate, though there's usually some great problems available for any skill level Bathrooms have been offline for a month, hopefully worth the upgrade Air quality is still bad, needing much better ventilation, and probably a change in chalk policy.

Update 2024: TCH Plymouth is going strong as ever. Amazing routes to suit a wide range of skills, from beginner to expert. The cafe is awesome as always, with some of the best sourdough you can get. Hard to go wrong by going for a climb, a pizza, sole coffee and a homemade cookie. Only downside really is the bathrooms are not very well maintained/constructed.

2023 review: Amaaaazing bouldering gym. Probably the best in the south west. Well set boulder problems, with a nice mix of styles. What's really special about the Climbing Hangar is that they set routes to really accommodate new climbers. Even if you're just starting out, there are plenty of climbs to enjoy. And the climbs scale nicely up to the really tough projects, too.

The cafe has some of the best pizzas, toasties, coffee, and cakes, too! The staff are all super friendly and there are plenty of...

Our first visit to The Climbing Hangar necessitated a one-off induction session by a member of staff. The staff, while friendly and approachable, were not very effective, and after being told that someone would be over to show us around, my climbing partner and I were left waiting for around 5-7 minutes until I asked the member of staff on the till if someone was coming to lead our induction, which he then did for us. During our time waiting we witnessed a number of members of staff socialising, making us feel like we weren't a priority to them.

After this disappointing first impression, the facilities themselves were very good. We enjoyed a range of climbing on some pleasingly varied walls and features and are impressed with what was on offer.

Overall a good experience and we would happily visit again, although as an experienced climber, the mandatory induction seemed a little pointless and could probably be replaced by an online induction form - similar to most other climbing centers I have visited, especially since (combined with waiting to be seen) this ended up taking away time from our pre-booked...