Middle Child needed to do something for his personal challenge at Beavers and this seemed like a good option. I booked the two of us into a session at Clip ‘n Climb in Bicester and thought I’d take the opportunity to do a review. You know those days when the kids are metaphorically climbing the walls? This is perfect for those days!
Booking Clip ‘n Climb Bicester
You book into a 55 minute timed slot and should arrive 15 minutes before your slot for your safety briefings. There are slots every 30 minutes. Everyone is given a coloured wristband and they’re very hot on getting everyone out at the right time. The good thing about this system is that it means you don’t have too many people on the walls at any one time.
You don’t need to have any experience to climb and you don’t need any special equipment. You will need closed toe shoes, but normal trainers are fine.
First Impressions
I’d seen photos of the centre online but I was surprised by how small it is. It’s based in an industrial unit and for some reason I thought it would cover a larger area. That said, it actually didn’t need to be any bigger. There’s enough space for everyone and plenty of walls to climb. When we were in there, there were only a few times when we had to wait for a particular wall. This was only because the wall we wanted to do next was busy, rather than because no walls were free.
There are 11 walls (I think, I forgot to count), a net climb, a see-through, double-sided wall, a tree climb, the stairway to heaven (I strongly suggest this is a misnomer), stacked blocks and stacked balls. Then there’s the drop slide. The super scary drop slide. There’s also a cafe and seating area that you can use if/when you’re not climbing. Lockers are available for a £5 deposit.
The first time we went, before you started on the walls alone you have to have a try on this wall with an instructor watching. You climb up to head height and jump off. Turns off I was crap at this bit. Head height wasn’t far enough up for the line mechanism to properly kick in so instead of gracefully dropping to the ground I ended up in a mangled mess of limbs. #Classy
On our most recent visit to Clip ‘n Climb in Bicester they didn’t get you to do this. I don’t know why they made the change.
The Walls
I wouldn’t really be able to do a proper review of Clip ‘n Climb Bicester without having a go myself but OMG I was scared. I’ve not been the biggest fan of heights since I did a parachute jump many years ago. As long as you’re not a whimp like me then you’ll be fine. I still had a brilliant time. I tried the ones I could and enjoyed watching Middle Child scrambling up the ones I couldn’t. This isn’t the most glamorous photo of me but at least I’m up there!
As you’d expect some of the walls are more difficult than others. I only got about 3/4 of the way up, at best, but the great thing about this is that you don’t have to climb to the top. You just do what you’re comfortable with. I found the tree climb was the easiest, I really enjoyed it. There were a couple I just couldn’t do, like the stacked balls. Middle Child managed to get to the top of quite a few of them, and was super proud when he did.
There isn’t a member of staff for each wall, but there are several hanging around if you need them. You have to clip yourself into the line before you can climb but it’s easy to do and it’s impossible to do it wrong. The children are more than capable of doing it on their own.
What age is Clip n’ Climb Bicester suitable for?
How hard it is to climb the wall mainly relates to how fit and limber you are. Don’t forget you’re hauling your own weight up a wall whilst balancing on small footholds. Once you’ve done you just jump off the wall and the line gently lowers you back down. That’s the theory. I swear it took me just as long to jump off the wall as it did to climb up as high as I did!
For my first review of Clip ‘n Climb Bicester Middle Child was 7 1/2 and he was more than capable of doing the walls. For my second visit I took all three kids and Smallest Child was 6. There were some walls that she didn’t physically have the height to do. She just couldn’t reach between hand holds from about half way up. Some of them were just too scary for her. But she did manage to get to the top of three of the walls an she enjoyed herself. Middle Child is half monkey and got to the top of every single wall this time, at least once!
Stairway to Heaven
This thing is not for the faint hearted but if you manage it then GO YOU!! I mostly saw kids doing it, but there were a few adults brave enough. It’s hard to illustrate how tall the final column is but hopefully this video helps. Just in case you were unsure there was no way in hell I was even attempting that thing.
The drop slide
There is an additional charge of £2.50 for the drop slide. You can either pre-book it or you can pay in the cafe on the day. They recommend that you do the slide early-on in your session as you can only do it during your hour slot. We decided just to keep an eye open and see when there was the shortest queue as we didn’t want to waste climbing time.
Middle Child loves slides like this and would quite happily have gone to the top. How this slide operates is that you wear a slide suit and helmet, grab hold of what I can only describe as a winch and get pulled up a ramp. Whenever you want to you just let go and slide down. It sounds simple but despite his desire to go as high as possible Middle Child didn’t have the strength to hold on for long. He was really disappointed in himself so I’d maybe suggest this isn’t one for younger children (he’s 7 1/2).
Special sessions
Rhyme ‘n’ climb – £40 for a 4 week block. Suitable for children aged 2-4. As well as the climbing there’s games, songs and stories.
Colour ‘n’ climb – £55 for 6 weeks. Sessions for Reception – year 2 aged children.
Toddler sessions – £15.50
Step ‘n’ climb – £10 per person. An exercise class with added height!!
Admission Cost
Normal sessions are £11 per person off-peak, £15.50 peak. Different prices apply for the special sessions above. Sessions must be booked in advance – you can book via their website.
One thing I will say is that the prices for Clip ‘n Climb Bicester have gone up a fair bit since our first review.
Parking / How to get there
There is a small, free car park on-site.
Address – Unit 3 Bessemer Close, Bicester, Oxfordshire. OX26 6QE.
Toilets
On-site, including a baby change.
Food
There’s a nice little cafe on-site. We tried some of the rainbow cake before our climb and it was yummy.
Our Clip ‘n Climb Bicester Review
Of all the climbing centres in our area this seems to be one of the coolest. The centre is brand new so it’s all in excellent condition and very clean. We had a really good time and I liked how varied the walls were. It’s not “just” clambering up a fake wall. It’s more interesting than that.
It was nice to be able to visit somewhere that catered for a wide range of children’s ages. That’s quite rare to find!
Hi, I’m Vicky. My husband and I live in Aylesbury with our three children; a 14 year old son, an 12 year old son and a 6 year old daughter. I (mostly) love spending time together as a family. We visit all kinds of places and we’re quite happy to drive a fair distance for a decent day out. A few years ago I decided to set up Free Time with the Kids as a way to share our experiences of these family days out.
You’ll find the essential information you need to know before your visit that can be surprisingly hard to find out. Where do I park? How much will it cost me to get in? Are there any discounts available? Are there loos? Can I take a picnic or get food? My aim is to be your go-to guide for all your free and cheap family days out across Bucks, Beds, Oxon, Herts & slightly beyond. I really hope you find the reviews helpful. If there’s anywhere that you’d recommend please get in touch contact@freetimewiththekids.com or get in touch via Facebook
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