Back in January, we decided to take on the challenge of Rock and Reef Bournemouth.
This is an activity centre situated on the pier in Bournemouth with among other things, an indoor rock climbing and a cool zip line over the pier. We went really for Max, obviously 🙂 but thought I would give it a go, the Clip Line in particular!
Information
- Address is: Bournemouth Pier, Bournemouth BH2 5AA
- Parking: Lots of Pay and Display carparks nearby
- Admission price: Various Prices, depending on what you do. £11 for ‘Clip n Climb’ or £12 for ‘Pier Zip
- Opening times: Generally, open 7 days a week from 10:00am until 19:00pm
- More information on times and ticket prices, please check their official website
Getting There
From the A338 follow the signs to the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC), and the Pier. You can’t miss the pier!
Rock and Reef Bournemouth – Safety First!
Never having done this before, we were all a little unsure of what to expect. On arrival, you have to sign a form to say you understand what you are doing, etc. The usual disclaimer!
Once done, you get your time slot, and head off to be fitted up for a harness. This is a simple clip on harness that attaches to the ropes on each piece of climbing apparatus.
We then went to the climbing area, where were given instructions on which walls were easier, tips for climbing, and best practices etc.
We were then left to it to take on Rock and Reef Bournemouth.
Rock and Reef Bournemouth – How did we do?
I must say, it was surprisingly easy and enjoyable. If someone like me can get all the way to the top of (admittedly the easiest) wall, then any half fit person should be able to.
Obviously, a fear of heights may prevent you from doing so, but generally speaking, it is not too hard.
In fact, having faith in the harness to just push back and abseil down was harder than getting up there in the first place!
There are a few things you can do there.
The Clip Line, as described above. What we didn’t try was
The Pier Cave – Where you can crawl through tunnels, ball pits and such.
The Highline – An indoor ceiling high obstacle course, balancing along ropes and bridges to get from one end to the other
And finally, the Zip Line. We didn’t try the Zip Line out either, but it did look pretty awesome, and perhaps we will give it a go on our next visit.
As you would expect at any place like this, there is a cafe area to kill some time before your allocated time slot, or to bask in your climbing glory afterwards.
Summary
You can tell from stunning physique that I am not much of an outdoorsy, active rock climbing type of person. But, we really enjoyed the hour or so we spent climbing Rock and Reef Bournemouth.
If you are in the area, and fancy doing something a bit active, rather than lying on the beach give it a go!
Let me know if you have been, and what you thought to Rock and Reef Bournemouth
