I tried a brilliant new family attraction at a West Sussex activity centre – and I was surprised at how I got on

The Clip ‘n Climb area of the popular activity centre has been give a makeover, with seven new climbing walls installed – including Crunched, the first of its kind in the world.

The Crunched challenge is where a climbing wall meets soft play with a bridging-style challenge. The unique PVC-covered holds provide climbers with a fresh, tactile experience, with Crunched integrating three challenges within one structure.

Best of all, Out of Bounds kindly invited me, my friend and our kids along to be some of the first people to try it out.

Before we went, my friend and I figured we’d have a quick go, and then let our kids get on with it while we had a coffee. I thought it would be an experience better suited to the children, and that we wouldn’t need the full hour on the walls.

After we arrived, the team checked us in, and we were given a quick safely briefing and explanation of how to use the equipment.

Harnesses on, once the team had checked they were secure we were free to climb. Tentatively, I started to make my way up the first wall. I thought I would fall off straight away, but I managed to get halfway up on my first try.

On the next one (albeit the one the team told me was probably the easiest), I made it to the top. And after that I was hooked – literally and figuratively.

It’s exhilarating doing something that’s challenging both physically and mentally. I used muscles that never normally get used, and three days later I can still feel the impact it had on my abs (buried down deep somewhere under my tummy!). And while I’m not scared of heights, holding into a wall dozens of feet in the air with just your fingertips and toes is quite terrifying.

I managed to get to the top of a good number of the walls, although I have to admit to not attempting the most difficult-looking of the bunch.

My friend enjoyed it loads, too, and we had really good fun racing each other up a couple of them.

Not forgetting the kids. They were all right little Spidermen. They persevered, even when it was tough, and got to the top of loads of the walls. At times cheering each other on, at others racing each other to the top.

The time passed really quickly, and all-too-soon our hour was up. It was such a fun experience to do together, in fact, I was surprised at just how family friendly it is. There was a really good range of clip ‘n climb walls, of varying difficulties, making it suitable for everyone from age four and up.

The new clip ‘n climb walls really add to the whole experience, and I imagine Crunched is going to be very popular. I’d go as far as to say I’m a bit addicted after our afternoon of clip ‘n climbing, and I already can’t wait to go again.

To book a clip ‘n climb session, or for more information, see the Out of Bounds website.