Rainbow Rocket North
Cambridge, United Kingdom
Specs: In August 2025, Rainbow Rocket opened its North location, seven-and-a-half years after Jeremy Leong opened the business’s original Central location in Cambridge, UK, in January 2018. According to Center Manager Amy Yates, Cambridge has “a rich history of climbing,” with “one of the oldest Mountaineering societies in the UK, founded in 1905” at Cambridge University. But “with little rock around” in the city itself, “for centuries climbers have resorted to scaling college rooftops at night” in between the climbing trips, “so it made sense to open a dedicated wall in Cambridge,” she said. As a former Cambridge student, “Leong observed the rise of bouldering gyms in London,” Yates added, and saw the potential for a climbing facility in Cambridge. “I don’t think Jeremy Leong ever expected a climbing wall in Cambridge to be quite so popular! Rainbow Rocket Central proved that the local climbing community could fill a gym and then some, and every year we saw more and more people take up the sport,” Yates stated.
In April 2025, Rainbow Rocket joined the Lakeland Climbing Community (LCC), which Yates said is “a group of 16 gyms around the UK operating as five distinct regions and brands, including eight gyms in nearby London.” The LCC founder, Jeremy Wilson, is also a Cambridge University alumnus, who shares a “passion for climbing in Cambridge,” Yates continued. After “the right property came along at the right time,” Yates said opening a second location “seemed like the perfect fit for our growing community.”
Rainbow Rocket North was constructed in a preexisting building on an industrial estate, Yates said, because the operators felt “big warehouses tend to lend themselves quite well to climbing walls.” According to Yates, finding a suitable building in Cambridge was a challenge, since there is a high demand for warehouse spaces but low availability. “This building is slightly older, so less appealing to the tech and bioscience industry in Cambridge, but was perfect for our needs,” she explained. “It’s 17,000 square feet, a large rectangular building ideal for open plan climbing space, [with] plenty of room to relax, and it’s easily accessible from Cambridge North station, offering an alternative to our original Central location.”
The gym features 8,290 square feet of climbing wall surface on walls reaching 4.2 meters (13.8 feet). Yates said the team “worked hard to cater to climbers of all levels,” so the gym has “a shorter wall designed for those just starting their climbing journey and for younger climbers, plus a Tension Board 2 and a Kilter Home Board for more focused training.” Additionally, the gym has a fully equipped fitness area, a large café for relaxing and refueling after sessions, and will soon open a studio for yoga classes and events.
Walls: Walltopia
Flooring: Core Climbing
CRM Software: RGP
Website: rainbowrocket.cc/centre/north/
Instagram: @RainbowRocketCC
In Their Words: “Climbing gyms are defined by the people within the walls, and we’re immensely proud of those on both sides of the desk who work hard and visit regularly. Away from that, I do think that Rainbow Rocket North is as good a bouldering gym as you’d find anywhere in the world. A lot of experience and knowledge went into every decision, and it really shows, while Rainbow Rocket Central embodies that classic, hole-in-the-wall gym that you can’t help but love.” – Amy Yates, Rainbow Rocket Center Manager
