The gorge's proximity to the urban population of Bristol made it a popular venue for rock climbing from the 1940s – a time when most UK climbing was centred in mountain areas. The first guide to climbing routes in Avon Gorge was published in 1955 by the University of Bristol Mountaineering Club. The same year, British mountaineer Chris Bonington climbed Main Wall putting up Mercavity. The 2017 edition of The Climbers' Club Guide to Avon Gorge by Martin Crocker lists 400 pages of routes and guidance. Avon Gorge is often criticised as being so over-climbed many of the routes are "polished".