'Our climbing gym will save hours of driving'
Iain BissetA couple was inspired to open a climbing gym after calculating they drove about 8,000 miles (12,874km) a year to get to their nearest venue.
Iain Bisset and Kat Von Goldacker said they were motivated to open the facility at Haig Enterprise Park, Whitehaven, Cumbria, due to their closest dedicated bouldering wall being more than an hour's drive away.
Climbing has grown in popularity since it became part of the Olympics, with Alex Honnold's recent fete of climbing the Taipei 101 gaining publicity.
"It wasn't just the environmental impact that was concerning us, it was the cost," Bisset said, adding he knew of friends who "regularly drove about 60 miles to Kendal to access the larger wall there".
Bouldering involves climbing small routes called problems, without the use of a rope.
"We sat and worked out we were driving about 8,000 miles a year to get to good quality climbing walls in Carlisle and Ulverston," Bisset said.
He said he hoped the project, called Northern Problems, would "get more than just one car off the road" in west Cumbria and tackle the lack of climbing facilities.
"Climbing is more than just a physical challenge, it's a mental and spacial one... so we're hoping to engage not just climbers, but try to open pathways for people who've never considered it to be a sport they could undertake," Bisset added.
Ian BissetBisset, 40, said the building would include a cafe and aim to open at the end of April.
"We're working on the small steps for it becoming a social asset, not only for Kells but for west Cumbria.
"We are a stone's throw from the birthplace of British climbing and we're excited to bring an up-and-coming sport to a county which has a rich climbing history."
