Norfolk is renowned for being flat but those living in the west of the county can now scale the heights at a new climbing centre.

The centre, called The Hangar, is based at Lynnsport and was officially opened yesterday by Elizabeth Nockolds, West Norfolk's cabinet member for sports, arts and open spaces.

The Hangar boasts 75 climbing routes of varying difficulty, catering for all abilities from beginners through to experienced climbers.

Opening the climbing centre, councillor Nockolds said: 'I think this is absolutely fantastic. It is natural for children to want to climb and this caters for that need perfectly.

'The nearest centres are in Norwich and Peterborough so hopefully those who have had to travel in the past will start coming here instead.

'It is accessible for everyone and I want to encourage everyone to come along and have fun climbing.'

The 260-m� climbing surface is incredibly versatile, with a wide variety of angles and a 25 m� articulated panel, which can be positioned to create a slab, vertical or overhang, making it perfectly adaptable to different users' needs.

The 12th King's Lynn Scout Group were invited to the launch to try out the new facility for the first time.

Lynn resident Elliott Killick, eight, was one of the first to ascend up one of the routes. He said: 'I really enjoyed it and thought it was wicked.

'It does get a bit scarier when you go up but I did find it easy because I am a good climber. The best bit was reaching the top and looking down to see how high up you are.'

West Norfolk Council invested �60,000 in the new climbing centre which was built by specialist company Highline Extreme.

On average, climbing costs �4.25 per session for adults and �2.80 for juniors. Equipment, including harness, helmet, karabiner and belay can be hired for �6.00 per set.