THE term Rock Chick has taken on a new meaning for Okehampton College student Emily Vandendorpe. She and other students from the college are frequent visitors to the Barn!

In the middle of the countryside between Tavistock and Launceston, a farm barn has been converted to a superb indoor climbing centre where young novice climbers tackle a huge range of challenges on a central boulder or 14m high walls with 35 routes.

Awesome stuff, and I was lured there by my niece Emily last Sunday week. Four hours later I was totally exhausted and a little humiliated by this 12 year old and her young friends. I have yomped up mountains all over the world but I could not compete with these agile, fit young people and to think that they have reached this level of skill in a few months at this indoor centre is very impressive.

Conquering one of the technical mini ascents on a boulder or getting to the top of a huge wall which leans outwards at a frightening angle gives a real sense of achievement and it's fun!

More importantly this gives kids the chance to develop physically in the context of an activity which could be a hobby for life which can be done all over the world. The skills they learn at the barn can be easily transferred to the cliffs at Torbay, the rock slabs in Snowdonia or the icy slopes of Mount Everest!

These kids will not turn to the 'dark side' on the streets of Okehampton. They will not spend the rest of their lives dependent on Facebook. It's just a pity there are not more facilities like this for our children in our towns and cities, schools and colleges. Mind you it is a scandal that kids get so much less sport and access to outdoor activities than they did 50 years ago, especially when study after study has shown that it prevents obesity, relieves the boredom which turns kids to drugs and alcohol abuse and improves their attitude to school work.

I did meet quite a few youngsters kayaking the River Dart the day before — but that is another story!

Tony Rudall

Ex Okehampton College teacher now living in Canterbury