Holme Pierrepont National Watersports Centre
Encyclopedia
Holme Pierrepont
Holme Pierrepont is a hamlet located south of the city of Nottingham in Nottinghamshire, England. It is in the Gamston ward of the Rushcliffe local authority in the East Midlands region....
near Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and on the River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
.
Run by Nottinghamshire County Council on behalf of Sport England
Sport England
Sport England is the brand name for the English Sports Council and is a non-departmental public body under the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
, it is one of five National Sports Centres
National Sports Centres
There are five National Sports Centres as part of Sport England's strategy to create an elite of English grown world class sporting talent:* Bisham Abbey* Crystal Palace* Holme Pierrepont National Watersports Centre* Lilleshall...
, a unique sporting venue set in the centre of the country.
Facilities
Set in 270 acres (1.1 km²) of parkland, the water sports centre is an ideal environment for water activities. The centre is made up of three distinct pieces of water:- Regatta lake, a 2,000 metre regattaRegattaA regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...
rowing facility which features a six lane rowingRowing (sport)Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
course - A 700 m purpose-built white water canoe slalom course
- A water ski lagoon equipped with slalom course and ski jump as well as a ski cableway.
Further, the River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
is also accessible from the site. This is supported by an indoor training hall which is suitable for testing and is also available for indoor sports. The facilities provide a full range of award courses in:
- Dinghy sailing
- Windsurfing
- Canoeing
- Rowing
- Water-skiing
- Powerboat handling
- Kayaking.
A sports science and medicine centre is purpose built and is available for use by governing bodies for physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
, sports injury/rehabilitation and physiological testing.
This is supported by an indoor training hall which is suitable for testing and is also available for indoor sports such as five-a-side football, badminton and volleyball.
The main centre building provides conference rooms, dining room, a bar, and accommodation for up to 85 people.
Whitewater course
Playboating
Playboating is a discipline of whitewater kayaking or canoeing where the paddler performs various technical moves in one place , as opposed to downriver whitewater canoeing or kayaking where the objective is to travel the length of a section of river...
and wild water racing. One hosted event is the National Student Rodeo
National Student Rodeo
National Student Rodeo is a freestyle kayaking event in the UK hosted by . The is now the biggest freestyle kayaking competition in the world, with 670 entrants and over 1000 party goers from 36 universities in 2008...
, the largest freestyle kayaking event in the world. During this event the Centre received coverage in local news, and publications such as Canoe & Kayak UK
Canoe & Kayak UK
Canoe & Kayak UK is the best-selling British canoeing magazine, published worldwide, covering British watersports. It covers all branches of canoeing and kayaking, but is primarily concerned with Sea, Surf and Whitewater paddling...
magazine.
Location
The whitewater course is located between the weirWeir
A weir is a small overflow dam used to alter the flow characteristics of a river or stream. In most cases weirs take the form of a barrier across the river that causes water to pool behind the structure , but allows water to flow over the top...
on the canalised River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
and the regatta lake
Regatta
A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...
.
Construction
Built in 1986, the course is made primarily from concrete. It is approximately 700 metres long, drops just over 4 metres in height to produce GradeInternational Scale of River Difficulty
The International Scale of River Difficulty is a standardized scale used to rate the safety of a stretch of river, or a single rapid. The grade reflects the technical difficulty and skill level required associated with the section of river...
3 whitewater
Whitewater
Whitewater is formed in a rapid, when a river's gradient increases enough to disturb its laminar flow and create turbulence, i.e. form a bubbly, or aerated and unstable current; the frothy water appears white...
rapids. The course is gravity fed, does not use electricity to power it, and therefore is relatively cheap to run.
Due to the nature of the design, swimming through the course is safer than many other locations around the UK due to deep channels and few significant underwater obstructions.
The amount of water flowing through the course depends on rainfall, and canal usage, but due to the large catchment
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of the Trent, flows between 16 and 25 cubic metres per second are common. The course is more likely to close due to too much water (in the winter), rather than too little.
The course had a refit in 2009. Along with essential maintenance, some of the original concrete obstacles were removed and Omniflots (large plastic movable blocks) were added.
Sports
Apart from raftingRafting
Rafting or white water rafting is a challenging recreational outdoor activity using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on white water or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this...
which brings in the most novice or casual users, playboating
Playboating
Playboating is a discipline of whitewater kayaking or canoeing where the paddler performs various technical moves in one place , as opposed to downriver whitewater canoeing or kayaking where the objective is to travel the length of a section of river...
, slalom and kayaking
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
bring in the most regular users to the course with a minority of squirt boaters and small minority of open boat canoeists and wild water racing. The centre hosts Holme Pierrepont Canoe Club which gives lessons at the weekend and during the week on the flat water lake and the course. The course is also frequently used for water safety and water rescue training.
The centre is also the base for Holme Pierrepont Running Club who meet on Mondays and Thursdays in the main reception area.
See also
Other UK artificial whitewater courses- Lee Valley White Water Centre
- Cardiff International White WaterCardiff International White WaterCardiff International White Water is an Olympic standard white water rafting centre based at the Cardiff International Sports Village in Cardiff Bay....
- Cardington Artificial Slalom CourseCardington Artificial Slalom CourseCardington Artificial Slalom Course was the first artificial whitewater canoe slalom course in the UK when it was completed in July 1982, having been first discussed in 1972....
- Nene Whitewater CentreNene Whitewater CentreThe Nene Whitewater Centre was the UK's first pumped artificial whitewater course. It is located on the River Nene in Northampton.The course was designed by slalom designers, Proper Channels Ltd and built in 1999 by Wrekin Construction. Water can be partially diverted around a weir via a manually...
- Teesside White Water CourseTeesside White Water CourseThe Tees Barrage International White Water Course, formerly the Teesside White Water Course, is an artificial whitewater course on the north bank of the River Tees, in North East England....
.