Teesside White Water Course
Encyclopedia
The 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
.
It is part of the Tees Barrage
and is located in the town of Stockton-on-Tees
, accessible by road only from Thornaby-on-Tees
and best accessed by the A66
.
The course was built in 1995 at a cost of £2M.
It is currently closed for redevelopment, scheduled to reopen in October 2010.
but administered by Tees Active Ltd from the on-site watersports centre.
The white water facility offers kayak
ing, whitewater slalom, playboating
and white water rafting plus surfing
on the 'surf wave'.
The centre's facilities include log cabins, a placid practice pool; watersports centre, shop and cafe; carparking, camping, picnicing and caravanning areas; bandstand
and landscaped amphitheatre
, The Talpore pub, a restaurant and hotel.
The course itself is a 'U' shaped loop, 250 m long, 7 m wide with a 2.5 m drop and a flow of 10 cumec
s (m3/s).
The immediate environs of the white water course include the Teesdale Way
cycle path (National Cycle Network
), the River Tees
, the Tees Barrage
and the placid grade A two star waters of Barrage Reach on the river Tees; the David Lloyd Leisure racquet centre, a superstore and Portrack Marsh Nature Reserve
.
.
The course operates two or three hours either side of low tide all year round and in hours of darkness can be flood-lit, and spot-lit on the two footbridges.
Four large 12 m long 3 m diameter Archimedes' screw
s will be installed to pump water from the bottom pool to the top pool guaranteeing water levels for paddlers at all states of the tide
.
There are plans to generate electricity from the head of river water above the barrage by putting the Archimedes' screws into reverse when not pumping water around the course, making the course more energy efficient.
These improvements will make the site a world class training facility which is proposed as a training camp location for the 2012 Olympic games
.
Work was reported as having started in March 2010 with completion planned for October 2010.
or indeed the Castlegate Quay Water Sports Centre a little further up-river near Teesquay Millennium Bridge.
Other UK and International artificial whitewater centres
Artificial whitewater
An artificial whitewater course is a site for whitewater canoeing, whitewater kayaking, whitewater racing, whitewater rafting, playboating and slalom canoeing with artificially generated rapids.-Flow diversion:...
course on the north bank of the River Tees
River Tees
The River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...
, in North East
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
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...
.
It is part of the Tees Barrage
Tees Barrage
The Tees Barrage is a barrage across the River Tees just upriver of Blue House Point in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees in North East of England and is used to control the flow of the river, preventing flooding and the effects of tidal change....
and is located in the town of Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...
, accessible by road only from Thornaby-on-Tees
Thornaby-on-Tees
Thornaby-on-Tees is a town and civil parish within the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees, in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. It is on the south bank of the River Tees, three miles southeast of Stockton-on-Tees, and four miles southwest of Middlesbrough town centre and has a...
and best accessed by the A66
A66 road
The A66 is a major road in northern England which in part follows the course of the Roman road from Scotch Corner to Penrith. It runs from east of Middlesbrough in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire to Workington in Cumbria...
.
The course was built in 1995 at a cost of £2M.
It is currently closed for redevelopment, scheduled to reopen in October 2010.
Facilities
The course is owned by British WaterwaysBritish Waterways
British Waterways is a statutory corporation wholly owned by the government of the United Kingdom, serving as the navigation authority in England, Scotland and Wales for the vast majority of the canals as well as a number of rivers and docks...
but administered by Tees Active Ltd from the on-site watersports centre.
The white water facility offers kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
ing, whitewater slalom, 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...
and white water rafting plus surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
on the 'surf wave'.
The centre's facilities include log cabins, a placid practice pool; watersports centre, shop and cafe; carparking, camping, picnicing and caravanning areas; bandstand
Bandstand
A bandstand is a circular or semicircular structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts...
and landscaped amphitheatre
Amphitheatre
An amphitheatre is an open-air venue used for entertainment and performances.There are two similar, but distinct, types of structure for which the word "amphitheatre" is used: Ancient Roman amphitheatres were large central performance spaces surrounded by ascending seating, and were commonly used...
, The Talpore pub, a restaurant and hotel.
The course itself is a 'U' shaped loop, 250 m long, 7 m wide with a 2.5 m drop and a flow of 10 cumec
Cumec
The cumec is a measure of flow rate. One cumec is shorthand for cubic metre per second; also cms or m3/s . Continuing the informal usage, the plural form cumecs is also common in speech....
s (m3/s).
The immediate environs of the white water course include the Teesdale Way
Teesdale Way
The Teesdale Way is a long distance walk between the North Sea coast of North Yorkshire and the Cumbrian Pennines in England. The walk is 100 miles / 161 km in length, it links in with other long distance walks such as the Pennine Way and the E2 European Walk between Harwich and Stranraer.The...
cycle path (National Cycle Network
National Cycle Network
The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...
), the River Tees
River Tees
The River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...
, the Tees Barrage
Tees Barrage
The Tees Barrage is a barrage across the River Tees just upriver of Blue House Point in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees in North East of England and is used to control the flow of the river, preventing flooding and the effects of tidal change....
and the placid grade A two star waters of Barrage Reach on the river Tees; the David Lloyd Leisure racquet centre, a superstore and Portrack Marsh Nature Reserve
Portrack Marsh Nature Reserve
Portrack Marsh Nature Reserve is a local nature reserve.The nature reserve is by the northern bank of the river Tees between the Tees Barrage and the Tees Viaduct near Portrack housing estate in Stockton-on-Tees borough, County Durham and is the last remaining wetland on the lower Tees.The site is...
.
Operation
The state of the course depends on the level of the tide in the River TeesRiver Tees
The River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...
.
The course operates two or three hours either side of low tide all year round and in hours of darkness can be flood-lit, and spot-lit on the two footbridges.
Redevelopment
A £4.6M redevelopment of the course is being undertaken. The changes include the addition of a new shorter, steeper course and a canoe lift with disabled paddlers in mind.Four large 12 m long 3 m diameter Archimedes' screw
Archimedes' screw
The Archimedes' screw, also called the Archimedean screw or screwpump, is a machine historically used for transferring water from a low-lying body of water into irrigation ditches...
s will be installed to pump water from the bottom pool to the top pool guaranteeing water levels for paddlers at all states of the tide
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
.
There are plans to generate electricity from the head of river water above the barrage by putting the Archimedes' screws into reverse when not pumping water around the course, making the course more energy efficient.
These improvements will make the site a world class training facility which is proposed as a training camp location for the 2012 Olympic games
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
.
Work was reported as having started in March 2010 with completion planned for October 2010.
Note
The Tees Barrage White Water Course is not to be confused with The River Tees Watersports Centre, Dugdale Street, Stockton-on-Tees 1 km further upriver on the same side near the Princess of Wales BridgePrincess of Wales Bridge
The Princess of Wales Bridge is a dual carriageway road bridge carrying the Teesdale Boulevard across the River Tees in Stockton-on-Tees in the Northeast of England. The bridge links on the south bank of the river, Teesdale Business Park in Thornaby-on-Tees to the north bank at the north end of...
or indeed the Castlegate Quay Water Sports Centre a little further up-river near Teesquay Millennium Bridge.
See also
Nearby- Tees BarrageTees BarrageThe Tees Barrage is a barrage across the River Tees just upriver of Blue House Point in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees in North East of England and is used to control the flow of the river, preventing flooding and the effects of tidal change....
- River TeesRiver TeesThe River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...
- Teesdale WayTeesdale WayThe Teesdale Way is a long distance walk between the North Sea coast of North Yorkshire and the Cumbrian Pennines in England. The walk is 100 miles / 161 km in length, it links in with other long distance walks such as the Pennine Way and the E2 European Walk between Harwich and Stranraer.The...
footpath - Portrack Marsh Nature ReservePortrack Marsh Nature ReservePortrack Marsh Nature Reserve is a local nature reserve.The nature reserve is by the northern bank of the river Tees between the Tees Barrage and the Tees Viaduct near Portrack housing estate in Stockton-on-Tees borough, County Durham and is the last remaining wetland on the lower Tees.The site is...
- Teesside ParkTeesside ParkTeesside Park is a retail superstore and leisure development in north east England, built in 1988. Located just off the A66 near the A66/A19 interchange, it is split between the unity authorities of Stockton-on-Tees and Middlesbrough with the line of the Old River Tees, which runs down the middle...
shopping complex - PortrackPortrackPortrack is a housing estate in Stockton-on-Tees. It is situated close to Billingham opposite Thornaby and just West of Middlesbrough. Portrack was the site of a large municipal incinerator which took in and burned waste from all over Teesside. The incinerator was closed in 1996 and demolished in...
.
Other UK and International artificial whitewater centres
- 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....
- Holme Pierrepont National Watersports CentreHolme Pierrepont National Watersports CentreThe National Watersports Centre, Holme Pierrepont is located in the hamlet of Holme Pierrepont near Nottingham, England and on the River Trent....
- Lee Valley White Water Centre
- 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...
- Stanley whitewater canoeing courseStanley whitewater canoeing courseThe Stanley whitewater canoeing course at Stanley Wier on the River Tay is one of the most popular sites for recreational and competitive canoeing in Scotland....
- International Whitewater Courses.
External links
- Official course website
- The Tees Barrage Website
- Articles on: BBC
- Evaluations and reviews on: Visit Tees Valley, UK Rivers Guidebook and Playak
- Tide times at nearby Tees Newport BridgeTees Newport BridgeOpened to traffic on 28 February 1934 by the Duke of York, the Tees Newport Bridge spans the River Tees a short distance upriver from Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge, linking Middlesbrough with the borough of Stockton-on-Tees, England....
on BBC and Easytide and at the Tees Entrance on the Redcar & Cleveland Leisure website - Video: BBC and YouTube.