Holme Pierrepont National Watersports Centre facts for kids
view of the Sports Centre across the rowing lake
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| Location | Holme Pierrepont near Nottingham |
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| Opened | 1971 |
Holme Pierrepont Country Park, home of The National Water Sports Centre is a super cool place for sports and fun near Nottingham, England. It's located right by the River Trent in a small village called Holme Pierrepont.
This amazing centre is used for tons of different sports, especially water sports! It has recently been updated with new and improved facilities. Serco runs the centre for Nottinghamshire County Council. It's a special sports spot right in the middle of the country.
Contents
History of the Centre
The Holme Pierrepont centre was built between 1970 and 1971. It was made on an old gravel pit, which meant moving a lot of earth! The centre first opened its doors in 1971.
It even won an award in 1972 for its design. Because of this, it was chosen to host the first ever British Rowing Championships that same year.
For many years, another group called Sport England helped run the centre. But in 2009, control went back to Nottinghamshire County Council. This happened because of new plans for the 2012 Summer Olympics. In 2013, a new team from Serco Leisure took over. They signed a long contract to keep the site great and make it even better.
Awesome Facilities
Holme Pierrepont Country Park is huge, covering about 270 acres (1.1 km2) of parkland. It's not just for water sports; you can do lots of land activities too! The centre has three main water areas:
- The Regatta Lake: This is a 2,000-metre long lake for rowing. It has six lanes, perfect for races.
- A White Water Course: This is a 700-metre long course specially built for canoe slalom.
- An Open Water Lagoon: This area is great for open water swimming and Canoe polo.
You can also get to the River Trent from the park.
Outdoor Adventure Park
Holme Pierrepont Country Park also has an exciting Outdoor Adventure Park. It used to be called the Family Fun Park. It opened in 2014 and has lots of cool things to do:
- Sky Trail High Ropes Course
- Mini Golf
- Segways
- Climbing Wall
- Children's Play Area
- Archery Combat
- Country Park Café
Remember to check the safety rules for each activity! You can find more information on their website: nwscnotts.com.
Sky Trail and Sky Tykes
The Sky Trail is a high ropes course where you can test your balance. You cross many obstacles high up in the air. You stay safely attached the whole time. Sky Tykes is a smaller version of the course, perfect for younger kids.
Archery Combat
In 2019, they added an outdoor archery combat game. You play in teams, using bows and special arrows with soft rubber tips. It's like a safe battle game!
Segway Fun
You can also try beginner Segway sessions here. They have a special track in a wooded area. It has turns and small hills, making it a fun ride.
Mini Golf
Right below the Sky Trail is a 9-hole mini golf course. Each hole gets a little harder, so it's a good challenge!
Climbing Wall
There's a 10-meter high climbing wall with four different sides. It's fun for climbers of all skill levels. From the top, you get an amazing view of the river!
Gyms for Training
The centre has two new gyms that opened in 2014. One is a big gym with 60 exercise machines. It looks out over the Regatta Lake. There's also a special gym just for strength training. You can find lots of different equipment there to help you get stronger and fitter.
Places to Stay
If you want to stay overnight, the centre has 54 updated rooms in the main Lakeside building. They all have their own bathrooms. There's also a separate house called The Elms, which can sleep up to 11 people.
The site also has a big campsite. You can bring your own tent or caravan. They even have 5 Tipi's (like big tents) and 10 Camping Arches. These are insulated wooden huts, perfect for a camping adventure!
Sports and Courses
The centre offers many courses where you can learn new skills. You can learn to sail, canoe, kayak, or even handle a powerboat. They also teach raft guide training.
The English Institute of Sport has a special sports science and medicine centre here. It helps athletes with things like how their bodies work and recovering from injuries.
The Whitewater Course
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| About | |
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| Locale | Holme Pierrepont near Nottingham |
| Coordinates | 52°56′45″N 1°05′25″W / 52.9458°N 1.0903°W |
| Main shape | linear |
| Water source | River Trent |
| Canoe lift | No |
| Construction | 1986 |
| Date upgraded | 2009 |
| Stats | |
| Length | 700 m (2,300 ft) |
| Drop | 4 m (13 ft) |
| Flowrate | 16–25 m3/s (570–880 cu ft/s) |
| http://www.nwscnotts.com/ | |
The whitewater course is a very important place for whitewater rafting and kayaking in England. It often hosts big international events. These include competitions for slalom, freestyle, and wild water racing.
One famous event held here is the National Student Rodeo. This is the biggest freestyle kayaking event in the world! When this event happens, it often gets attention from local news and magazines.
Where is the Whitewater Course?
The whitewater course is located between a weir (a small dam) on the River Trent and the main regatta lake.
How the Course Was Built
The course was built in 1986 and is mostly made of concrete. It is about 1500 metres long. The water drops just over 4 metres in height, creating exciting whitewater rapids. These rapids are considered a Grade 3 on the International Scale of River Difficulty.
The course uses gravity to make the water flow, so it doesn't need electricity. This makes it quite cheap to run. Because of how it's designed, swimming through the course is safer than in many other places. This is because it has deep channels and not many hidden things underwater.
The amount of water in the course depends on how much it has rained. It also depends on how much the canal is being used. But usually, a lot of water flows through it. If the river levels are very high, the course can start to flood from the bottom up. The whitewater course is open to the public unless the river level gets too high.
The course was updated in 2009. Some of the old concrete obstacles were removed. They put in new, large plastic blocks called Omniflots. These blocks can be moved to change how the rapids flow, making it more fun and challenging!
Sports You Can Do Here
Holme Pierrepont Country Park is home to British Canoeing. This is the main group for canoeing and kayaking in the UK. Their main office is right at the centre!
The Holme Pierrepont Canoe Club teaches lessons on the calm lake and the whitewater course. The course is also used for water safety and rescue training. You can enjoy rafting, playboating, slalom, and kayaking here. People also do squirt boating, open boat canoeing, and wild water racing.
One of the most important sports at the centre is rowing. They use the 2000-metre lake with many lanes. The centre has hosted big rowing events, like the World Rowing Junior Championships in 1973. It also hosted the World Rowing Championships in 1975 and 1986. Many other major UK rowing competitions happen here too.
The centre is also a popular place for Triathlon events. A triathlon is a race that includes swimming, biking, and running. The "Outlaw Half" and "Full Triathlons" are held here. The full triathlon is a huge event! Over 1100 athletes from all over the world come to compete. They swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and then run 26.2 miles!
The Holme Pierrepont Running Club also has its base at the centre.
In August 2009, the centre hosted the Sea Scout 100 national Sea Scout Centenary Jamboree. Over 3000 Sea Scouts attended, even from places like the USA and New Zealand!
