Holme Pierrepont
From Wikipaddle
| Holme Pierrepont | |
| Grade | 3 |
| Distance | 700 metres |
| Time | 5-10 minutes |
| Location | |
| Country | England |
| Region | Nottinghamshire |
| Lat | 52.954429647155315 |
| Lon | -1.0912513732910156 |
| Directions, Google earth | |
This centre is located in the village of Holme Pierrepont near Nottingham, England and on the River Trent.
Now run by Leisure Connection Ltd on behalf of Sport England, Holme Pierrepont is one of five National Sports Centres.
Holme Pierrepont is also the home of the British Canoe Union and the UK National Student Rodeo.
Contents |
The facilities
Set in 270 acres 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 regatta sailing facility which features an international standard six lane rowing 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 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
- Canoeing
- Rowing
- Water-skiing
- Powerboat handling
A sports science and medicine centre is purpose built and is available for use by governing bodies for physiology, 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
Water levels
Holme Pierrepoint works at low summer levels to high levels on the River Trent. At very high to spate levels the course is washed out and water quality also cannot be relied on; the course will be shut in this case. Trent Weir Project (see external links below) shows the level the course operates within, but telephoning is the safest method to find out if the course is open.
Water quality
The Trent is well known for having poor quality of water, with many agricultural and industrial facilities on the banks of the river. Anything above low/medium levels on the Trent often leads to run off from farms and the water can be polluted leaving paddlers with a stomach upset; colloquially known as "Trent belly".
There are no known preventative measures to take, other than not swallowing river water, and making sure any cuts are well covered. Cola drinks are not proven to cure or prevent this illness.
Opening times
Often the whitewater course is reserved for rafters, British Olympic Team training, and competitions. Always phone ahead to make sure of availability.
Contact number
The whitewater slalom course number is 0115 982 4717.
The future
It was reported on 4 January 2006 in the Nottingham Evening Post that funding for the centre was in doubt [1]. Nottinghamshire County Council, which owns the site, fears Sport England may pull out of it's funding before its management contract expires in 2009, which could force the centre to close due to lack of funds.
