Holme Pierrepont's National Water Sports Centre is still making waves

Just outside Nottingham, beside the River Trent, sits one of the country's great sporting venues. The National Water Sports Centre at Holme Pierrepont Country Park has welcomed elite athletes and first-time paddlers alike since it opened in 1971.

The centre was built in 1970 and 1971 on a former gravel works, a project that involved excavating around 1.5 million cubic yards of material. It won second prize in the 1972 Times/RICS Conservation Awards and in the same year hosted the first National Rowing Championships.

Today the park covers 270 acres and has three bodies of water. The headline feature is the 2,000-metre regatta lake, which can be set up as a six-lane rowing course or a nine-lane sprint kayak course. It has staged the World Rowing Championships twice, in 1975 and 1986.

The white water course, built in 1986, is a thrill of a different kind. Around 700 metres long, it drops just over four metres and produces Grade 3 rapids, and because it is gravity-fed it uses no electricity. The course was renovated in 2009, when movable plastic blocks were added, and the centre describes its white water course as the best in the country.

The venue remains at the centre of British paddle sport. It is home to British Canoeing's headquarters and a UK Sport Accredited Elite Training Centre, and in July 2025 it hosted the British Rowing Club Championships, held from 18 to 21 July.

Yet it is far from just a place for elite competition. Visitors can try white water rafting, kayaking and paddleboarding on the regatta lake and lagoon, use the gym and fitness classes, or play on the padel courts beside the lake. There is an Outdoor Adventure Park, opened in 2014, along with camping and glamping pods for those who want to stay longer.

The site is owned by Nottinghamshire County Council and run by Serco, and it also offers group packages for birthdays, corporate days and celebrations.

Whether you fancy a gentle paddle or a soaking on the rapids, the National Water Sports Centre website has details of sessions, events and bookings.