BY MIKE SHAW
Holme Pierrepont (or HPP) the national watersports centre is arguably the premier white water course in the UK. Some might be bigger, newer and nicer looking but in my opinion, it can’t be beaten on value for money, opening hours and on the variety of features.
Mike Shaw is a professional coach and playboater in his spare time, sponsored by Jackson Kayaks, Mitchell Blades and Square Rock.
Nottingham’s freestyle mecca
The world famous freestyle venue is located in Nottingham, England and is due to be the site of the 2021 Freestyle World Championships. It is home to some of the best UK freestyle paddlers, with many more frequently travelling from all over the country to train, including myself. Some of the top European and international paddlers are now happy to call it home.
One of those is fellow Jackson Kayak team members and Junior World and European Champion Ottie Robinson-Shaw. She and I have been fortunate enough to train together recently and we are here to talk about the features that the course has and some of the recent changes that it has undergone. We shall start at the top of the course and work our way down, talking about each feature on the way.
Inlet Gate
The first and most popular feature, the reason why people love HPP is the inlet gate. It’s retentive, perfectly uniformed and every move goes with ease. It is where I first learnt to loop and where I’ve taught many, many others. With the recent changes it is not quite as retentive as it once was; you’ll also need a line to pull yourself back up as you can no longer paddle back up against the current.
Ottie says,
In my opinion inlet gate is the best feature to learn new tricks in, from your first loop to your first lunar it is a deep and consistent feature which allows you to work exclusively on your technique. Not to mention there is normally a good crowd watching and cheering. Using a rope you can easily pull yourself back up, or be pulled up into the hole which means you can do hundreds of runs in a day!
Inlet Gate
Twin
Twin or Twin Waves is the next feature down, it has good eddy access on river right. This used to be a pretty rowdy feature, you’d get the satisfaction of nailing a move and then it would nail you right back! It is a very entertaining and feisty hole. To the relief of many it is not as vicious as it has been in the past, but it can still work you over a little bit if you get lucky!
In the centre of the hole is a hump, you can use this almost like a shoulder to set up on. If you plug just to the right of this as long as you hit it correctly, you’ll be getting some of the biggest loops of your life. You can go absolutely huge here!
Ottie says,
I really like twin waves, you have to love its character. It can be quite awkward and annoying at times, but when configured well this feature is amazing. Unfortunately, for a while now this is not quite the case but its quirkiness forces you to have perfect technique in order to retain each move as Twin pushes you towards surfers left, which means you are in a constant battle to push yourself right.
Right moves are a lot easier but if you learn to do left moves in there, your lefts in other features will be great. As the feature is deep you can really plug hard,I’ve never hit bottom and the eddy service is nice. It is also a popular section for slalom paddlers, so make sure you keep an eye out upstream…
Twin
jaws
Just after twin the course drops in height and forms a wave on river left. For years I have wanted a quality wave at HPP and it seems they have cracked it. It is fairly steep, has a legitimate ramp leading down onto the wave and a decent (river left) shoulder. I have seen Airscrews, Blunts, Helix’s and Mcnastys all go here! It also has good eddy access.
Troll Hole
Just before troll hole you’ll find a nice little wave train, perfect for throwing huge macho moves or kick flips. So don’t forget to do that before dropping down into the hole.
Troll is really nice! It was one of the two features chosen for the European championships selection event and was also the site of the 2018 European Open. It can be handful at times and deal out a kicking similar to Twin Wave but it is relatively uniformed and retentive enough without being so retentive it scares people off. It has access from either side and I found it to be the best spot on the course to throw Phonics Monkeys in.
The only drawback is that you don’t have as much space behind it as you would probably like. You do have enough time to roll up and make the eddies either side, you just need to be quick.
Ottie says,
Troll hole is right in the middle section of the course near the bridge (hence the name). When configured well it’s an awesome feature where both sides work well. It can be a little shallow sometimes but the air you can get makes it worth the risk.
It is a great feature to learn to entry move in as with a little effort you can paddle back upstream into the eddy above and try as many entry moves as you’d like. If you have a slow roll, you’ll probably find you miss the eddy but at least it will encourage you to work on your roll.
Troll Hole
Fairy Wave
Under the bridge is a wavey hole that has undergone the most changes in recent years. Many years ago it was the looping pool. It has the remnants of the grand stands for when HPP hosted Slalom Championships and who knows maybe this is the planned location for a feature to be built for the 2021 Freestyle World Championships. It would certainly make a good spot for plenty of spectators.
Currently it is a river wide hole, perfect for beginners to surf around on. But not really retentive enough to land the bigger moves.
The Muncher
I love the muncher, you can throw an airscrew and go for a huge loop the very next second. You need to be quick to make either eddy though! It is the same as it ever was! Munchy but so satisfying when you hit something big.
Ottie says,
The Muncher is probably one of the most underused holes on the course, apart from one or two rides on the way down not many people seem to give it the time it deserves. It’s an awesome feature and probably my favourite on the course. Yes, it is hard and fast. The eddy service isn’t much fun either but the satisfaction when you land a move in muncher is huge, so too are the power flips!
I’m not sure why Muncher isn’t as popular as some of the other features but it is so nice to dedicate some time here. If you flush it’s not the end of the world as you can paddle up the chicken shoot or jump out in the huge eddy below, walk back up and put in just above. Muncher is however pretty shallow so watch out if you’re in carbon, maybe don’t plug as hard as usual. However, then again if you hit it right you’ll go huge!
The rest of the course
From the looping pool down past the muncher to the get out you’ll find a messy section, which is great for beginners and river runners alike, it looks fairly intimidating but everything is easily run and flushes down to a large Eddy below to catch the pieces.
Apart from the Muncher itself there is not much to play on but plenty of river running moves to make. I usually get out on river right, but sometimes I’ll run down and play on Washing Machine, which is a wide, retentive but rather shallow hole. Years ago I had the pleasure of watching my little brother take an absolute working in there but since the renovation of the course it’s not as sticky or retentive as it once was. It is not exactly ideal for playing in for any prolonged period of time because of the depth but it is a nice sticky feature nonetheless.
Ottie Says,
Don’t forget about Harry’s Hole! It’s next to the rather scary looking concrete groin but it creates a feature where you can throw the biggest loops of you life! It’s called Harry’s Hole because no one else seemed to dare to loop in there apart from Harry Price who would throw entries, Mcnasties and Lunars.
I personally stick to loops and right spaces as teeth cost a lot so I’ll pass on the rest. It’s super deep and you can go massive!
Harry’s Hole
From here there is another take out on river left with a nice little wave, which is the perfect area for beginners who want to get some practise catching and surfing on some small waves and practise rolling with a huge eddy. From here on the river bends towards the left where you’ll find a flat section for eddy hopping. There isn’t anything of significance down there unless one of your party takes a swim, or you lose some equipment. I see no reason to go further down, however, if you do you’ll find a set of steps on either side of the river.
Apart from the changes to the inlet gate, the rest of the course has vastly improved for freestyle and has many great features to play on. With Nottingham due to be the site of the 2021 Freestyle World Championships I’m sure we can look forward to some exciting changes ahead!
