UK: Water Sports Center Opens New High Ropes Course

This past February, the water sports center Tees Barrage International White Water, located in the city of Stockton-on-Tees in northern England, opened a high ropes course delivered by Innovative Leisure. Built on a peninsular in the middle of the River Tees, the 17-meter structure named “Air Trail” includes four levels featuring more than 40 activity elements. This makes the attraction – according to the center – the biggest Sky Trail™ high ropes course in the UK.

The course offers elements such as wobbly rope bridges, tight ropes and swinging stepping stones between four and 15 meters off the ground. On the lower two levels, visitors are given the possibility to use the UK’s first Sky Rails, the latest in zip line technology, in order to swing from one to the other side of the course. Furthermore, the new attraction includes a Sky Tykes mini ropes course equipped with nine elements dedicated to children aged two or older and under a height of 1.22 m. Up to 70 persons can use the new high ropes course at the same time. More than 1,500 visitors were counted alone in the first week of operation. Tees Barrage's operators, Tees Active Leisure and Stockton Borough Council, expect to generate an annual surplus of 100,000 GBP (around 126,000 EUR) with the new attraction, while substantially increasing visitor numbers to the outdoor leisure center and the surrounding area. (eap)