Some of you may have been to Linton Locks fish ladder in the past, some of you may be aware about the developments taking place here at the moment and some of you may not have even heard of Linton Locks.
At the moment Linton Locks is basically a concrete fish ladder where we can go and paddle, swim and generally have a good day out in the summer. There is an Archimedes screw at the side of the fish ladder to generate electricity.
Over the last year year the site around the fish ladder has been undergoing major changes, a second much larger Archimedes screw has been installed and is up and running – but more importantly to canoeists is the building of a whitewater course at the side of the second screw. Originally the course was due for completion last year but due to several factors work has dragged on and completion is hopefully looking around March 2018.
Above is what the new course will look like, water will enter on the top left and will flow through the course and exit on the right hand side nest to the screw outlet. An adjustable hydraulic flap at the infeed will allow different water flow through the course or even shut off the course. The floor will be fitted with rails to allow for the fitting of rapid block system to create features throughout the course.
Construction is well underway now with all the concrete section along the river complete as well as the inlet gate, the control flap will be installed shortly along with the round sections of the pools.
Above are photos from today’s visit. Below are the facilities that have been installed at the site already, there are 2 toilet blocks each with a separate shower room and drying room, you will be happy to know these are heated.
There is a large area that hopefully will become a car park and beyond this a large field that again hopefully will be negotiable for camping during events etc.
Once the construction is complete and water flowing through the course it will be possible to start adding fixtures etc. Several thousand pounds are set aside for the erection of slalom pole support systems.
I have joined the development team for the site in order to keep up to date with progress but more importantly to ensure our club can be part of this exciting new paddling venue in our region.
The site will be suitable for both slalom and playboating and hopefully will be suitable to host slalom events in the future.
The next meeting is in January with discussions to look at the management of the site – costs, operating the course and many other details that need to be determined.
All in all this is going to be a fantastic addition to the Yorkshire Region and I for one can’t wait for it to be completed.
If anyone would like any information about the scheme or would like to get involved please do not hesitate to get in touch with me.