Paddle through many different environments to experience some of the wonderful things this area has to offer. Historical buildings, nature reserves, and regeneration are all within reach of this urban and rural trail. Yarm is a delightful town to paddle around, with picturesque meadows.
The Tees Barrage is a wonderful engineering effort, bringing a powerful artificial canoe slalom course to the northeast, and cleaning up the river. This part of the Tees used to be a ‘no go’ area, with tidal mud upriver for many miles, and much pollution from heavy metals. The whole area – Middlesbrough, Thornaby, Stockton, and Billingham used to be a land of petro-chemical plants, engineering, the remains of old iron ore and coal mining, and a major port. Much of the lower estuary is now a major bird reserve.
The Barrage separates the brown peaty water of the Tees from the Pennines, and the salty brown water of the Tees estuary. There is now quite a bit of river traffic for the first few miles upriver, including powerboats and many rowing skiffs at times. In a high winter flood, there is movement of water downstream on the river.
The Barrage straight is timetabled for different users (not including paddlers). At different times of the day, it is allocated to power boating, such as water skiing and jet skis, and at other times to rowing and sailing boats. Again, passage is possible with care whilst not impeding allocated users. Please follow navigation rules which require you to keep to the right-hand side of the river, especially around bends, as the winding nature of the river makes seeing more difficult, but staying on the correct side of the river will help with being seen.
There are many more miles of the Tees between here and Darlington, with the river flowing around giant bends, giving much possible mileage to paddle. The main snag is that the river flows mostly in a deep valley, with little road access, but it is both beautiful, and untouched, and apparently little fished.
Years ago, most kayakers were only interested in the white water upper stretches of the Tees, often preserved for salmon angling, and ignored the lower river. Cleaning it up has been a boon for everyone – more fish, and cleaner water. The urban areas of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, and Darlington are on your doorstep here.
