Welcome to Warwickshire County Council

Top Tips

This section of the website will include useful information that might help to make the most of your visit to Kingsbury Water Park OEC, or even give you a few ideas on how to continue your involvement in Outdoor Activities.

Food and Drink

Q. What refreshments can I buy at the centre?
A. The centre doesn't have a tuck shop or any vending machines. The centre is situated well away from built up areas so the only opportunity to buy food near to the centre is the Campsite shop just across the road. This shop isn't always open at regular times during the day and only really sells sweets, crisps and ice creams.

Watersports

Q. What footwear is best for watersports?
A. Don't throw out your old trainers when they get a bit tatty. Keep them for watersports use! You never know when you might need them. Most centres require you to wear something on your feet during watersports because the edge of the lake or river is often slippery or rocky so it is quite easy to slip or cut your feet, therefore you need some foot protection. You can't just leave your shoes at the edge of the lake or river either, you need them on the water for when you fall out of the boat or raft. If you've got them, wet suit shoes with fairly thick soles are ideal for watersports use as well. For those die-hard watersports enthusiasts who don't give up when it gets colder, a set of neoprene socks (if you can find them) are fairly inexpensive and will keep your feet much warmer inside your trainers. Old trainers and neoprene socks are actually the footwear of choice for many top white water kayakers!

Q. Can I use flip flops for watersports?
A. Best not to. Flip flops provide no ankle protection and when you get in and out of wobbly boats with wet feet on uneven ground its very easy to spin off your flip flops and twist your ankle. Sandals aren't as bad as they do have heel straps but they're still not ideal as they give you no toe protection.

Q. Can I use my own wetsuit?
A. Absolutely! Your own wetsuit will usually fit you better than the ones we have because you bought it to fit you! As for other watersports clothing that you may already own, like spray jackets, buoyancy aids and helmets by all means bring it along. The Instructor will check over your buoyancy aid or helmet and decide whether it's suitable or not for the activity. In most cases this is fine, but if it’s a particularly old and tatty B.A. we may ask you to use one of ours instead.

Q. What's best to wear under a wetsuit?
A. Not very much! Wetsuits work by trapping a thin layer of water next to your skin (this is why they should be tight - to minimise how much water can get in!). This layer of water is then warmed by your body and in turn it helps to keep you warm (this is why when you first get wet it's really cold, but after a while you start to warm up). If you wear a lot of clothing under your wetsuit you stop this process from working, particularly if it's cotton which stays cold when it's wet. The best thing to wear under a wetsuit is something that is designed to be wet as well, like a swimming costume/trunks and/or a rash vest if you have one. There's no real hygiene issue because all of our wetsuits are dunked in a solution of water and Milton after every use. If you find you are still cold then feel free to wear your spare clothes over the top of the wetsuit, that way if you're lucky (or skilled) enough to stay dry throughout the session you'll benefit from the warmth of the clothes, but if you do get wet you won't have stopped the wetsuit from working it's magic.

Q. Is it true that you should wee in your wetsuit to make it warmer?
A. This is a disgusting practice. Yes you will have a warm feeling down there but who wants to sit in their wee for a couple of hours. You'll probably wash it out in the cold water and then you might as well not have done it the first place.

Land Sports

Q. Can I use my own climbing equipment?
A. You may use your own Helmet or Harness providing they are in safe working condition. Your Instructor will check the equipment before you start and if they feel it isn't suitable they will ask you to use one of ours instead. All other equipment must be covered by the centre's insurance so don't bring your own ropes or karabiners along. At the present the centre's climbing tower doesn't have the facility for lead/sport climbing anyway.

Q. What are the best shoes to climb in?
A. Something that is tough and old so that it protects your feet and is less likely to get ruined or doesn't really matter if it does. Apart from that the best shoes for climbing are quite slim and tight so that your foot sticks to the hold better. They would also have a sole that isn't too squashy, that will fold off the hold. Walking boots, if you've got them, may work better than trainers because they have a stiff sole. However they're not as flexible as trainers.

Q. Can I bring my own Mountain Biking equipment to use on session?
A. As usual your Instructor will check to see if the equipment is in safe working order before allowing it to be used in a session where we are responsible for your safety. In particular we insist that Bikes must have both front and rear brakes in working order. If yours doesn't, don't bother bringing it with you. Another consideration with the bike is that we may not have the correct inner tube to fit your bike in the field should it get a flat tyre. Remember that we are quite often a long way from the centre or from the minibus!

Lost Property

Q. What do I do if I have left something behind at the centre?
A. Get in touch with us a soon as possible. If we find something left behind that might be wearable or is valuable it is dated and stored in lost property for a month. After this time unclaimed items are either binned or given to charity if suitable.