The centre's winter season runs from Janu

GO NICHE:WANT TO feel like an Olympian? Well, you can, thanks to Lee Valley White Water Centre in Hertfordshire. It's the only new London 2012 venue that can be used by the public.

The centre’s winter season runs from January to April when its rapids are going to be icy cold, meaning you’ll have to be even hardier than those fair-weather official athletes. After that it gets handed over to the organisers of the Olympics.

Sessions are bookable now, priced at £49 (€57), including double wetsuit, helmet and boots. Visitors get a safety briefing followed by some flat water exercises on the lake, to get the feel of your boat.

After that the fun grows incrementally. You’ll get several runs down the course, with the challenges mounting each time. By your final run you’ll be surfing, high siding, spinning and nose dunking with the best of them.

There are two courses, the 300m Olympic standard competition course with a stomach lurching drop of 5.5m from start to finish, and the 160m Legacy course, with a gentler decline of 1.6m.

Conveyors bring your canoe back up to the start pool, so you don’t even need to get out and carry your boat back up.

Rafters must be at least 14 years of age and under 18 stone. And, as the company points out, while navigating the course you could end up taking a tumble into some grade four rapids, which means you’ll do some extreme swimming as well.

Despite this the centre is open to non-swimmers too. Once overboard they just ride the waves in their buoyancy aid until someone fishes them out – and gives them a medal for bravery no doubt.

leevalleypark.org.uk