Imagine this – you’re on a rubber dinghy, clinging on against the wild rush of water, and glance back to see a towering Tyrannosaurus Rex, dagger-like teeth and all, powering its way towards you with murderous intent. Well, you can get a taste of the action, with less of the dinosaur peril, at Lee Valley White Water Centre in Waltham Cross.
It was not only home to the 2012 Olympic course, but also the spot where they shot the adrenaline-spiking river chase scene in Jurassic World: Rebirth – albeit with a few VFX-tweaks (the story is set on a remote island in the Atlantic Ocean after all) for the final result. As if the T-Rex wasn’t scary enough, now they’ve thrown treacherous rapids into the equation.
What is the T-Rex river chase scene?
The exciting scene has been a long time coming. It goes back to the very beginning, appearing in Michael Crichton’s original Jurassic Park novel, where Alan Grant and the kids flee a T-Rex while on a raft. Steven Spielberg and David Koepp wanted to include it in the original film, but budgetary constraints meant it never got past the storyboarding stage. Now, Koepp has revived it for the newest instalment Jurassic World: Rebirth – and it looks positively nerve-wracking (in a good way).
The filming took place at Lee Valley White Water Centre, with director Gareth Edwards telling Empire magazine “It was freezing – I felt really bad for the cast“. So, you might want to brace yourself if you choose to tackle the rushing waters.
What can you do at Lee Valley White Water Centre?
With the weather warming (hopefully), Lee Valley White Water Centre is an ideal spot for an adventurous day out. Their facilities include a 160m long white water course, a 10,000m2 lake and, of course, an Olympic-standard 300m white water course.
There’s also plenty of activities to choose from, whether you fancy taking on the torrents as a team with white water rafting, working as a duo in the hot dog kayaks or going solo with a board and flippers to ride the waves – aka hydrospeeding. This is your chance to step (or swim) through the screen and see how you’d fare in the high-stakes moment; though maybe avoid any dinosaur daydreams when you’re actually in the thick of it.
You can always dial things down a notch and try out their other range of water-sports on the sprawling lake. There’s everything from paddle boarding to kayaking, or, maybe if you’re training for a triathlon or want to scrub up on your strokes, the chance for a spot of open water swimming. If it’s a slightly more chaotic competition you’re after, you can book into their ‘Water Wipeout’ an inflatable obstacle course with a slide at the end.
The centre is also home to the Brew Street Kitchen and Bar, where you can refuel with a slice of pizza, or sit back and spectate with a tipple or two. As well as the Taverna on the Terrace, serving up souvlaki wraps, fries and combo boxes for the kids to devour while they dry off.
🕰️ Opening times can differ, consult their website for more details
📍 Station Rd, Waltham Cross EN9 1AB
🚇 Nearest station is Waltham Cross Station, you can reach it via direct trains from Liverpool Street or Tottenham Hale