English: River Tees easy rapids The section of the Tees from Cotherstone to Barnard Castle is a classic easy section for beginners - at almost any level. This Swaledale Outdoor Club trip was at a fairly low level, as everything was frozen and most of the water was coming from dam release up at Cow Green. This makes for shallow and rocky rapids, and very cold water, but equipment is unlikely to be washed away in the event of an upset. The paddler here, Neil Bridgstock, is emphatically not a beginner, but we were doing this section of river because all the harder sections are too low in these conditions.