English: Eggleston Bridge approach The Tees 'Racing stretch' starts at Eggleston bridge, but it is an awkward place to put on with a large group, and for a party including relative novices, it is usually a good idea to warm up on the section down from Middleton, since the river is concentrated into more of a gorge on the next section and is noticeably harder. The level of the river in dry weather is largely controlled by releases from Cow Green reservoir and in October 2009 this had been releasing a good quantity of water into the river, making it one of the few local paddling venues with enough flow. Unfortunately, after we had committed to this trip, the flow was much reduced, so here we are at the end of the long gentle section having had a bit of a rock bash to get here.