STARING straight ahead and stepping ever so gingerly on little more than a narrow piece of wood almost 18 metres off the ground, I begin to feel myself manfully conquering a lifelong unease with heights.

A child's voice breaks my reverie. "Hey," says the freckle-faced lad, who was no more than ten years old, "I want to to swing over the edge on the rope...do you think we're allowed?"

The very thought paralyses me with fear and I resist the temptation to tell the kid to go ahead.

The Northern Echo:

SCARY: The new climbing attraction. Picture: Pat Blewitt/NE Camera Club

 

In fact me, the boy, and all those brave children of Wynyard CoE Primary School and Thornaby's St Patrick's RC Primary School, could not possibly be any safer on this publicity day at the £1m Air Trail Tees Barrage, which is situated next to the river at the international white water centre.

We're all securely strapped in to harnesses, which are attached to the structure itself.

And not one of the dozens of children, all aged nine and ten, have refused to go on and, after a few tentative minutes are are enjoying themselves, taking on as many of the 38 'challenges' as they can on the giant skeleton structure, from walkways to zip wires.

None, however, take on either of the two 'plank' walks - single steel juts poking into the air right at the very top.

Then again, none of the North-East's brave journalists clambering around with the children do, either.

 

The Northern Echo:

DON'T LOOK DOWN: Picture by Pat Blewitt/NE Camera Club

Safely back on the terra firma, Steve Chaytor, managing director of Tees Active, the organisation in charge of most of Stockton's leisure activities, explains that it's hoped about 20,000 to 25,000 thrill-seekers will be attracted to the Air Trail in its first year.

That would generate about £100,000 for leisure and sport activities in Stockton. There had been objections that the huge scaffolding-like frame would be too ugly, ruining the riverside view.

"Well, some people have told me it has a certain beauty," says Mr Chaytor. "We didn't want it too twee, make it look like trees and so on. I think it's appropriate to this area, to what we are on Teesside. We think big and we do big things here."

It's fair to say it's not the aesthetics that are bothering the children of St Patrick's and Wynyard schools too much. Faith Graham, aged nine, of St Patrick's, come off grinning. "It's really good fun and I liked seeing my friends having fun," she says. "I was scared before I went on but I didn't look down." Her pal, Wiktor Pazera, ten, agrees. "I was a little bit scared - but now I want to go on it again," he says, looking up, hopefully at his teacher.

The chances your much-less courageous, middle-aged reporter joining him are remote.

* The Air Trail opens on Saturday and costs £7.50 per individual if you book ahead, £9 on the day. A pre-ordered family ticket is £28 or £32 on the day and a group of 15 or more people can pay just £7 each if they book ahead. There's also an 'Air Tykes' course for little ones which costs £3 per child. For more information log on to airtrail.co.uk or contact 01642 265454.