Rowing on the River Thames


The River Thames is one of the main rowing areas in England, with activity taking place on the Tideway and on the 45 separate lock reaches on the non-tidal section. The river hosts two major rowing events, The Boat Race and Henley Royal Regatta, and many other regattas and long distance events take place on the river. Dorney Lake in Buckinghamshire was opened specifically as a rowing lake besides the Thames, and has become the venue for a few events that formerly took place on the river. Other lakes adjacent to the Thames are the Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake and Royal Albert Dock. Rowing, or sculling, includes skiffing, dinghy racing and cutter racing in which the boats are also propelled by blades.

Regattas

Rowing Regattas generally take place during the summer months and usually consist of short side-by-side sprint events, with heats and finals.
EventSpecialMonthArea or Lock ReachApprox Start PointDirectionDistance
Barnes and Mortlake RegattaJuneTideway1000 m
Borne at Chiswick BridgeMayTideway1000 m
Burway Junior RegattaJuniorJulyChertsey LockDown600 m
Chertsey RegattaSkiffingJulyShepperton LockDumsey MeadowDown500 m
Chiswick RegattaApril or MayTideway1000 m
Egham RegattaJuneBell Weir LockBell WeirUp650 m
Goring and Streatley RegattaJulyCleeve LockDown500 m
Hammersmith RegattaAprilTideway
Fulham football ground / Lep wharf 1400 m
Hampton Court and Dittons RegattaSkiffingJulyTeddington LockRiver MoleDown650 m
Henley Royal RegattaJulyHambleden LockTemple IslandUp2112 m
Henley Town and Visitors RegattaJuly or AugustHambleden LockTemple IslandUp1000 m
Henley Veterans RegattaVeteransJulyHambleden LockTemple IslandUp1000 m
Henley Women's RegattaLadiesJuneHambleden LockTemple IslandUp1500 m
Kingston RegattaJulyTeddington LockRaven's AitDown1000 m
Maidenhead RegattaAugustBray LockMaidenhead Railway BridgeUp500 m
Maidenhead Junior RegattaJuniorMayBray LockMaidenhead Railway BridgeUp500 m
Marlow RegattaJuneDorney LakeStill2000 m
Marlow Spring RegattaMayMarlow LockDown950 m
Marlow Town RegattaJuneMarlow LockDown900 m
Metropolitan RegattaMay/ JuneDorney LakeStill2000 m
Molesey RegattaJulyMolesey LockPlatts EyotDown850 m
Molesey Junior RegattaJuniorJulyMolesey LockPlatts EyotDown500 m
Oxford City Royal RegattaAugustIffley LockDown1000 m
Oxford City Sprint RegattaAugustIffley LockDown500 m
Putney Town RegattaMayTideway
Fulham Reach		1200 m
Reading Amateur RegattaJuneCaversham LockSt Mary's IslandDown1500 m
Reading Town RegattaJuneThames Valley ParkUp800 m
Richmond RegattaJuneTideway
Downstream end of Eel Pie IslandDown1250 m
Skiff Championships RegattaSkiffingAugustHambleden LockHenley on ThamesDown750 m
Sonning RegattaGeneralMaySonning Lock
Staines RegattaJulyPenton Hook LockDown500 m
Sunbury Amateur RegattaGeneralAugustMolesey LockSunbury Court IslandUp650 m
Thames Ditton RegattaMayTeddington LockRiver MoleUp1050 m
Thames Valley Park RegattaJuneSonning LockUp500 m
Twickenham RegattaMayTideway
Downstream end of Eel Pie Island1250 m
Wallingford RegattaMayDorney LakeStill2000 m
Walton and Weybridge RegattaJuneSunbury LockWalton BridgeDown1000 m
Walton Reach RegattaSkiffingAugustSunbury LockWalton on ThamesDown600 m
Wargrave and Shiplake RegattaGeneralAugustMarsh LockShiplake Railway BridgeDown400 m
Weybridge Ladies RegattaLadiesJuneSunbury LockUp900 m
Wraysbury and Old Windsor RegattaSkiffingJulyBell Weir LockHythe EndDown500 m

"General" refers to a mix of skiffing, cutters, dinghies and other rowed craft.

Head of River and Long Distance Events

Rowing Head of the River and Long Distance events generally take place in the winter months and are usually processional races with competitors being set off at time intervals and judged on the basis of comparative timing or by bumping. Many of the long distance events on the Tideway are raced over The Championship Course and apart from the Boat Race and Wingfield Sculls may begin from Mortlake or Putney depending on river conditions.
EventSpecialMonthArea or Lock ReachApprox Start PointDirectionDistance-
Abingdon HeadAprilCulham LockUp2000 m-
Burway HeadFebruaryChertsey LockM3 BridgeUp3000 m-
Burway Small Boats HeadDecemberChertsey LockM3 BridgeUp3000 m-
Eights WeekUniversity of OxfordMayIffley LockUp-
Greenwich HeadFebruaryTidewayWapping PierUp3 miles-
Hammersmith HeadMarchTidewayChiswick BridgeDown2¾ miles-
Hammersmith Women's HeadLadiesTideway-
Hampton Fours and Eights HeadJuniorJanuaryMolesey LockDown3000 m-
Head of the River FoursNovemberTidewayChampionship CourseEither6800 m-
Head of the River RaceMarchTidewayChampionship CourseEither6800 m-
Henley Fours and Eights HeadFebruaryHambleden LockUp3000 m-
Henley Junior HeadJuniorFebruaryHambleden LockUp3000 m-
Henley Sculls HeadNovemberHambleden LockUp3000 m-
Isis ScullsSeptemberIffley LockUp1800 m-
Kingston HeadMarchTeddington LockRiver MoleDown5200 m-
Kingston Small Boats HeadNovemberTeddington LockDittons Skiff and Punting ClubDown5000 m-
Marlow LD ScullsNovemberCookham LockCookham BridgeUp2400/4800 m-
Molesey Veteran HeadVeteranFebruaryMolesey LockDown3000 m-
Oxford City Bumping RacesAprilIffley Lock-
Pangbourne Junior ScullsJuniorNovemberWhitchurch LockChild Beale ParkDown3000 m-
Pairs Head of RiverOctoberTidewayChampionship CourseEither6800 m
Reading Small Boats HeadOctoberCaversham Lock1000m downstream of Roebuck HotelDown3300 m-
Reading University Head of the RiverFebruary/MarchCaversham LockThe Roebuck Hotel, TilehurstDown4500 m-
Schools' Head of the River RaceJuniorMarchTidewayChampionship CourseEither6800 m-
Teddington Small Boats HeadNovemberTeddington LockDittons Skiff and Punting ClubDown5000 m-
Thames Valley Trial HeadJanuaryDorney Lake-
TorpidsUniversity of OxfordMarchIffley LockUp-
Tideway Scullers HeadAprilTideway-
Tiffin Small Boats HeadOctoberTeddington LockDown5300 m-
Upper Thames Small Boats HeadOctoberHambleden LockUp3500 m-
Vesta Veterans International Eights Head of the River RaceVeteranMarchTidewayChampionship CourseEither6800 m-
Vesta Scullers Head of River RaceNovember/ DecemberTidewayChampionship CourseEither6800 m-
Veteran Fours HeadVeteranNovemberTidewayChampionship CourseEither6800 m-
Wallingford LD ScullsOctoberCleeve LockMoulsford Railway BridgeUp4000 m-
Walton Small Boats HeadDecemberSunbury LockDown3000 m-
Weybridge Silver ScullsOctoberSunbury LockUp3300 m-
Weybridge Winter HeadJanuarySunbury LockUp3000 m-
Wingfield ScullsOctoberTidewayPutneyUp6800 m-
Women's HeadLadiesMarchTidewayChampionship CourseEither6500 m-

Other events

Rowing on the river is generally organised through clubs based on the Thames, which include the following.

Major clubs