Bedford Rowing Club - Bedford | UK Rowing Clubs | Row HQ

Bedford Rowing Club rows on the River Great Ouse from Duck Mill Lane in Bedford. It was founded as Bedford Amateur Rowing Club at a meeting called by the town's mayor in 1886 and adopted its present name in 1902.

The club moved to Longholme boathouse in 1922, sharing it with Bedford School and Bedford Modern School. It leased the Cheetham boathouse in 1960 and has remained there since.

The current boathouse has boat bays and a gym on the ground floor. Its upper spaces include a clubroom and bar, changing rooms, an ergometer room, offices and a committee room.

Adult courses run throughout the year, beginning on rowing machines before moving to crew training boats and then stable singles. Junior learn-to-row sessions run on Sundays.

The wider programme includes senior men and women, development, masters, juniors and recreational rowing. The junior squad covers ages 13 to 18 and targets the National Schools' Regatta, British Rowing Junior Championships and qualification for Henley Royal Regatta.

Bedford's junior programme reports international medallists, including 2025 world golds for alumni in the under-19 men's coxless four and under-23 women's quadruple sculls. Masters who started through the club's beginner courses have also progressed to national-level wins.

The club hosts the Bedford Spring Head and other head races and helps organise Bedford Amateur Regatta. British Rowing reported that Bedford won ten events and supplied the two fastest crews across six divisions at its 2026 Spring Head.