North of England Head of the River Race
Head race
5,000m course
- British Rowing region
- North West
- Entries status
- Planning
- Date
- Sunday 14 March 2027
- Venue
- River Dee, Chester
- Organised by
- Liz Coady
North of England Head of the River Race is a late-winter head race, raced in the long-course time-trial format with staggered starts held on Sunday, 14 March 2027 at River Dee, Chester in Chester, Cheshire over a 5,000m course. The fixture is organised by Liz Coady. North of England Head of the River Race programmes 3 boat classes including Eights, Junior Octuples, Quads.
Who races here
From the last 3 races (2024 to 2026).
110
crews a year on average
51%
juniors
62%
sweep boats
209
eights raced
Masters: 67 crews over 3 races, mostly eights. Bands C to G raced.
Who races here
Over the last 3 races (2024 to 2026) this head averaged 110 crews. Most crews were juniors (51%). Sculling boats made up 38% of entries. Masters crews made up 20% (67 crews), mostly eights.
330 crews across 3 editions. The grids combine all years shown.
Will my crew have racing here?
See which crews raced before. This does not confirm this year's entry categories.
No matching crews were recorded for Masters A men's quad in the last 3 years.
- 2026: No band A men's quad raced
- 2025: No band A men's quad raced
- 2024: No band A men's quad raced
Junior crews can often enter an older age category. Check the event's rules.
Crews by age and boat
Choose a cell to check your crew. Darker blue means more crews.
Scroll sideways to see every boat or band.
| Age group | 1x Single | 2x Double | 2- Pair | 4x Quad | 4x+ Coxed quad | 4- Four | 4+ Coxed four | 8+ Eight | 8x+ Sculling eight | All boats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior | 168 | |||||||||
| Senior and open | 94 | |||||||||
| Masters | 67 | |||||||||
| University and college | 0 | |||||||||
| Beginner | 0 | |||||||||
| All ages | 0 | 0 | 0 | 74 | 46 | 0 | 0 | 203 | 6 | 330 |
Crews per cell
0
1-9
10-24
25-49
50-99
100-199
200+
Masters crews by band
Each crew counts in its own band. Choose a cell to see the races.
| Boat | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | Unknown band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1x Single | ||||||||||||
| 2x Double | ||||||||||||
| 2- Pair | ||||||||||||
| 4x Quad | ||||||||||||
| 4x+ Coxed quad | ||||||||||||
| 4- Four | ||||||||||||
| 4+ Coxed four | ||||||||||||
| 8+ Eight | ||||||||||||
| 8x+ Sculling eight |
Crews per cell
0
1-9
10-24
25-49
50-99
100-199
200+
Categories raced
Open an age group to compare categories. Counts are crews in each year.
Scroll the table sideways to see all years.
Junior 33 categories raced
| Category | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| J15 coxed quad Op.J15.4x+ | - | 6 | 7 |
| J18 women's quad W.J18.4x | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| J17 women's quad W.J17.4x | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| J15 women's coxed quad, band 2 B2.W.J15.4x+ | - | 5 | 4 |
| J16 women's quad W.J16.4x | 4 | 5 | - |
| J17 quad Op.J17.4x | - | 5 | 4 |
| J18 eight Op.J18.8+ | - | 5 | 3 |
| J18 quad Op.J18.4x | 3 | - | 4 |
| J18 women's eight W.J18.8+ | 2 | 5 | - |
| J15 women's coxed quad, band 1 B1.W.J15.4x+ | - | 3 | 3 |
| J16 women's eight W.J16.8+ | 4 | 2 | - |
| J15 coxed quad, band 2 B2.Op.J15.4x+ | 5 | - | - |
| J16 quad Op.J16.4x | 3 | - | 2 |
| J17 quad, band 2 B2.Op.J17.4x | 5 | - | - |
| J15 coxed quad, band 1 B1.Op.J15.4x+ | 4 | - | - |
| J15 eight Op.J15.8+ | 2 | 2 | - |
| J15 sculling eight Op.J15.8x+ | 3 | 1 | - |
| J15 women's coxed quad W.J15.4x+ | 4 | - | - |
| J16 eight Op.J16.8+ | 4 | - | - |
| J16 quad, band 2 B2.Op.J16.4x | - | 4 | - |
| J17 eight Op.J17.8+ | - | 2 | 2 |
| J18 eight, band 2 B2.Op.J18.8+ | 4 | - | - |
| J18 quad, band 2 B2.Op.J18.4x | - | 4 | - |
| J14 women's coxed quad W.J14.4x+ | - | 3 | - |
| J16 quad, band 1 B1.Op.J16.4x | - | 3 | - |
| J17 quad, band 1 B1.Op.J17.4x | 3 | - | - |
| J18 quad, band 1 B1.Op.J18.4x | - | 3 | - |
| J15 women's sculling eight W.J15.8x+ | - | 2 | - |
| J17 women's eight W.J17.8+ | - | - | 2 |
| J18 eight, band 1 B1.Op.J18.8+ | 2 | - | - |
| J13 coxed quad Op.J13.4x+ | - | - | 1 |
| J14 coxed quad Op.J14.4x+ | - | 1 | - |
| J15 women's eight W.J15.8+ | 1 | - | - |
Senior and open 7 categories raced
| Category | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open eight, band 2 B2.Op.8+ | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Open eight, band 3 B3.Op.8+ | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Open eight, band 1 B1.Op.8+ | 6 | 6 | 3 |
| Women's eight, band 2 B2.W.8+ | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Women's eight, band 1 B1.W.8+ | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Women's eight, band 3 B3.W.8+ | 6 | 5 | - |
| Open eight, band 4 B4.Op.8+ | - | 4 | 6 |
Masters 13 categories raced
| Category | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masters E and F women's eight W.Mas.EF.8+ | 7 | 6 | - |
| Masters E men's eight Op.Mas.E.8+ | 6 | 6 | - |
| Masters B and C men's eight Op.Mas.BC.8+ | 3 | - | 6 |
| Masters F men's eight Op.Mas.F.8+ | 3 | 3 | - |
| Masters B and D men's eight Op.Mas.BD.8+ | - | 4 | - |
| Masters C women's eight W.Mas.C.8+ | 2 | 2 | - |
| Masters E women's eight W.Mas.E.8+ | - | - | 4 |
| Masters C and D women's eight W.Mas.CD.8+ | - | - | 3 |
| Masters E men's eight, band 1 B1.Op.Mas.E.8+ | - | - | 3 |
| Masters E men's eight, band 2 B2.Op.Mas.E.8+ | - | - | 3 |
| Masters D men's eight Op.Mas.D.8+ | 2 | - | - |
| Masters G and H men's eight Op.Mas.GH.8+ | - | 2 | - |
| Masters G men's eight Op.Mas.G.8+ | 2 | - | - |
Other categories 1 categories raced
| Category | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pengwern Warriors T/O Pengwern Warriors T/O | 1 | - | - |
Counts come from the published results of past races. Organisers can merge or split categories each year, so check the current entry categories before you enter.
Venue location
About this regatta
Established in 1935, as a 5km race for eights on the river Dee from Eccleston Ferry to the Dee Lane, the first winners were Thames RC in a time of 18min 35sec. Usually raced on a Sunday one week before the Tideway Head the event is now usually open to Eights, Junior Octuples and quads and provides a fantastic final race sharpening opportunity.
Boat classes
- Eights
- Junior Octuples
- Quads
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North of England Head of the River Race 2027: common questions
When does North of England Head of the River Race 2027 take place?
North of England Head of the River Race 2027 is on Sunday 14 March 2027.
Where is North of England Head of the River Race held?
North of England Head of the River Race is held at River Dee, Chester in Chester, Cheshire. The venue sits in Chester, Cheshire.
What format is North of England Head of the River Race raced in?
North of England Head of the River Race is a late-winter head race, raced in the long-course time-trial format with staggered starts, over 5,000m.
Which boat classes race at North of England Head of the River Race?
North of England Head of the River Race runs 3 boat classes: Eights, Junior Octuples, Quads.
How do crews enter North of England Head of the River Race?
Entry information is published on the official regatta website (www.royalchester.org). Liz Coady is responsible for entries and on-the-day logistics.
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