The rowing scene in Glasgow
Glasgow rowing splits across two pieces of water. On the River Clyde at Glasgow Green - in the heart of the city - six competitive clubs share the East and West Boathouses, including some of the oldest surviving clubs in Scotland. Twenty-five minutes east at Strathclyde Country Park in Motherwell, Scotland's only international-standard 8-lane 2km regatta course hosts the Scottish Rowing Championships and serves as home water for Strathclyde Park Rowing Club and the Scottish Rowing Centre.
Key numbers
The River Clyde above the tidal weir at Glasgow Green provides a 3km stretch suitable for head racing - the Clyde Head of the River Races run upstream from the Shawfield Footbridge to the monument at Glasgow Green. For multi-lane regatta racing, clubs travel 25 minutes east to Strathclyde Country Park in Motherwell, home of Scotland's only 8-lane 2,000m international course and the Scottish Rowing Centre. The Clyde and Strathclyde Park together host the bulk of competitive rowing in the west of Scotland.
All 10 rowing clubs in Glasgow
Sorted by founding year. Every entry links to the club's own website; we verified all URLs in May 2026. If you spot an error or your club is missing, let us know.
| Club | Founded | Location | Reach | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Clydesdale Amateur Rowing Club
Founded 1856 - the oldest surviving rowing club on the Clyde. Shares the Category B-listed West Boathouse (built 1905) with Clyde ARC; major refurbishment reopened the boathouse in May 2023. |
1856 | West Boathouse, Tidal Weir, Glasgow Green, G1 5QA | River Clyde (Glasgow Green) | Senior community |
|
Clyde Amateur Rowing Club
Founded 1865; dominated the 1914 Scottish Championships winning 6 of 7 races. Hosts the Clyde Head of the River Races (three divisions, ~3km from Shawfield Footbridge to Glasgow Green monument). |
1865 | West Boathouse, Glasgow Green, G1 5QA | River Clyde (Glasgow Green) | Senior community |
|
Glasgow University Boat Club
Founded 1867 as Glasgow University Rowing Club; first raced at Henley in 1936. Merged with the Ladies Boat Club in 2004 to form todays GUBC. Hosts the Scottish Boat Race against Edinburgh - the third-oldest university boat race in the world. |
1867 | East Boathouse, Glasgow Green, G40 1AT | River Clyde (Glasgow Green) | University |
|
Glasgow Schools Rowing Club
Founded 1942 to promote rowing among Glasgow secondary school boys; moved to the East Boathouse in 1951. Today over 60 pupils from seven schools - Glasgow Academy, Hutchesons Grammar, St Aloysius, Kelvinside Academy, Lourdes Secondary, St Mungos and Holyrood - row from the boathouse. |
1942 | East Boathouse, Glasgow Green, G40 1AT | River Clyde (Glasgow Green) | School (multi-school) |
|
Strathclyde University Boat Club
Founded 1967 and student-run since; moved into the refurbished West Boathouse alongside Clyde and Clydesdale ARCs in 2023. Hosts the SUBC Head each February and competes at BUCS regattas. |
1967 | West Boathouse, Glasgow Green, G1 5QA | River Clyde (Glasgow Green) | University |
|
Westquarter & Redding Amateur Rowing Club
Falkirk-area senior club that trains regularly on the Strathclyde Park 2km course alongside SPRC; one of the established Scottish Rowing affiliated clubs in the Forth-Clyde corridor. |
1980 | Strathclyde Country Park, Motherwell, ML1 3RT (training base) | Strathclyde Park (2km course) / Union Canal | Senior community |
|
Glasgow Rowing Club
Formed in December 1983 by the merger of Glasgow Argonauts Boat Club (1924) and City of Glasgow Rowing Club (1965). Based on the south bank of the Clyde at Silverfir Place since 1997; now one of the most successful senior clubs in Scotland. |
1983 | Silverfir Place, Gorbals, Glasgow, G5 | River Clyde (Glasgow, south bank) | Senior community |
|
Strathclyde Park Rowing Club
Founded 2000 - the only open club based at Scotlands premier 8-lane, 2,000m international course. Operates from the Scottish Rowing Centre with a 40-boat fleet; members have medalled at Scottish, British, Henley Masters and World Masters championships. |
2000 | Scottish Rowing Centre, Strathclyde Country Park, Motherwell, ML1 3RT | Strathclyde Park (2km 8-lane course) | Senior community |
|
Glasgow Academy Boat Club
Restarted rowing at The Glasgow Academy in 2008 from the Glasgow Schools East Boathouse. Now one of Scotlands strongest junior performance programmes, regularly producing GB Junior squad rowers under head coach Iain Somerside. |
2008 | East Boathouse, Glasgow Green, G40 1AT | River Clyde (Glasgow Green) | School |
|
Glasgow Caledonian University Boat Club
GCU student rowing group run through the Students Association - members train with established Glasgow clubs and compete for the university at BUCS and Scottish Student events. No dedicated GCU boathouse. |
2013 | GCU Students Association, Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow, G4 0BA | River Clyde / Strathclyde Park | University |
Major regattas in or near Glasgow
Early June (Strathclyde Park)
Mid-April (Strathclyde Park)
Spring (River Clyde, Glasgow Green)
Late October (River Clyde, Glasgow Green)
Late September (River Clyde)
Early February (River Clyde)
Software for Glasgow rowing clubs
Most of the 10 clubs above still run their boat booking, member admin, session attendance and crew lineups on a combination of spreadsheets, WhatsApp groups and printed sheets on the boathouse wall. Row HQ is rowing-club management software built specifically for clubs like these.
If your committee is hitting the predictable problems - lineups in the wrong file, fees uncollected, attendance unrecorded, captain on holiday with the password - book a 30-minute demo. We've ported clubs from spreadsheets in a weekend.
See Row HQ for your club
Free forever for clubs of up to 20 active members. No card needed.
Other rowing-club cities
Looking at the wider regional scene? Here are the other cities we have full directories for.
Cambridge has one of the densest rowing scenes in the world, packed into a single mile of the narrow...
London is the densest rowing scene in the world. From the Tideway between Putney and Mortlake (host...
Oxford is the spiritual home of British rowing. The Isis - the local name for the Thames as it flows...
Durham is a collegiate rowing city in the same vein as Oxford and Cambridge. Sixteen-plus Durham Uni...
Bristol has one of the most unusual rowing scenes in the UK. The mid-city Floating Harbour gives sen...
Newcastle and Tyneside have one of the deepest rowing traditions in England. The River Tyne hosts se...
From the blog
If you're researching the rowing scene in Glasgow as a club admin or captain, these are the most useful pieces we've written.