The rowing scene in Reading
Reading sits on the non-tidal Thames between Henley and Pangbourne, with the wide, sheltered Reading Reach above Caversham Bridge giving rowers up to 7km of unbroken water. The town is home to the GB Rowing Team national training centre at the Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake in Caversham, alongside one senior community club, a powerhouse university programme and four school boat clubs that send crews to Henley Royal Regatta and the National Schools Regatta most years.
Key numbers
The Reading Reach is a 6-7km stretch of the non-tidal Thames running roughly from Mapledurham Lock through Tilehurst to Caversham Lock and on toward Sonning. It is wide, sheltered and effectively dead water, which is why it hosts Reading University Head of the River Race (the fourth-oldest head race in the country) and Reading Amateur Regatta. A few minutes from the river, the Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake in Caversham is the GB Rowing Team National Training Centre - a purpose-built 2,000m still-water course opened in 2006 where roughly 60 full-time senior international athletes train daily.
All 6 rowing clubs in Reading
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The Oratory School Boat Club
Boat club of The Oratory School at Woodcote, racing out of its own boathouse on the Thames at Whitchurch a short distance upstream of Pangbourne. Competes at Thames Valley Park Regatta, National Schools Regatta and Marlow Town Regatta. |
1859 | The Oratory School Boathouse, Whitchurch-on-Thames, RG8 | Pangbourne Reach (non-tidal Thames) | School |
|
Reading Rowing Club
Founded 1867 - one of the oldest rowing clubs in the United Kingdom. Based at Thames Promenade between Caversham and Mapledurham Lock, with Senior, Junior, Recreational and Masters squads and a Learn to Row pipeline. Hosts Reading Amateur Regatta and Reading Small Boats Head. |
1867 | The Boathouse, Thames Promenade, Richfield Avenue, Reading, RG1 8BD | Reading Reach (non-tidal Thames) | Senior community |
|
Reading University Boat Club
Founded 1892 and one of the top university rowing programmes in the UK, boating from Caversham with use of an undisrupted 6km stretch of the Thames. Heavyweight and lightweight men and women race at BUCS, HORR, HRR and trials. RUBC organises Reading University Head of the River Race every February. |
1892 | Abbotsmead Place, Caversham, Reading, RG4 8BB | Reading Reach (non-tidal Thames) | University / high-performance |
|
Pangbourne College Boat Club
Founded as the Nautical College Pangbourne in 1917 - the school retains a naval flavour and rowing has been a flagship sport from the start. Four-time winners of the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta. |
1917 | Pangbourne College, Shooters Hill, Pangbourne, RG8 8LA | Pangbourne Reach (non-tidal Thames) | School |
|
Reading Blue Coat School Boat Club
Boat club of Reading Blue Coat School in Sonning, with over 4km of secluded river opposite the Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake. First raced at Henley Royal Regatta in 2005; J18 8+ British Rowing champions in 2023 and 2024. Girls joined the boat club in 2023. |
1965 | Reading Blue Coat School, Holme Park, Sonning, Reading, RG4 6SU | Sonning Reach (non-tidal Thames) | School |
|
GB Rowing Team National Training Centre (Caversham)
Opened in 2006 by Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent, the National Training Centre at Caversham hosts around 60 full-time GB senior international rowers and 20 staff daily. UK Sport funded; a redeveloped Sherriff Boathouse was approved in 2025. Closed to public membership but central to Reading's rowing identity. |
2006 | Sherriff Boathouse, Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake, Caversham, Reading | Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake (purpose-built 2,000m still water) | National training centre (not an open club) |
Major regattas in or near Reading
Mid-June (1500m Saturday / 1000m Sunday)
Late February
Early-to-mid October
Late June (paired with Thames Valley Park Regatta)
Software for Reading rowing clubs
Most of the 6 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.
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From the blog
If you're researching the rowing scene in Reading as a club admin or captain, these are the most useful pieces we've written.
Sources & references
- Reading Amateur Regatta: Rowing in Reading (clubs/schools/universities list)
- Wikipedia: Reading Rowing Club
- Wikipedia: Reading University Boat Club
- Wikipedia: Reading Blue Coat School Boat Club
- Wikipedia: Reading University Head of the River Race
- Wikipedia: Reading Amateur Regatta
- Wikipedia: Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake
- British Rowing: GB Rowing Team Senior Programme (Caversham NTC)