By Harry Nara · Last updated
- Where
- The Championship Course, Putney to Mortlake
- Tickets
- Free
- Time of year
- April
- Dates
- Set by the tide, so the date and time move each year
From the Boat Race Company and the University of Cambridge. Sunday 11 April 2027 is the centenary of the Women’s Boat Race, and for it the usual order is reversed: the men race first at 3:40pm and the women at 4:40pm. The date and times follow the tide, so each year’s are set separately. Road and bridge closure times on this page are from the last edition and are confirmed nearer the day.
Oxford and Cambridge race one boat each up the Thames from Putney to Mortlake, the men first and the women an hour later, in the year the women’s race turns a hundred. Each race is over in about twenty minutes and watching costs nothing from either bank. Stand near Hammersmith Bridge, where the crew in front usually goes on to win.
What The Boat Race actually is
Two universities, one boat each, side by side over the Championship Course: 4 miles 374 yards of the Thames, about 6.8 km, from the University Stone just west of Putney Bridge to a matching stone by The Ship pub in Mortlake. The men’s race has used this stretch for most of two centuries. The women’s race reaches its hundredth edition, and to mark it the men row first.
It has no fixed date because it is rowed upstream on the incoming flood tide, timed so the crews have the fastest current under them. The tide decides the day and the start time, and both move from one year to the next.
The bends decide the race. In the morning the two presidents toss a coin on Putney Embankment for the choice of bank, and it matters: the Surrey side, the Putney and Barnes bank, has the inside of the long middle bend. By the organiser’s count, four crews in five that lead at Hammersmith Bridge go on to win.
Where to watch the race
- Putney Embankment, in the morning. The road closes to traffic and becomes a riverside party. This is where the coin toss happens and where the crews launch from the boathouses before paddling to the start, so it is the closest you will get to the rowers themselves.
- The Fulham Fan Zone, across the river. At the last edition it spread over Bishops Park and Fulham Pier, with big screens, bars, street food and toilets, and the path behind the new Riverside Stand at Craven Cottage opened to spectators for the first time. It sits near the start, so the screens carry the rest of the race.
- Hammersmith Bridge and the bend beyond it. The stretch where tactics show: the cox on the Surrey side tries to push the other crew wide. Hammersmith also had its own free Fan Zone, and a big screen with deckchairs in Lyric Square.
- Chiswick Pier, mid-race. The crews pass about eleven minutes after the start, coming off the brief straight by Chiswick Eyot, where a crew often makes its decisive move.
- Barnes and Mortlake, for the finish. After Barnes Bridge there are about three minutes left. The White Hart at Barnes has balconies over the river, and The Ship at Mortlake sits by the finish, just short of Chiswick Bridge.
Tickets and what it costs
The organiser counts about four and a quarter miles of towpath across the two banks, and every metre of it is open to anyone who turns up.
The paid option is the organiser’s hospitality package in Putney, by the start. It buys comfort and a place near the crews before the race, not a better view of it: from any one spot the boats are in sight for well under a minute, and everyone follows the rest on a screen.
Official information and booking: www.theboatrace.org
Getting there
Pick a bank and stay on it. At the last edition Putney Embankment and Thames Bank at Mortlake closed to vehicles from 8:30am to 5pm, and Hammersmith Bridge and Barnes Bridge shut from 10am, so crossing the river along the course gets harder as the day goes on.
Putney Bridge station, on the District line, is on the Fulham bank by the Fan Zone; Putney station, on the line from Waterloo, serves the embankment opposite. Hammersmith is on the Underground. Barnes and Barnes Bridge stations, both National Rail in Zone 3, reach the closing stretch, and Mortlake station is the one for the finish.
Check for engineering works before setting out. The line from Waterloo through Putney, Barnes and Mortlake ran a reduced service on the last race day.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Arriving for the start time
The fastest crews have covered the course in just over sixteen minutes, and at any one point the boats pass in seconds. The good spots on the bank go long before that.
Heading to the finish for the celebrations
The landing area at Mortlake is inside two rowing clubs and open only to accredited people. You will see the crews cross the line, not the trophy.
Wearing the wrong shoes at Mortlake
The paths by the finish run right beside the water and can be very wet on a rising tide. The organiser suggests wellies or waterproof boots.
Planning to cross the river mid-afternoon
Hammersmith and Barnes bridges shut from mid-morning until 5pm. Choose your bank before you set out.
Expecting the women to race first
The order is reversed for this edition. Turn up for the usual first race and you will have missed the men.
Other London events
Frequently asked questions
When is the Boat Race?
On a spring weekend, at an afternoon time set by the tide, with the men’s and women’s races an hour apart.
Why does the date of the Boat Race change every year?
Because it is rowed upstream on the incoming tide, timed so the crews have the fastest current. The tide sets the day and the start time, so neither is fixed.
Is the Boat Race free to watch?
Yes. The towpaths on both banks are open to everyone, and at the last edition the Fan Zones in Fulham and Hammersmith were free with no ticket. Only the organiser’s hospitality packages are paid.
Where is the best place to watch the Boat Race?
Hammersmith Bridge, because the crew leading there wins four times in five. For screens and food, the Fulham Fan Zone near the start; for the final minutes, Barnes.
How long is the Boat Race course?
4 miles 374 yards, about 6.8 km, from Putney to Mortlake. The records are 16 minutes 19 seconds for the men and 18 minutes 33 seconds for the women, both set by Cambridge.
Sources
- The Boat Race, the Championship Course
- The Boat Race, where to watch
- University of Cambridge, the next race date and times
Dates on this page are checked against the organiser’s own listing and confirmed through 2027. Written and maintained by Harry Nara.