The 2011 Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race is just over a month away, and if you want to watch the race on race day, you’ll need to know the course.

The course only stretches across a small part of the River Thames in London, 4 miles to be exact, and as it’s close to the sea the water is tidal there, which can sometimes make the race harder for the teams. The start line is in Putney, close to the Putney Bridge. You can catch buses 14, 22 and 74 from the centre of London to Putney, or the 220 Bus which goes via Putney Bridge. There is a rail station in Putney as well as a Putney Bridge and East Putney tube stations, so you can easily get there on race day.



The Course

From Putney the race follows the Thames upstream past Bishop’s Park and towards Fulham. Just the other side of Fulham is the first mile marker. The race then continues up the Thames past Harrods Repository, and then on to Hammersmith Bridge in Hammersmith. It then continues on around the ‘Surrey Bend’ and just after this is the 2 mile point. Ravenscourt Park tube station is the closest station to the 2 mile point, and Hammersmith tube station is also close by with disabled access. It then continues up past Chiswick Steps and then not far after there is the 3 mile point. A little further on is the Barnes Bridge in Barnes where there is another railway station very close to the river. The course then goes nearby to Mortlake Station before the 4 mile mark and the finish line just before Chiswick Bridge.

There is food available at the Barnes Bridge but of course the entire race stretches through London so you won’t be short of food if you’re hungry. There are three race timing points along the course too, and they are at the 1 mile point, at the Chiswick Steps and at the Barnes Bridge.

Landmarks Along The Course

There are several landmarks that you can take a look at along the course of the boat race, including the Putney Bridge, which was completed in 1886. Bishop’s Park is on the Fulham bank of the river not far from the start of the race, which was opened in 1893. There is also the University Stone which is the marker for the start of the race. The Putney Embankment is full of activity on the race day too – this is where the BBC and other broadcasters sit, and where the squads boats are housed before the race – Oxford depart from Westminster School Boat Club and Cambridge from the Kings College School Boat Club.

The River Thames

The Thames is one of the major rivers in the UK, and it runs through Oxford, Reading, Helney-on-Thames, Windsor and Richmond before flowing in through London. There are many landmarks such as the famous London Bridge that sits on the river. It runs through no less than 9 counties.