General items of interest

Directions to the river

• Printable version of this page
• Map of the river from the town centre to Baits Bite Lock

Whether you are travelling by foot or bike, here is how to get to the college boathouse (allow 15 minutes on foot) or to the river to watch races. To get to the bumps or other races, allow half an hour by bike or an hour and a half on foot.

1. From Trinity, turn right as you stand facing Great Gate, heading away from King's parade and towards St Johns
2. Head up Trinity Street, past St. John's on your left, until you pass the bollards and reach the crossroads
3. Go straight over at the crossroads - so that you pass the hairdressers and the multistorey carpark on your left, and the Union building on your right
4. Turn left towards the Maypole, passing the entrance and exit to the car park
5. Proceed through the traffic bollards, following the road round to the right with the primary school on your left
6. Continue straight on at Jesus Green, with the ditch close by the right side of the path initially
7. Go straight over at the cross of paths, continuing towards the traffic lights on the main road
8. Cross the main road at the pedestrian crossing and follow the path to the Fort St George and the Peterhouse footbridge
If going to the boathouse: 1. Cross over the river using the footbridge by the Fort St. George
On foot 2. Use the stairs from the bridge and at the bottow follow the path away from the bridge, with the river on your right side, until you reach the boathouses. The Trinity Boathouse is this one, the big white building
By bike 3. After crossing the bridge, take the first right, almost immediately after you leave the bridge
4. Then again take the first right, at a crossroads. At the end of this road you will come to the back of the boathouses, continue to the waterfront and turn left. You will see the Trinity boathouse in front of you

If going to watch the Bumps:

1. Stay on the nearside bank, turning right before the bridge. You will see the Trinity boathouse as you walk along the towpath
2. You must continue for quite some way, passing a second footbridge and going under a large road bridge (Queen Elizabeth Way). At the footbridge after that, at the start of Stourbridge Common (which is at the end of the men's VIIIs bumps course), you should cross the river and then turn right by the Green Dragon. If you do not cross the river you may continue along, following the path away from the bank and onto a main road. Following this for a couple of hundred metres will lead you to the Plough, a pub positioned right by the river for viewing the racing between Grassy and Ditton corners
3. If you crossed by the Green Dragon, you will now be moving along a road, with houses between you and the river, but you will soon get to the river side tow path at the Pike and Eel
4. For watching the bumps, it is best to continue further down the river

On foot

If you are on foot, your best bet is to walk down on the tow path, with the river on your right. You should continue under the railway bridge and down what is called "the reach" and at least around the first corner ("Ditton") and past The Plough on the opposite bank. The start area is around another couple of corners (called "Grassy Corner" - for the better divisions a good vantage point, and "First Post Corner" respectively).

By bike

If you are on a bike you will not be allowed to cycle down the tow path during the bumps. However, unless you fancy an amble along the river I would recommend cycling to "Grassy Corner" by road. Instead of joining the towpath and the river at the Pike and Eel, simply stay on the road. You will cross the railway line at a level crossing and continue for quite some way, before needing to turn right at the dead end sign towards "Grassy Corner" down a small short gravel track to the left of "Grassy Corner" caravan park. Lock your bike then turn left along the tow path if you want to see the starts, or stay where you are for the better divisions later in the day.