Bedford Rowing Club

Welcome to Bedford Rowing Club’s website. We are currently in the process of radically overhauling it, in between rowing of course. If you want to visit the old site, then please click here.

ABOUT US

Bedford Rowing Club is Bedford’s premier rowing club. We row on the River Great Ouse through the centre of the town. Our fleet of boats consists of a complete range of modern eights, fours, pairs, doubles and single sculls, all of which we race in regattas throughout the UK all year round. We have a selection of training facilities including a weights gym and a Concept 2 rowing machine room; You can train at your own pace as an individual, or as a group under the eye of our trained coaches. The club has a great social side and we run various events throughout the year both on and off the water. Please keep an eye on this website for up to date information.

THE RIVERSIDE BAR

Bedford Rowing Club is located in a prime position in the centre of Bedford, with the best view in Bedford. We welcome those members who prefer just to use our beautifully located Riverside Bar.

ABOUT ROWING

Rowing is a great sport either for fun or competition providing you with good exercise and fitness throughout the year and a chance to meet sociable people from all walks of life.

BEGINNERS

We welcome beginners to join our Men’s & Women’s squads and we can teach you to row during a six week beginners’ session that only costs £10!

SOCIAL LIFE

There is a thriving social life at the club, including weekly rower’s night on Thursdays, where meals are available. We host a number of regular functions throughout the year, including the Annual Dinner & Dance, fancy dress parties, barbeques and other disco type events.

TRAINING & ROWING TIMES

(September 08) – Subject to change – Mondays Club Run 7.00pm meet at the club. There are 3 groups Beginner, Mid pace and Fast Tuesday and Wednesdays are rowing or ergo nights. Depending on which group you join be it Novice (beginner), Development, Senior or Vet will depend on which evening you row and which evening you ergo. Thursdays Club weights 6pm- 8pm (we teach you from scratch so no worries if you have not lifted a weight before in your life!) You can start any time from 6pm to 7pm and the session lasts about one hour. Friday- Night off! Saturday and Sunday rowing depending on which group you are in will depend on the start and finish time. Most groups start from 8am with some early birds starting at 7.30am.

CLOTHING

The choice of clothing you wear is governed very much by the weather conditions. Here are a few general rules that should help you decide what clothing to bring with you.

• Always bring a change of clothes when you first start rowing as you may get wet!
• Too much clothing is better than too little.
• Many thin layer work better than a few thick ones.
• Trainers with a supportive sole are required for any of the gym or running sessions.
• When you are in the boats you normally take your shoes off so for rowing sessions shoes that are soft and you don’t care to much about are best.
• In the summer months, shorts, tee shirts will usually suffice.

If you decide to take up rowing or you wish to compete for the club, you can purchase a range of rowing kit from the club.

AGE & FITNESS

Rowing is a sport that can be experienced by people of all ages from about 12 upward. All are welcomed and catered for at Bedford Rowing Club. Rowing by its nature is a physical sport and as such you should be in good physical health. If in doubt please contact your doctor before starting any new physical activity.

SAFETY

As with all sports there is an element of risk associated with rowing. Your safety is our prime concern and there is an ongoing program to maintain & improve safety standards. In the interest of safety we are unable to let you row unless you are in general good health and can swim at least 100m in light clothing. If you have and questions or issues about safety at Bedford Rowing Club. Please contact our safety advisor.

MEMBERSHIP

Before anyone can row we require that they complete a registration form. This form is a record of your contact details and swimming ability. There are several categories of membership available. Information on subscription rates, entitlements, membership forms and standing order forms are available from the website or behind the bar in the club.

SECURITY

We are unable to take responsibility for personal belongings while you are in the club. For this reason we advise against leaving any valuables in the changing room, however lockers can be made available.