Boat race

[EvianBaby]

As I happen to be in London I was thinking of maybe going to the boat race tomorrow. Can anyone suggest a good spot to go to to watch?

I'll be travelling from Finchley Road.

Go Oxford!

[VHG]

I used to live in Putney where the boat race starts.

One of the problems is that with only two "teams" they are past and gone before you know it, though a number of boats do follow along behind, and there is quite an atmosphere. But you dont get a feel for the whole race and it can be seen best on TV.

Along the most popular shores it is very crowded with thousands of people so difficult to get a decent view.

At the Putney end (where the race starts) there is Bishops park which is very pleasant. This is opposite the shore where the rowers enter that water and you can see the start under Putney Bridge, though it can get crowded all along the shore at Bishops Park.

The Putney side at the start of the race can get very crowded so is best avoided.

Dont stand at the front of the slopes on the Putney side (at the waters edge) as when all the boats pass it sends out a huge number of waves and people at the front get their feet and lower legs soaking wet.

[craft1948]

Go Cambridge!!

[New Judge]

Find a pub that is showing it on TV, get yourself a nice drink and watch it there. Watching it from the riverbank is, as VHG suggests, a complete waste of time. You will have to get to your chosen spot hours before the race to get a chance of seeing the race and it passes you in a flash. You may get there early enough to see the Reserve team race (Isis vs Goldie) but that too will be gone in a trice.

[FredPuli43]

There is the old towpath,now a public road for pedestrians, that runs, with some interruptions for buildings, from Hammersmith Bridge to Bishop's Park. I used to have a flat which overlooked the river at Holyport Road roughly half -way down. On boat race days, the towpath was comparatively quiet, mainly because it is not obvious to outsiders and locals either had a view from their own flats or couldn't be bothered to go down ( or were all in the Crabtree pub, a short way from the flats, the garden of which also gives on to the river! The pub has been tarted up as a gastro pub now and is likely to require bookings and be crowded anyway) . Find this all in an A-Z. Look for Fulham Place Road; the path is to the left of the map, down several of the streets off it.

It is pleasant to be present, once in your life, at historic or important sporting events. True, this one is a bit 'blink and you miss it', because the flotilla and boats only take a few minutes to travel that whole stretch.

[EvianBaby]

Hmmm, think I'll take the advice and watch it on tv. All sounds like a bit too much hassle. Thank you!

[New Judge]

Upon reflection, EB, if you'd chosen a spot near to Chiswick Eyot yesterday you would have seen more action than anybody has ever seen in a Boat Race!

However, had you chosen a spot near to the finish you may have spent a pleasant 30 or 40 minutes wondering what on earth had happened to the two boats !!!