Dorney Lake (also known as
Eton College Rowing Centre, and as Eton Dorney as a
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
venue) is a purpose-built
rowing
Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically att ...
lake in
England. It is near the village of
Dorney
Dorney is a village and civil parish in the Unitary Authority of Buckinghamshire, England, bordering on the River Thames to the west and south, and bisected by the Jubilee River. In 2011 it had a population of 752. It is west of neighbouring ...
,
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east ...
, and is around 3 km (2 miles) west of
Windsor and
Eton, close to the
River Thames.
The lake is privately owned and financed by
Eton College, which spent £17 million developing it. Additional grants, totalling £500,000, were obtained from
Sport England,
UK Sport
UK Sport is the government agency responsible for investing in Olympic and Paralympic sport in the United Kingdom. It is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.
It was created ...
, the
DCMS and
SEEDA in order to build the lake's finish tower. The project was completed in 2006, after 10 years of construction. Although it is primarily for use by the school, the facilities are hired out for rowing, as well as for
canoeing
Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other acti ...
,
dragon boating, open water swimming and
triathlon
A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the ...
.
2012 Olympic venue
The lake was used as the
2012 Summer Olympic venue for rowing and
canoe sprint
Canoe sprint is a water sport in which athletes race canoes or kayaks on calm water.
Overview
Race categories vary by the number of athletes in the boat, the length of the course, and whether the boat is a canoe or kayak. Canoe sprints are som ...
, and as the
2012 Summer Paralympic venue for rowing. For the duration of the Olympics, the lake was officially referred to as Eton Dorney; confusingly, a separate venue in Stratford was called ''
Eton Manor
Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre is a sports and leisure venue located in Leyton, London Borough of Waltham Forest, to the north of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It is regularly used for international field hockey fixtures by both the Great ...
'' due to 19th-century associations with the school.
To provide for Olympic spectators, the existing facilities were enhanced to include 20,000 additional seats; most of these seats were temporary. Construction of enhancements to Dorney Lake began in October 2009, following investigations by
Oxford Archaeology
Oxford Archaeology (OA, trading name of Oxford Archaeology Limited) is one of the largest and longest-established independent archaeology and heritage practices in Europe, operating from three permanent offices in Oxford, Lancaster and Cambridge ...
, including a new cut-through between the competition lake and the return lane, a new bridge and an upgraded access road, funded by the
Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). During the Olympic events, Dorney Lake was staffed by around 3,500 personnel including volunteers; it could accommodate up to 30,000 spectators per day. A temporary bridge over the River Thames linked the Dorney Lake site to
Windsor Racecourse
Windsor Racecourse, also known as Royal Windsor Racecourse, is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Windsor, Berkshire, England. It is one of only two figure-of-eight courses in the United Kingdom, the other being at Fontwell Park.
Des ...
, where a pick-up and drop-off point for Olympic spectators was established. Other access options existed for walkers and cyclists.
Past events
Dorney Lake has hosted the following international rowing events:
* 2005
Rowing World Cup
The World Rowing Cup is an international rowing competition organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). It began in 1997 and comprises three regattas (apart from in 2001 when there were four) held throughout early summer. In each eve ...
(26–28 May)
* 2005
Coupe de la Jeunesse
The Coupe de la Jeunesse is an international rowing regatta rowed over 2,000 m every year. It was founded in 1985 and is open to rowers who are 18 or under by the end of the current calendar year. It is a two-day team event, with points award ...
(29–31 July)
* 2006
World Rowing Championships (20–27 August)
* 2011
World Rowing Junior Championships
The World Rowing Junior Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). A rower or coxswain shall be classified as a Junior until 31 December of the year in which he reaches the age of ...
(3–7 August)
*
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
(27 July – 12 August:
rowing
Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically att ...
from 28 July to 4 August, then
canoe sprint
Canoe sprint is a water sport in which athletes race canoes or kayaks on calm water.
Overview
Race categories vary by the number of athletes in the boat, the length of the course, and whether the boat is a canoe or kayak. Canoe sprints are som ...
)
*
2012 Summer Paralympics
The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Game ...
(29 August – 9 September:
rowing
Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically att ...
from 31 August to 2 September)
* 2013
Rowing World Cup
The World Rowing Cup is an international rowing competition organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). It began in 1997 and comprises three regattas (apart from in 2001 when there were four) held throughout early summer. In each eve ...
(21–23 June)
Lake specifications
The lake's dimensions follow the
FISA
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 ("FISA" , ) is a United States federal law that establishes procedures for the physical and electronic surveillance and the collection of "foreign intelligence information" between "foreign pow ...
rules for a rowing lake suitable for hosting a
World Rowing Championship,
World Rowing Cup
The World Rowing Cup is an international rowing competition organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). It began in 1997 and comprises three regattas (apart from in 2001 when there were four) held throughout early summer. In each eve ...
or
Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...
regatta:
* Stillwater, with consistent water conditions
* straight length for racing
* 8 rowing lanes, each wide
* Minimum water depth of
* A return channel allowing boats to move to the start, separated from the main lake by an island
Home regattas
Since the lake was opened, a number of annual
regattas that were previously held on the
River Thames have been transferred to the lake. These include the
Marlow Regatta
The Marlow Regatta is an international rowing regatta, that takes place annually at Dorney Lake, Buckinghamshire near Eton next to the River Thames in southern England. It attracts crews from schools, clubs and universities from around the Unite ...
in June, the
Metropolitan Regatta
The Metropolitan Regatta is an international rowing regatta. It takes place on Dorney Lake, Buckinghamshire near Eton next to the River Thames in southern England. It attracts crews from schools, clubs, and universities from around the United ...
in May/June, and the
Wallingford Regatta in May.
Public access
The public are allowed to use the grounds of Dorney Lake when sporting events are not being run.
[Dorney Lake visitor information ] The two-kilometre-long flat, straight paths that run along each side of the main lake make it a popular venue for runners,
skaters
Skater may refer to:
Sports
*Someone who practices skateboarding
*Someone who practices roller skating
*Someone who practices inline skating
* Someone who practices ice skating
*An ice hockey player who is not a goaltender
* Skater (subculture ...
, and even cross-country
ski
A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partia ...
ers practising with
roller skis. The picturesque landscape also makes it a popular location for dog walkers and people out for fun.
See also
*
Rowing on the River Thames
*
Summerleaze Footbridge
References
External links
Official Dorney Lake website*
{{authority control
2006 establishments in England
Venues of the 2012 Summer Olympics
Artificial lakes
Canoeing at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Eton College
Lakes of Buckinghamshire
Olympic canoeing venues
Olympic rowing venues
Rowing at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Rowing on the River Thames
Rowing venues in the United Kingdom
Sports venues completed in 2006
Sports venues in Buckinghamshire
2012 Summer Paralympic venues