Monmouth Rowing Club is located on the banks of the

River Wye The River Wye (; cy, Afon Gwy ) is the fourth-longest river in the UK, stretching some from its source on Plynlimon in mid Wales to the Severn estuary. For much of its length the river forms part of the border between England and Wales ...

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. ...

, the

county town In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a county town is the most important town or city in a county. It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county and the place where the county's members of Parliament are elect ...

of the historic county of

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, wit ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. The club is affiliated with the Welsh Amateur Rowing Association (WARA) and hosts several annually organised race events.

Location

Monmouth is the furthest south of the three rowing clubs on the River Wye; the other two being at

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester, England, Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. ...

and

Ross-on-Wye Ross-on-Wye (Welsh: ''Rhosan ar Wy'') is a market town in England, near the border with Wales. It had a population of 10,582 according to the 2011 census, estimated at 11,309 in 2019. It lies in south-eastern Herefordshire, on the River Wye a ...

. The boathouse is sited on the western bank of the river. All rowing activities take place upstream of the 17th-century Wye Bridge and during the summer are limited to the stretch of river between Monmouth and Hadnock. During times of higher river levels, typically over the winter months, it is possible to row 9 km upstream to the

Symonds Yat Symonds Yat is a village in the Wye Valley and a popular tourist destination, straddling the River Wye in the English county of Herefordshire, close to the Gloucestershire border. It is within a few miles of Monmouthshire and the Welsh border. ...

rapids.

Monmouth School Monmouth School for Boys is a public school (independent day and boarding school) for boys in Monmouth, Wales. The school was founded in 1614 with a bequest from William Jones, a successful merchant and trader. The School is run as a trust, t ...

boathouse stands on the opposite bank to the town club.

History

The club was thought to have been founded in 1929 prior to the uncovering of documents that indicate a date in mid-1928. Originally, the club leased an existing warehouse to act as a boathouse until the mid-1960s when the current building was erected. The clubhouse, gym and changing rooms attached to the boathouse were extended and renovated in 1995. The new facilities were officially opened by

Steve Redgrave Sir Steven Geoffrey Redgrave (born 23 March 1962) is a British retired rower who won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000. He has also won three Commonwealth Games gold medals and nine World Rowing Championships gold ...

. Currently, the Monmouth Rowing Club boathouse also plays host to boats and equipment from

Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls is an independent school in Monmouth, Wales. The school was established by the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers in 1892, and continues to enjoy their support. It is part of a family of schools known as ...

Rowing Club (founded 1990) and Monmouth Comprehensive School Boat Club (founded 1992). Monmouth Rowing Club c

Racing at Monmouth

Traditionally, Monmouth summer

regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wat ...

has been held on the Sunday of the Spring Bank Holiday in late May with crews racing side by side over a straight course (seniors) or (veterans and juniors). In recent years a sprint regatta held over has been added to the programme on the Saturday of the same weekend. Whilst multi-lane regattas, held on lakes and purpose built courses, have increased in popularity over recent years, Monmouth regatta still attracts a substantial number of entries (approx 400 boats) on both days, year on year. Outside of the regatta season, Monmouth hosts two main Head of the River races: the Autumn Head, at the end of September, and the Winter Head in mid December. These are timed, processional races typically held over , although when conditions allow the course may be lengthened to approximately .

Recent Successes

Monmouth has developed a particularly strong men's veteran squad in recent years, culminating in their winning 4 titles at the National Veteran Rowing Championships of Great Britain in June 2009

Honours

British champions

References

External links

Monmouth Rowing Club

{{United Kingdom rowing clubs Rowing clubs in Wales Sports clubs established in 1928

Rowing club A rowing club is a club for people interested in the sport of Rowing. Rowing clubs are usually near a body of water, whether natural or artificial, that is large enough for manoeuvering the shells (rowing boats). Clubs usually have a boat house wi ...

River Wye 1928 establishments in Wales Rowing clubs of the River Wye