The Boat Race: Where to Stand, Sit, Drink…

The Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge

Saturday 24th March 2018 4.31pm & 5.31pm

The event, which is one of the oldest annually recurring sporting contests in the world, will see hundreds of thousands of spectators line the 4 mile 374 yard stretch of the Thames between Putney Bridge and Chiswick Bridge with millions more watching worldwide.

To get a Good View of the Race...

If you are planning on attending the event and soaking up the atmosphere first hand then there are several prime spots along the river

**Putney Bridge** is a good place to watch the start, with good views right until the Fulham bend. In addition to this, big screens will be placed in **Bishops Park** a short walk away where you can watch the rest of the race. For those looking for a view of the vital middle section of the race, there is nowhere better than **Hammersmith Bridge** which attracts thousands of spectators each year whilst **The Dukes Meadow Park** is the best place to watch the exciting climax of the race.

If all this watching is making you thirsty then there are countless good bars and pubs along the race route to grab a refreshing 12 pints of quality ale, just make sure you don’t get wrapped up talking to Bunty from the Lower School about THAT house cricket match and miss the rip-snorting action. Tally ho!

Putney

Look no further than The Dukes Head. This pub offers the best views of the race start as well as the pre-race action; in addition, it boasts a fantastic selection of wines by the glass (over 40) as well as big screens to watch the rest of the race live.

Hammersmith

The Rutland has a good selection of real ale as well as severing up traditional pub grub. It’s usually jam packed on race day and another option is the nearby Dove. The Dove offers great views of the race from balconies as well as a riverside terrace for excellent views of the boats as they race around the Surrey Bend.

The End of the Race

The White Hart offers one of the best views of the entire race as well as serving the full range of Young's cask ales. The best views of the finish line itself must be from The Ship, which is located right by the finish line the pub offers traditional pub grub as well as cask ales and always has a fantastic atmosphere on race day.

Apres Oars

After the excitement of the race has died down there are several excellent restaurants in the area as well as bars and clubs if you are looking to party into the night. In Putney, you can find Wagamama the Japanese food restaurant, Zing in Hammersmith offers a wide-ranging and delicious Indian cuisine whilst Carluccio's in Chiswick offers good quality Italian cuisine at reasonable prices. For those wishing to stay out a little longer, Citizen Smith in Putney serves award-winning cocktails.