Bath's Best Club

Situated just outside the city limits, nestled beside the Avon, sits a rowing club that embodies teamwork and excellence on the water: the Bath University Boat Club (BUBC). 

Established in 1967, BUBC struggled to find a permanent home until 2005, when it moved to Newbridge along with Minerva Bath Rowing Club. The location provides 4km of river for a scenic rowing experience and makes getting up for those 6.30am training sessions a little easier! 

I’d never rowed until I went to a BUBC taster session as a fresher in 2021. I knew the sport was big at university level and remember watching the Oxford v Cambridge Boat Race on TV thinking, ‘I’d like to give that a go.’ It was a lot harder than expected but I was hooked. I’ve since volunteered to coach incoming novices and I’m on the Club’s Committee. 

From the moment the boat hits the water to the final stroke, the team strives for nothing less than full commitment. This approach permeates every aspect of our club, from our rigorous training to our unwavering dedication to teamwork and sportsmanship.

We have two training sessions a day, three times a week in winter (even more in summer), so it can be tough to balance with university and jobs, but we love it.

The progress you make from being so dedicated is amazing – you see all these changes and you feel physically better for doing it. You think: ‘If I can do that, what can’t I do?’ 

What truly makes BUBC special is not just our achievements on the water, but also the tight-knit community that we have built off it.

Our shared love for the sport and deep-rooted camaraderie help our members form bonds that extend far beyond the boathouse. In fact, a lot of us live together because we share the same lifestyles and ultimately the same goal of qualifying for the Henley Royal Regatta.  

Whether we are celebrating our victories together or supporting each other through setbacks, we are bound through our shared sense of belonging.