Rowing & Canoeing

General Rowing Sessions at Dorney Lake

are available to pre-book throughout the year.

Follow the links below to navigate the webpage, or download a PDF version of our full session information and safety guidelines. This information must be read and understood before you attend a session.

Making a Booking |  Session Prices |  Session Timings |  Hiring the Return Lake | During your Session

2025/26 Session Information & Safety Guidelines

Making a Booking 

Bookings are available for established rowing or canoeing clubs for training. We are unable to take session bookings for individuals not part of a club or for recreational purposes.

To book a General Rowing Session, please use our online booking system.

• You will need to create an account before making your first booking. Only coaches are permitted to make bookings.
• Sessions will be released periodically - typically between 14 days and up to a term in advance.

Booking Portal Link

Information required when you book

To help us manage the site smoothly, the new online booking system will ask for the following:

• The contact telephone number of the coach who will be attending the session/s.
• The number of athletes, boats, and trailers.
• A credit/debit card for payment.

If you need to add additional athletes at a later date, you can make an additional booking through the new online booking system, if spaces remain.

This information helps us allocate space and ensure safe parking and access for everyone. Please provide this as accurately as possible when booking.

*If you’re travelling a long distance for your training session, e.g. internationally, and need to arrange accommodation and additional logistics before the session opens for booking, please get in touch with our team at rowing@dorneylake.co.uk— we’ll be happy to discuss your needs and do our best to assist where possible.

Session Days & Timings

Please find the session schedule below. Dates are subject to availability and may change.

If Dorney Lake cancels a session, for example, for safety reasons, venue closure, or because minimum numbers are not met, you will receive a confirmation email to confirm the cancellation and a full refund. For further details, please refer to our cancellation policy.

**Weekend Sessions -

The decision on whether the minimum requirement of 50 athletes has been met will be made on Thursday at 12:00 noon for that weekend. After this time, bookings are non-refundable and no new bookings can be accepted.

Session Prices 2026

*Aged 18 and over

Hiring the Return Lake

We offer the option to hire the return lake, where you and any club you choose to invite will have entire use away from the main lake. To enquire about hiring the return lake for entire use, please contact the Dorney Lake Team to discuss:

rowing@dorneylake.co.uk

2026 Entire use of the Return Lake pricing:

• £520 per session

• The ‘per athlete’ charge is payable in addition to the hire fee

• Hiring the Return Lake Hiring the return lake is only possible within our normal lake operating hours, and dependant on availability. Our normal operating safety policies, weekday and weekend session timings; all still apply when hiring the return lake.
• The maximum number of boats, in total on the return lake at any one time, is 50 boats.
• Novice and inexperienced crews in small boats are not permitted, under cold water guidelines.
• You are welcome to invite other clubs to join you, however, they must pre-book with us as per the usual process and we cannot guarantee availability for them due to, for example, available trailer parking.
• Each club's coach should report to Reception to book in all athletes, note the lake circulation plan (navigation plan), and be made aware of any safety information by the Reception Team before any athlete from their club goes afloat.
• No person shall access the water until this has been completed and bow numbers have been issued. This applies to each individual club training in the return lake. Any crews without a Dorney Lake issued bow number and/or have not booked in at Reception, and/or are not following the circulation plan (navigation plan) will be asked to leave the water immediately.

Arriving for your General Rowing Session

The coach in charge must report to Reception to:

• Book in and confirm the number of athletes and boats
• Review the lake circulation (navigation) plan
• Receive any safety updates

• No athlete may go afloat until this process is complete and bow numbers have been issued.
• Crews without a bow number, not booked in, or not following the circulation plan will be asked to leave the water immediately.
• For safety, all bow numbers must be returned to Reception after each session. Lost or unreturned numbers will be charged at £6 (£5 + VAT) each.
• All trailers, boats, and equipment must be removed from site after your final session. Abandoned trailers disrupt venue activities, and owners will be contacted to return to site and remove them.
• The Duty Manager may conduct random spot checks on heel restraints and bow balls, in line with Safety Auditor recommendations.
• All coaches must have a bicycle, with a throwline to follow their crew whilst on the water.
• Coaches must also carry a mobile phone to alert the duty manager if there is a capsize - 

THE EMERGENCY SAFETY PHONE NUMBER IS 07961 994442

Going Afloat for your Session

• Coaches must follow and apply RowSafe at all times.
• Coaches are responsible for ensuring boats are safe and meet required standards, including during practice.
• Crew activities must be dynamically risk assessed based on competencey and weather conditions.
• All coaches must have a bicycle, with a throwline to follow their crew whilst on the water. Rowers must never be left unsupervised on the lake. Please note there are no bicycles available to hire at Dorney Lake.
• Coaches must know and enforce the lake safety system (displayed in Reception).
• Emergency Points (EPs) are located every 500m with contact numbers and throw lines.
• In a capsize that cannot be righted, rowers must stay with their boat until the rescue launch arrives.