The Riverside Slipway


RIGHT, east bank north of Donnington Road Bridge.
Left and Right banks are now identified as going UPSTREAM (See [About] above)

Donnington Road Bridge and Riverside Centre Slipway
Donnington Road Bridge and Riverside Centre Slipway.

Riverside Centre

[ The slipway has a locked barrier under which small boats that can be manhandled, can be taken without unlocking. If your boat is on a trailer beware that you may need the vehicle to hold the trailer on the slope of the slipway (though there is a metal loop set in the concrete near the top of the slipway to which a rope can be tied - to the right as you face the river. I use that with my punt - the only problem being I cannot pull the trailer and punt back up on my own). The barrier is perhaps three feet high. Higher boats than that will need to pay a fee for access. There is some rough parking on an informal basis. Do not obstruct the slipway or access road.
I once met R.T. Rivington (of "Punting" fame) here. He looked at my self built punt and made some useful suggestions which I totally ignored. How I wish I could meet him now.
Admire (or deplore) the colourful rowing graffitti under the bridge, ("surely that isn't biologically possible?") Upstream is to your right, downstream under the bridge. You are on the section of the River Thames (known sometimes in Oxford as the "Isis" for reasons sometimes known best in Oxford), just downstream of the romantically named "Gut". Watch out for racing rowing boats. They take up a great deal of room and may be several times faster than your boat! So watch out behind you. Keep well to the right. When there is racing follow the instructions carefully.]

1889: Jerome K Jerome -

Between Iffley and Oxford is the most difficult bit of the river I know. You want to be born on that bit of water, to understand it. I have been over it a fairish number of times, but I have never been able to get the hang of it. The man who could row a straight course from Oxford to Iffley ought to be able to live comfortably, under one roof, with his wife, his mother-in-law, his elder sister, and the old servant who was in the family when he was a baby. First the current drives you on to the left bank, and then on to the right, then it takes you out into the middle, turns you round three times, and carries you up stream again, and always ends by trying to smash you up against a college barge. Of course, as a consequence of this, we got in the way of a good many other boats, during the mile, and they in ours, and, of course, as a consequence of that, a good deal of bad language occurred.

What was he on? Yes the river has that strange kink in it. But other than that in my experience it is fairly well behaved and certainly has little current at summer levels. Perhaps the river has changed.

Falcon Rowing and canoe Club

Falcon Rowing and canoeing Club website
Proposed new Boathouse

Progress Report June 2012
Falcon RCC has long experience in making provision for local rowing, kayaking and canoeing. We provide and coach, boating for eight years olds up to and including people well beyond retirement - our Super Seniors.
Falcon is an open club without any restrictions as to membership overt or veiled. We are host to one of the first of Sport England's suggested 'satellite clubs' club formed with a local comprehensive school. We also host the Oxford Bangladeshi Boat Club - the first such in Europe. Disabled people's rowing and canoeing both started in Oxford with Falcon and in 1869 Falcon was the first rowing club in Oxford that admitted women.

However, our present boathouse is now too small, too old and ill equipped to let us keep on growing, soon we will have to start rationing what we do.

We propose a replacement boat house to be called the Oxford Community and Covenant Boathouse. The 'covenant' part coming from our efforts to form links with local armed forces personnel and their families. From such a building we could keep on expanding what we do with the Oxford community and hopefully with the military and their families.

22nd Oxford Sea Scouts

No website

Isis Canoe Club

Isis Canoe Club website

Isis is a small and vibrant canoe club, welcoming both experienced paddlers and beginners looking for a welcoming group to advance their skills with, based on the banks of the River Thames in Oxford.
For our adult members, we have a BCU paddlesport training program throughout the summer and, for our more enthusiastic members we encourage them to challenge themselves on white water rivers or on the sea later in the year while there are still plenty of trips to interesting locations around Oxford and beyond.
Isis Source is a club-within-a-club, dedicated to families with children aged 10 to 18, who also want some excitement on rivers, lakes and seas; with a very good chance of getting wet!
We are a relaxed and social club and to ensure our members get the most out of their membership we encourage a wide variety of activities from pleasant backwater trips around Oxford to white water, sea kayaking and canoe camping. We are active both on and off the water, organising barbecues, fancy dress paddles, informal paddles to local pubs, and moonlit night paddles. Once qualified our members are encouraged to organise their own trips, using our busy forum, so there is no excuse for not getting out on the water and messing around in boats!
Our team of volunteer coaches also offer support for the local community, providing training for numerous charity paddles and leading one-off sessions for Scouts (including Aqua Camp), Guides and Brownies

 
 
 
 
(Upstream to Freshman's River)