Beginner Development Programme

If you’ve ever wondered if rowing is the sport for you, Edinburgh is the best place in the country to learn. Our programme has been consistently strong for a long time, and since 2021 we have won almost 70% of the available gold medals.

Each year we take on a group of complete beginners and over the season support them to develop the skills and physical attributes fundamental to our sport. Many choose to stay with the club during their time at Edinburgh, competing at the highest domestic level; those with the potential have gone on to earn international call-ups, including Olympic selection.

Rowing is for anyone who has the right attitude and willingness to give it a go. It is a sport that works almost 85% of your muscles, making it a true full-body activity. Being a power-endurance sport, it makes you fit and strong without creating bulk. Parallel to your physical development is the technical side of things, we start everyone in one-person boats, known as single sculls and although the hardest boat to row, the skills you acquire in these means you learn a lot faster.

Most training in the first term takes place in two locations: on the water at our Meggetland Boathouse, just to the west of the city centre and at the outstanding Pleasance Sports Complex in the Old Town where we have our own rowing gym with over 50 rowing machines and access to strength and conditioning support among other support services. In the new year, some training moves to our performance base at the international standard rowing lake at Strathclyde Country Park. We also take the opportunity, when possible, to train on some of the incredible lochs around Scotland.

We race all over the country, from Inverness to London, including all the major BUCS events and several of the major domestic events.

If you want to know more about our programme, just register your interest by completing the form linked here: https://forms.office.com/e/kPZR3bszs5