Tag: oxfordtales

Christmas Cracker joke…..What do you find at the end of a footpath? A Towpath. Aaaaaaargh. I was privileged two years ago to be invited to lunch at the Hall of one of the Ancient Guilds in the City of London. In the magnificent gents loo in the basement there was a fine collection of portraits…

The handsome stone bridge arraying The Abingdon Road south over the Isis which you cross en route  to the boathouse or to Radley every morning is but the latest in a succession of crossings dating back to Saxon times. The first was the swampy cattle crossing which has given its name to our town and…

The 10k long river stretch of the river Thames at Radley passes through a roadless area rich in both human and natural history. The variety of its wildlife and historic sites is breathtaking and makes rowing at Radley so much more enjoyable and special. With a lot of marsh and ditches the area is a favorite haunt of…

As  novices we were allowed out only in the clinker VIIIs which were easy to balance but fiendishly heavy, there was never any question of throwing the boat to “Heads”, we held it at waists and scrambled under. The second clinker was so old and twisted that stroke could have his blade flat on the water…

I was privileged two years ago to be invited to lunch at the Hall of one of the Ancient Guilds in the City of London. In the magnificent loo in the basement there was a fine collection of former liverymen in sporting gear by Spy as well as an original Bateman strip cartoon, the punchline being “The…

“Ah the summer is here and out come the punts, so beloved of limerick writers and Spoonerists”. anon.

When you are a member of a racing crew, a uniform is very important. It makes you feel good and gives your opponents something to think about as well. Rowing an VIII is all about merging individuality into the oneness of the crew and a uniform is part and parcel of this mindset. However while…