Pictures of rowing and on River Wear for 190th Durham Regatta

Rowing clubs from across the country have sent crews to take part in back-to-back competitive racing on the River Wear.

Saturday featured a busy opening schedule of 250 races, which were spread throughout the day from 8am.

They took place over the traditional 700-metre short course along the Racecourse, in Durham, while Sunday’s 200-race schedule featured several over the gruelling 1,800m long course, ending alongside the Count’s House on the cathedral and castle peninsula.

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There was plenty of off-course entertainment this year, with music, food and drink, plus family entertainment and a Viking re-enactment group.

The regatta, the second oldest in the world behind Chester, emerged from river pageants staged on the Wear in the 1830s to commemorate Wellington’s 1815 victory at the Battle of Waterloo over Napoleon’s French army.

It has only failed to take place during world wars, due to bad weather and the coronavirus.

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Regatta official Colin Lawson said: “It has gone very well and been very busy.

“There were loads of people there and the sunshine has brought people out.

“There was lots of good racing. There seems to have been quite a lot of excitement about it.”