Devizes to Westminster: The Complete Guide to the Canoeist's Everest

Every Easter since 1948, paddlers have set off from a canal wharf in Wiltshire and raced to the heart of London. The Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race, known to everyone simply as the DW, covers 125 miles and 77 portages. For the crews who race it non-stop, it's the longest race of its kind in the world. Paddlers call it the Canoeist's Everest, and it earns the name.

If you've ever wondered whether you could do it, this is the guide to start with.

DW 2027: the key dates

The 2027 race runs over the Easter weekend, 26 to 29 March 2027.

• Good Friday: the stages race sets off from Devizes
• Easter Saturday: Senior Doubles start their non-stop race to Westminster
• Easter Monday: the stages race finishes in London

Entries close at midnight on the Sunday two weeks before Easter, and there are no late entries. The Expression of Interest for 2027 is open now. It unlocks early-bird entry, a newsletter, and a DW Buddy, an experienced DW paddler who can advise you, point you to marathon clubs with DW heritage, and even help you find a partner. Full details are on the official DW website.

The course

The DW is really three races joined together, each on very different water.

1. The Kennet and Avon Canal: Devizes to Reading

The first 54 miles follow the Kennet and Avon Canal. Early on, the course drops down the Caen Hill flight, and the locks keep coming. This is where most of the portages are, and where crews learn whether their running, carrying and re-launching is as efficient as their paddling.

2. The River Thames: Reading to Teddington

Next comes 54 miles of the non-tidal Thames. The river is wider and the locks are further apart, so this section rewards steady pace, good nutrition and crews who can keep their rhythm through the night.

3. The Tideway: Teddington to Westminster

The final stretch is on the tidal Thames, and the tide shapes the whole race. Crews must paddle the Tideway on the ebb, so the finish window at Westminster moves every year with the Easter tide times. Non-stop crews plan their entire race backwards from it: start too slow and you miss the tide; start too fast and you may not last.

The race classes

Senior Doubles (non-stop)

The headline event. Crews of two race the full 125 miles straight through, from Devizes Wharf to Westminster Bridge, opposite the Houses of Parliament. Most crews paddle through the night. In 2026, Billy Butler and Jon O'Grady won in 16 hours, 46 minutes and 17 seconds, and the record set by Tim Cornish and Brian Greenham back in 1979 still stands at around 15 and a half hours.

The stages race

The other classes race over four days, finishing at Barn Elms Boathouse, opposite Fulham FC:

• Day 1: Devizes to Newbury (34 miles)
• Day 2: Newbury to Marlow (36 miles)
• Day 3: Marlow to Teddington (38 miles)
• Day 4: Teddington to the finish on the Tideway

The stage classes are:

• Senior Singles: the full distance in a K1 or C1
• Junior Doubles: for junior crews
• Veteran/Junior: a veteran paired with a junior, a classic way for parents and children or coaches and athletes to race together
• Open Endeavour: for crews who don't fit the other doubles classes. Until 2026 it was an untimed challenge; it's now a fully competitive class, and the winning crew earns a free entry to the following year's Senior Doubles
• SUP: stand-up paddleboards became a formal stages class in 2026 after a successful trial, with both rigid and inflatable race boards allowed

Support crews

Nobody finishes the DW alone. Each boat has a bank-side support crew that drives the route, meeting paddlers at agreed points with food, drinks, warm kit and encouragement. On the non-stop race, a good support crew is as important as the paddlers. Every boat also carries a GPS tracker, so crews, families and the race team can follow progress live.

How to train for the DW

The DW is won and lost in the winter. The race organisers' own advice is that non-stop crews should be stable and comfortable in their boat by September, so they can build volume through the colder months.

• Build distance gradually. Long, steady paddles are the backbone, and many crews use the Hasler and marathon calendar to add race experience along the way.
• Practise portages. 77 of them add up. Getting out, running, and getting back in cleanly and quickly saves real time and energy.
• Train with your support crew. Rehearse feeds, meeting points and kit changes before race weekend.
• Do the warm-up races. The DW season includes a series of qualifying-style build-up races through January to March, which double as the best preparation you'll get.
• Get expert help. The official DW training days run in October and December, and the organisers report that everyone who has attended them and gone on to start the race has finished.

The stages race can be done on less training than the non-stop, but the same rule applies: the more time you spend on the water before Easter, the better your chances of reaching London.

Why paddlers keep coming back

Ask anyone who has done the DW and the story is rarely about the time. It's the start at Devizes, the long night on the Thames, the support crew waiting at a lock at 3am, and the moment Westminster Bridge comes into view. It is one of the great shared experiences in British paddling, and it stays with you.

If you're building towards ultra-distance racing, read our guides to the Thames 200 Ultra and canoe marathon too.

Built for the long haul

The DW is distance, discipline and refusing to stop. That's what the ENDURE Vector collection is built for: tees for marathon and long-distance paddlers who measure their racing in hours, not minutes. Prefer something with a sense of humour for the training months? Explore Racing and Humour across Across The Water.