Spectators are encouraged to come down and lend their support to crews from their college. You may find the map of the River Cam useful.

How to get there

The Bumps course is downstream of the start of the towpath along the northern side of the river at Chesterton - older alumni may remember the former pub (Pike and Eel) there, but it has been demolished and replaced by houses. The Plough pub, in the village of Fen Ditton on the other bank, is also a popular vantage point, as many bumps occur around Grassy Corner and Ditton Corner - please note that you may not bring your own picnic to the pub garden. At the Plough pub, a river crossing service is available for spectators and race officials and participants between The Plough and the towpath. This service is run by Camboats with profits going to two charities - the East Anglia Children's Hospice (EACH) and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

Lent Bumps:

Additional parking is available for spectators on a first come first serve basis at The Plough Pub. Please note that the Fen Ditton Recreation Ground is not available for parking during Lent Bumps.

May Bumps:

Please note that the Fen Ditton Recreation Ground is no longer available for parking.
Limited parking is available for spectators on a first come first serve basis at The Plough Pub. Spectators are encouraged not to travel to the river by car unless absolutely required.

The Control Desk is located at the start of the towpath - simply find your way to this point, and carry on walking down the towpath (the entire course is approximately 2.6km):

• CUCBC Control Desk (Google Maps)

Cycling

Spectators are reminded that the towpath during Bumps is very busy, and for safety reasons, cycling with the races is prohibited with the exception of Umpires and designated bank parties. You should contact your boat club captains if you would like to be a designated bank party. Designated bank parties are limited to four cyclists per crew, and runners are not permitted.

Megaphones

Note that use of megaphones by bank parties is strictly forbidden during racing for coaching or giving distances, but boatmen and coaches may use them to give instructions to crews facing potentially dangerous situations.

Handheld Recording Devices

The use of handheld recording devices (e.g. mobile phone or GoPro or similar) by designated bank parties who are cycling with the races is strictly forbidden for safety reasons. Mounted recording devices which allow both hands to remain on the handlebars and which do not distract the cyclist from the towpath ahead of them are permitted.

Bumps Programmes

Bumps Programmes will be returning for 2024. Details to follow.

Cam FM - 97.2

Cam FM provide live commentary for the Bumps on 97.2 FM and online, and have a frequently updated Bumps mini-site. They are also providing podcasts of the race commentaries, available for download in MP3 format.