Pupils from Cokethorpe School, a leading co-educational independent school near Witney in Oxfordshire, completed a demanding 125-mile canoe race over the Easter weekend, taking on one of the UK’s most challenging youth endurance events.
Four pupils from the school successfully finished the Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race, a historic annual challenge widely known as the ‘Canoeist’s Everest.’ The race begins in Wiltshire and concludes in central London, following a continuous water route that has been contested each Easter since 1948.
This year’s participants completed the course over a four-day period, navigating 77 locks along the way.
Their journey included three nights of independent camping and highly disciplined early starts, including a 3.15am wake-up call to align with tidal conditions. The route also took competitors past iconic landmarks such as Windsor Castle and the Houses of Parliament.
In the junior category, Cokethorpe pair Oli Tribble and Josh Rosenow achieved a strong 16th place finish overall, while Ben Picking and Evie Walker placed 33rd, marking a successful and resilient showing from the school.
Sarah Squire, Head of Cokethorpe School, praised the pupils’ achievement, saying:
“Our pupils were utterly amazing and have made not just themselves, but the entire school, proud of their determined efforts.
“The race was a true endurance test of both physical and mental stamina, and everyone involved learned so much about resilience and teamwork.
“What made their achievement more remarkable is that three of them are in Year 11 so are revising for their GCSEs during the Easter holidays, and all four only started kayaking in Year 9 through the school.
“It was fantastic to join the parents, pupils and their families in Marlow to cheer them on. It was a challenge for the parents too, who navigated the route by car to meet the participants at each portage.”
The Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race is organised by Devizes to Westminster Organisation Ltd, a not-for-profit body that uses entry fees to cover the cost of running the event. Over the years, participants have collectively raised an estimated £2 million for charity.
The Easter period formed part of a wider programme of co-curricular activities at Cokethorpe School, including skiing trips for prep pupils, a rugby tour in Sedbergh, and sports residential visits to Bournemouth and Cardiff.
The school educates around 600 pupils across its 150-acre parkland campus and offers more than 100 co-curricular activities alongside sport, drama, and music.
