Bookings are open for both 2027 camps
You know Herdade da Cortesia.
You know the water.
You know the Mind Body Row way of rowing.
This is something new.
Two sculling camps in 2027 on the reservoir at Avis - everyone in a single, with a coach helping you perfect your stroke. Same place, same food, Mind Body Row looking after you, but the week is built around one thing: making a real, lasting change to how you row.
Dates
11 - 16 February 2027 (Thursday to Tuesday)
18 - 23 October 2027 (Monday to Saturday)
Length
Six days, five nights
Boats
Single racing sculls only - all equipment supplied
Price
£3,499 per rower sharing
£3,999 per rower in a single room
Places
Maximum 20 rowers per camp.
Booking is open to everyone. Both weeks are available, and places tend to go fairly quickly once word gets round.
Do pass it on to anyone you think might fancy it.
Why it's different from the Experience
Six days built around one thing
Many of us scull for years without really changing anything. Usually it's because no one is watching closely enough, for long enough, to tell us which part of the stroke is costing us. That is what this week is for.
- Every water session in a single. A boat and a set of blades are yours for the week.
- Direct coaching, every session. Coaches always alongside you, nowhere to hide.
- Video analysis of your own stroke throughout the camp, with debriefs to turn what you see into what you do.
- A carefully programmed schedule, with two to three sessions a day - enough to make changes stick, paced so you're tired in the right way.
- Evenings on the performance side of the sport with Alex and the team: nerves, pacing, race preparation, how to train, physiology.
You will leave with a clear picture of your own stroke, changes that hold when you're under pressure, and a confidence in what you're doing and where you're heading that you may never have had before.
Who coaches you
Alex, and his hand-picked team
Alex is on the water every day and will work with every rower across the week. Alongside him is his hand-picked team, so in every session you have a coach beside you and eyes on your stroke.
Alex won two Olympic golds and five world titles in sweep boats, but started as a sculler, and he's convinced that rowers who truly understand the sculling stroke row sweep at a far higher level. Sweep rowers are very welcome - you'll scull all week, and your sweep rowing will be better for it.
How the days go
A week you can pace
Early on the water, then breakfast. Late morning, back out for technical work. Video, debriefs and mindset coaching in between. On three-session days, a final outing in the late afternoon to put it all together. Dinner, then an evening with the coaching team. Every session is designed so you can pace the week and progress properly.
Where you stay
Herdade da Cortesia, as before
Comfortable rooms, the restaurant, the gym, stretching studio and the same chefs who feed national squads. Being fed well matters when you're rowing three times a day.
What's included
Included
- CoachingEvery water session with the coaching team, plus video analysis throughout the camp.
- EquipmentA single and blades assigned to you for the week.
- Full boardYour room and all meals at Herdade da Cortesia.
- TransfersGroup return road transfer from Lisbon airport, about two hours each way.
- EveningsPerformance and mindset sessions with Alex and the team.
Flights and drinks are not included. Everything else is.
Before you book
Three things worth knowing
You need to be happy on your own in a single
Comfortable sculling unaccompanied on open water, able to swim, and able to get back in or to the side after a capsize. If you can do that, whatever your speed, you'll get a huge amount from this week. If you're not sure, email Emily and we'll talk it through honestly.
It's rowing weather, not always pool weather
Early sessions can be chilly and it can sometimes rain. Bring proper winter rowing kit - layers, a waterproof, warm hat - and expect sessions to go ahead in most conditions.
Non-rowing guests
Partners and friends are very welcome to stay, but please know what you're bringing them to: this is a rowing week, not the Experience. There's no guest programme, the rowers are out two or three times a day and it may not be weather for lying by the pool. If someone would still enjoy a quiet week in a beautiful place, email Emily and we'll sort a guest price with you directly.
Booking
Taking a place
Bookings are open for both weeks and places go in booking order. Booking through the website pays for the week in full.
Shared rooms are for two people booking together - we don't pair rowers up. If you're coming on your own, choose a single room.
The links work for anyone you send them to, so if a friend or someone in the family would want a place, they can take one themselves.
Would you rather not pay the whole lot up front? Email Emily at emily@alexgregorygb.com and we'll set you up with a 50% deposit instead, with the balance due eight weeks before the camp.
The small print
Cancellation policy
We understand that plans can change, and we aim to be as fair and transparent as possible.
- 60 days or more before the camp - we refund everything you have paid, apart from 20% of the total cost, which covers the planning and preparation already committed.
- 30 to 59 days before the camp - 50% refund of your total booking amount.
- Less than 30 days before the camp - due to the proximity of the event and commitments already made, we're unable to offer a refund at this stage.
Travel insurance. We strongly recommend taking out comprehensive travel insurance as soon as you book. Things very occasionally happen that are outside anyone's control - illness, injury, delayed or cancelled flights, or last-minute changes to your plans. Good cover means you're protected if you're unable to travel or need to cut your trip short. Please make sure your policy covers cancellation, medical expenses and the activities you'll take part in during the camp.
This contract and any matters arising from it are governed by the law of England and Wales and are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.