River Thames

Historical towns, culture and rural vistas

The magnificent River Thames cruises

Meandering through the beautiful countryside of southern England, the River Thames takes you to Historic towns and quintessentially English villages with their riverside pubs and village greens.

Hotel barges

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Magna Carta barge cruise

Magna Carta

Tested by Jane McDonald
8 guests
★★★★★

Self-drive boats in the River Thames region

Le Boat

Le Boat operate 16 different types of self-drive boats in this region.
Here is a random selection.

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Royal Mystique B rental boat

Royal Mystique B

6 guests
2 cabins
2 bathrooms
Comfort Plus rating
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Calypso rental boat

Calypso

8 guests
4 adults, 4 children
3 cabins
2 bathrooms
Comfort rating
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Continentale rental boat

Continentale

6 guests
4 adults, 2 children
3 cabins
3 bathrooms
Budget rating
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Mystique rental boat

Mystique

8 guests
3 cabins
3 bathrooms
Comfort Plus rating

River Thames information

River Thames

The Thames is England's longest river, with the source at Thames Head in the Cotswolds of Gloucestershire, the waters flow east with various tributaries join such as the Loddon, the Churn and the Wey adding to the water flow which empties into the English Channel.

After passing through the capital of London, it empties into the North Sea. Used for thousands of years for transport and generating commerce, the Thames remains a very active and worthy destination.

Our two bases at Benson and Chertsey are ideally placed to explore what is arguably the most beautiful stretch of the river, and cruising in either direction will take you to some of the oldest and prettiest towns and villages in the heart of England.

 Visit historic towns and cities such as Windsor, Kingston-upon-Thames, Henley-on-Thames, Marlow, Cookham, Pangbourne and Oxford.  With all the locks on the river Thames manned by friendly lock-keepers, you can be sure of a pleasant day's cruising wherever you choose to go.

Self-drive cruises on the River Thames

One week return cruises:

The Majestic Cruise: Chertsey - Windsor - Kingston-upon-Thames - Chertsey

Visit Chertsey, Windsor, Walton on Thames, Hampton Court Palace and Kingston upon Thames

70 km; 14 locks; 10 hours

 

The Scholars Cruise:  Benson - Oxford - Henley-upon-Thames  - Benson

Visit Benson, Abingdon, Oxford, Wallingford, Beale Park, Pangbourne, Reading, Henley-upon-Thames

186 km, 30 locks; 32 hours cruising

 

The Royal Cruise: Benson - Windsor - Benson

Visit: Benson, Marlow, Cookham, Clevedon, Eton, Ascot, Windsor

155 km, 36 locks, 30 hours

 

One week, one-way cruises

The Heart of England Cruise: Chertsey - Benson

Visit: Benson, Marlow, Cookham, Clevedon, Eton, Ascot, Windsor

96 km; 20 locks, 16 hours

Short Breaks: 3 or 4 days

The Willow Tree Cruise: Brenson - Marlow - Benson

Visit: Benson, Wallingford, Moulsford, Beale Park, Goring, Henley-upon-Thames, Marlow

75 km; 28 locks; 14 hours

 

The Little Thames Cruise: Chertsey - Henley-upon-Thames - Chertsey

Visit: Chertsey, Windsor, Maidenhead, Henley-upon-Thames, Marlow

75 km; 18 locks; 16 hours

Travel Connections:

London Heathrow (Benson 61 km,  Chertsey 17 km)

London Gatwick (Benson 120 km, Chertsey 53 km)