Gill Haynes celebrates her birthday by taking a Le Boat holiday on The Thames.
As Ratty tells Mole in Wind in the Willows, “there is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats”. So, when you have something special to celebrate – in our case, a Very Significant Birthday – then a few days swanning about on the Thames with friends and family aboard a cabin cruiser could be just the ticket. And you don’t need boating experience or a licence to get going either.
Le Boat Has the Boat for You
Le Boat has the world’s largest fleet of self-drive cruisers. They offer a wide selection of boats, helpful staff (when you phone one of their bases you speak to a real person) as well as a website that’s as easily navigable as the Thames proved to be.
We booked three nights starting and finishing in Chertsey, Surrey aboard two-eight berth Magnifiques for our crew of 14 plus Max the cocker spaniel, who seemed to lap up the adventure as much as we did. More of him later!
Ship-shape Accommodation
Two en-suite cabins (which can be configured as twin or doubles) and two doubles with a shared basin and loo plus separate shower, covered off the essentials. The cabins really are just for sleeping in. They have USB ports for charging phones and cleverly designed storage but these are not hotel rooms. It’s cosy, so pack light!
Open Plan Living Space
There’s good living space in the middle of the boat with u-shaped seating around a table which takes eight comfortably. The kitchen area, importantly, has two under-counter fridges which was plenty for our three nights food supplies plus bottles we wanted to chill. There’s an icebox which can take ice cream tubs and ice cube trays but no freezer. The gas-powered oven and grill only come in ‘off’ or ‘on’ mode but were fine for heating up pre-cooked dishes or ready meals. The hob has three burners and a whistling kettle. And hooray – there is a cafetiere to keep any coffee snobs happy in the morning.
The Mains Thing to Remember
The one thing to bear in mind is that if, like us, you wanted to moor up on the riverbank each evening, rather than berth in a marina where you can plug into the mains, then you can’t use your usual 240 volt appliances – only 12 volt travel hairdryers can be used, for example, and the onboard microwave won’t work. For a three-night trip, this wasn’t an issue for us. Also, we still had plenty of water left in the tank by the end of the trip despite everyone showering daily, which saved us having to top up en route.
Spacious Sun Decks
The thing we most liked about the Magnifiques was the roomy open air top deck, which with its generous seating and standing room, meant that all 14 of us (and Max) could come together for drinks aboard one boat and watch the sun go down on the river. There’s a second driving seat on this upper deck that was much preferred by our two captains to the inside steering position and it’s where we all spent most of the day, enjoying the spring sunshine as we pottered up and down river at a stately five to six knots – a fast walking pace.
Getting the Heads Up Before You Head Off
Our two captains did have some sailboat experience but this is not required, and at the Le Boat base, you are taken through health and safety and how the boat works whilst still tied up, then given a test drive by one of the boat hands to make sure you are comfortable with everything before you set off onto the river. There are fenders all around the boat, so it you do accidently nudge into a jetty or bankside, you simply bounce off.
Le Boat Chertsey to Cookham and Back
Half the fun of cruising up the Thames is gawping at the fabulous houses and hotels that line the river – there are some simply gorgeous waterfront properties to ogle, including The Waterside Inn, that well-known foodie heaven. The other half of the fun is going through the seven sets of locks that in our case led from Chertsey up to Windsor, Eton and Cookham (and the same number back down again to Chertsey).
Learning to Love Locks
The locks might seem a bit intimidating at first, but you soon get into the groove. Going up-river, we cruised into the empty lock chamber, with one of our shipmates fore and aft to throw loose ropes around the bollards to keep the boat in place as the lock-keeper opened the sluices to let the water into the lock, and once we’d been raised to the new river level, to open the gates.
The Joys of Slow Travel
Each lock took about 20-30 minutes to pass through which contributed to the whole sense of meditative slow travel that being on the river engenders. It’s a great way to simply unwind and enjoy the journey, gliding past weeping willows and islands in the stream as ducks, swans, geese and grebes go about their business.
Stop Off En Route
We overnighted on the riverbank at Runnymede, where Magna Carta was signed back in 1215 and at the pretty village of Cookham, with its gallery dedicated to artist Stanley Spencer, quaint shops, welcoming pubs and picture-postcard, blossom-strewn churchyard. We also stopped off at Eton, in sight of Windsor Castle, for a swift half at The Boatman on the waterfront, followed by a wander across the bridge and down a high street decked out with union jack flags, which lent the famous town a festive air.
Doggy Delights
It was also a good time to exercise Max, our canine guest, who took to being on the water with gusto. You pay a £75 supplement for bringing your four-legged friend (only one per boat) and have the option of doggy lifejackets in various sizes although with Max in a harness, it was easier to keep him on a lead on board and carry him ashore at each lock for a short walk. His tail barely stopped wagging the whole trip.
Friendly Fellow-boaters
And nor did ours – the boats made a great venue for our birthday celebrations, and such is the sense of community among people on the river that several boats shouted a cheery ‘Happy Birthday’ as the passed and saw our birthday bunting. Le Boat were friendly and helpful throughout – when we had a minor plumbing issue, there was a mechanic sent to sort it out within the hour, at 9pm at night.
It’s the sort of service that gives you real reassurance, along with Le Boat’s 4.1 rating on Trustpilot. We’ll be back to mess about on the river another time yet!
Le Boat UK
A three-night self-catered stay aboard a Magnifique which sleeps up to eight people – 10 using the sofa bed – costs from £739 per boat for the 2025 season (until 31 October). No boating license or experience necessary. Engine fuel came to an additional £260 per boat for our three nights afloat. To contact Le Boat UK, ring 023 9222 2177. Further information on a Le Boat UK holiday or Le Boat France, can be found here. www.leboat.com/en).
To discover more about the historical delights along the route, read Mark Bibby Jackson’s Taking the Slow Boat on the Thames through History.