Classic English Barge Holiday

Classic England – 6 days/7 nights from $7660.00!

Enjoy the classic English sights of Royal Berkshire, historic Buckinghamshire and beautiful Oxfordshire from the luxury of the Magna Carta barge hotel. Gentle exploration is the highlight of all river cruises in England, with good cycling and walking opportunities as your elegant and spacious luxury hotel barge finds her way along the Royal River Thames visiting traditional boat builders, art galleries and the “real” Downton Abbey. 

Highlights Include: Explore Henry VIII’s Hampton Court Palace, moor beneath and visit Windsor Castle, tour Cliveden and its gardens, tour the Stanley Spencer Gallery at Cookham, great walking and bicycling opportunities along the Thames Footpath, tour Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey) on selected departures, and enjoy English cream tea at the Stafford Hotel, London.

Your Ship: Hotel barge Magna Carta will take you on a slow, meandering journey along the prettiest stretches of England’s River Thames, past Royal Palaces, quaint riverside towns and villages – a captivating mixture of olde worlde England and the natural beauty of the surrounding countryside

Hotel barge Magna Carta accommodates 8 guests and is one of the finest vessels cruising the waters of the British Isles today. The large saloon and dining area feature picture windows and stylish furnishings, and the sense of refined space continues in the four very generous, air-conditioned twin/double suites, with their combination of period furniture and contemporary en suite shower rooms. Outside you can unwind in the heated spa pool, or enjoy a mouth-watering alfresco lunch prepared by your onboard master chef as you get admiring glances from passers-by.

Day 1: Hampton Court Palace Guests are met at the Stafford Hotel in Central London for afternoon English Cream Tea, before being transferred by private chauffeured minibus to Magna Carta. Champagne reception and welcome by the Captain and crew. Dinner on board.

Day 2: Hampton Court Palace > Runnymede This morning explore the magnificent Hampton Court Palace. Tour Henry VIII’s apartments and the Royal Chapel and the breathtaking gardens including The Great Vine, the oldest in the country still producing grapes. After lunch cruise through Molesey Lock and moor at Runnymede.

Day 3: Runnymede > Windsor After breakfast, you have the option to use the spa facilities of the newly refurbished Runnymede-on-Thames Hotel. Then cruise to Windsor, past the Magna Carta Memorial and Magna Carta Island where in 1215, King John was forced to put meet the powerful barons and seal the historic document. Your afternoon excursion is to Windsor Castle. Built by William the Conqueror in 1066 and a royal home for over 900 years by the Royal Family, this is the largest inhabited castle in the world. Explore the State Apartments, see Queen Mary’s Dolls House, St George’s Chapel and enjoy the far-reaching views. Dinner on board.

Day 4: Windsor > Cookham This morning take a short drive to the Tudor manor house of Dorney Court, a very special home that has been owned by the Palmer family for more than 450 years and used regularly as a film location. Later, cruise upstream past the fabulous waterside houses of Bray and through the spectacular Cliveden Reach to moor en route at Cliveden House itself. Once home to the Astor family, it has amazing gardens and was, of course, the scene of much political scandal and intrigue. Late afternoon cruise to Cookham. Dinner on board.

Day 5: Cookham > Hurley After breakfast, visit the Stanley Spencer Gallery in Cookham and take a walk around the village he once described as ‘Heaven on Earth’, before cruising through Marlow to Hurley. Tour Peter Freebody’s boatyard nearby and watch in wonder as the traditional craftsmen build and restore classic wooden craft. You have time to explore the ancient village, including Ye Olde Bell, reputed to be the oldest inn in the country, before returning to the hotel barge. Dinner on board.

Day 6: Hurley > Henley-on-Thames A morning cruise to Henley-on-Thames through fabulous countryside to your final mooring along the famous Henley Regatta Rowing Course. Then, an earlier lunch, followed by a drive to Oxford for a fascinating tour of Christ Church, Oxford’s grandest college, founded by Cardinal Wolsey and then again by King Henry VIII. The magnificent surroundings were also where Lewis Carroll wrote Alice in Wonderland. Captain’s Farewell Dinner on board.

Day 7: Henley-on-Thames After breakfast, guests are transferred by private chauffeured minibus to Central London.