Discover more at Cliveden
Find out when Cliveden is open, how to get here, the things to see and do and more.
Boating has been a popular pastime at Cliveden for over a hundred years. Cliveden Reach is renowned as one of the prettiest spots on the Thames. Find out more about how you can enjoy boating here.
Dates for 2024 are now available to book via boatingatcliveden.co.uk. We look forward to welcoming you aboard soon.
‘Boating at Cliveden’ is a boating service, running daily between April to October, subject to river and weather conditions. To reduce pollution, the fleet is fully electric with skippered cruises and self-hire vessels including electric motorboats, Canadian canoes, rowing boats and a pedal boat.
Boating on the Thames was a late Victorian and Edwardian craze in most social classes. One of the prettiest stretches of the river, Cliveden Reach had the heaviest traffic of any up-river lock, and on one single day in 1894, a record 129 launches and nearly 1000 smaller craft passed through it.
By 1939, the river-loving Astors owned a varied collection of river craft including skiffs, canoes, (both rowing and Canadian) punts, whiffs, a dinghy and an electric canoe.
In 1908 the river was brought to life in Kenneth Grahame’s well-loved children’s classic, The Wind in the Willows. A regular visitor to Cliveden, it is believed Grahame was inspired to write the book by spending time on Cliveden Reach. Why not ‘mess about in boats’ like Ratty and Mole on your own boating adventure?
Please visit our third-party operator's Boating at Cliveden website for full details.
Click here to read more about skippered cruises
Available Thursday - Sunday from £60 per hour, maximum 5 people per boat.
Click here to read more about self-drive electric launches.
Available Thursday - Sunday from £30 per boat per hour, £20 for 30 minutes, maximum 3 people.
Click here to read more about Rowing Boats.
Available Thursday - Sunday from £30 per boat per hour, £20 for 30 minutes, maximum 3 people or 2 adults and 2 children under 12 in our family canoes.
Click here to read more about Canadian canoes.
Available Thursday - Sunday starting at £35 per boat for the first hour, maximum 2 people
Click here to read more about Pedal boat.
The shuttle bus service is run by volunteers and is not guaranteed. If you have accessibility requirements, please contact the boating team in advance of your booking. Access to The Boathouse is a 20–30-minute walk from the main car park via Yew Tree Steps or Spring Drive.
From the walled garden, walk towards the house and turn right before the forecourts. Walk alongside the Parterre to Yew Tree Steps to head down to the river. All boating starts from the Boathouse. Alternatively, for a step-free route, please use Spring Drive. A map will be sent through on your boat booking confirmation and can also be viewed here.
Boating at Cliveden and National Trust River Custodians regularly patrol the river along Cliveden Estate. Boating at Cliveden staff and National Trust River Custodians have been appointed by National Trust to collect the mooring fees for Cliveden Estate.
Find out when Cliveden is open, how to get here, the things to see and do and more.
Discover majestic trees, tranquil glades and far-reaching views as well as some unusual features in Cliveden’s woodlands, including a flint grotto and part of a giant sequoia tree.
Follow in the footsteps of dukes, earls, kings and queens at Cliveden as you stroll through a series of areas in the impressive garden, each with its own special charm.
Take a guided tour of Cliveden house – now a luxury hotel – and visit the chapel, final resting place of three generations of Astor family.
From fun walking trails to boating on the Thames this autumn, this is your one-stop shop to help you get the most out of your family visit to Cliveden.
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