Le Boat Destinations – ENGLAND

When you hire a cruiser on the Thames, you discover the famous river from a different perspective, at your own pace. As you gaze at Windsor Bridge and Castle or Hampton Court Palace from your river cruiser, you feel like you have been transported back in time. Your self-drive boating holiday takes you to large towns with shops, pubs and museums, where sightseeing and family activities are on the afternoon agenda. You’ll also stop in small villages where the pace is slow and the living is easy!

Boating on the Thames: the most charming way to explore south east England. Those who are interested in history, heritage, fishing or family holidays, will enjoy this region.

LOCKS:

Going through locks is one of the highlights of a boating holiday. All locks on the Thames are electronically operated and, most of the time, a lock keeper will be present to do most of the work. When they are not, the lock gates will display a blue ‘self-service’ sign – which means you are allowed to operate it yourself. But don’t worry… it’s easy! By the end of your holiday you will pass through locks confidently and become an ace at throwing ropes over mooring bollards.

Lock keepers’ duty times (locks are closed for lunch between 13:00-14:00). April: 9am – 5pm | May: – Jun: 9am – 6pm | Jul – Aug: 9am – 6:30pm | Sep: 9am – 6pm | Oct: 9am – 5pm 

When the lock keep is not on duty, operating the weir, maintaining the lock site or taking a break, they will display blue ‘self-service’ signs on the lock gates. This means you can operate the lock yourself, at your own risk. The controls are located by each gate on a big green metal box. There is no charge to go through locks. Cruising beyond Teddington Locks towards central London is prohibited. All locks closed on: 1st November.

MOORINGS:

The beauty of a boating holiday is the freedom to stop whenever the fancy takes, whether you see a nice looking pub or an interesting village to explore, or maybe just to top up your water tank or do some shopping. The Thames has plenty of places to moor, but availability can get tight in peak summer so be flexible and stick to the below advice:

Public Moorings: There is a good choice of public moorings along the Thames.  Unless signs state otherwise you are allowed to moor for a maximum period of 24 hours and may have to pay a charge at some sites – normally between £6 and £10 a night. Where charges apply, you will usually get a visit from a warden early the next morning collecting payment. Always respect private rights – there will usually be signs up if mooring isn’t allowed, but if you aren’t sure, either keep on looking, try to ask permission or be prepared to be moved on. Most public moorings will have mooring bollards or rings to tie your boat to, but it may be necessary to hammer stakes into the bank in some places – these are provided on board. Place mooring stakes well back from the bank edge and make sure they do not cause a hazard to passers-by. Gaps between boats are wasteful so please share rings or posts where possible. Moorings can get busy, especially in peak summer, so we recommend you start looking for moorings around 4pm/5pm, to allow plenty of daylight time to move on and find alternatives if necessary. 

Private Marinas: If you would like to guarantee an overnight moorings, or you wish to hook up your boat to a 220v power supply (not available on all boats), then there is a wealth of private marinas where you can pay to moor for the night. They are also particularly handy if you need to pump out your waste tanks, fill up with water or dispose of your rubbish. It is advisable to call ahead and book a space.

Other Le Boat Destinations:

BELGIUM | FRANCE | NETHERLANDS | ITALY | IRELAND | GERMANY | CANADA | SCOTLAND