This cruise of great contrasts takes guests from beautiful, bustling, and cultural London into the English pastoral countryside of Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. Your 7-day Classic England private journey on the hotel barge Magna Carta begins as you take in the capital's most famous sights and enjoy a unique look at the spectacular waterway that has been so important in London's history. Explore the castles of England and its quaint riverside towns and villages. From the Thames Barrier, erected to prevent flooding, cruise westwards to Windsor Castle, the largest inhabited castle in the world. Tour the fantastic gardens of Cliveden before cruising further upstream to visit the Stanley Spencer Gallery in Cookham. Your tour concludes in Christ Church, Oxford's grandest college, before disembarking in London.
Highlights
Experience British royalty at the excursion to Windsor's Castle with your private group of up to 8 guests
Taste the authentic English Cream Tea at Stafford Hotel
Explore the exquisite Palace of Henry VIII, the Hampton Court
Activity options vary depending on destination and operator. Activity level is determined by the range and intensity of activities you choose to participate in. Discuss with your Trip Planner which options are best for you.
Meet the Captain or a crew member at the Stafford Hotel in London for afternoon English cream tea before being transferred to the Magna Carta. Champagne reception and welcome moored outside Hampton Court, former Tudor Palace of Henry VIII, where you remain overnight. Dinner served onboard.
This morning you have ample time to really explore Hampton Court Palace, the most fabulous Tudor home, once belonging to Cardinal Wolsey until it was acquired by Henry VIII. Walkthrough Henry’s great hall and haunted gallery and see his chapel, still used for worship today and with the finest Tudor ceiling in existence. There is much more to see including the stunning privy gardens, the oldest growing grapevine, and the famous maze. After lunch, enjoy your first cruise, up through Molesey Lock and following the meandering path of the river through Sunbury, Chertsey, and Shepperton to our overnight mooring on Bell Weir Lock at Runnymede. Dinner served onboard.
After breakfast, you have the option to use the spa facilities of the newly refurbished Runnymede on Thames hotel, including a pool, sauna, and steam room. Beauty therapies, massages, and other treatments are available but are best booked in advance. This morning, cruise to Windsor before enjoying lunch on board. The river journey takes you through Runnymede, where King John faced the barons in 1215 and was forced to put his seal on the Magna Carta, the document the very first Bill of Rights and from which the vessel takes its name. See the Magna Carta Memorial and Magna Carta Island from the boat, where the sealing took place. Your afternoon excursion is to Windsor Castle. Built by William the Conqueror in 1066 and lived in for over 900 years by the Royal Family. This is the largest inhabited castle in the world. You can explore the State Apartments, See Queen Mary’s Dolls House and St George’s Chapel and enjoy the far-reaching views from its elevated fortress position. Dinner served onboard.
Leaving Royal Windsor behind, you cruise up to Boveney Lock and take a walk to Dorney Court. The Palmer family has owned this very special home for more than 450 years, passing from father to son through 13 generations. King Henry VIII has stayed here, and the manor is regularly used for filming, including “Poirot” and most recently “The other Boleyn girl” you are lucky to enjoy a private tour of the house. The cruise continues past the fabulous waterside homes of Bray and Maidenhead, Boulters Lock (made famous in Victorian times), and into the spectacular Clivedon reach, where you have special permission to moor at the house itself. Cliveden was once owned by the Astor family, though the original house dates back to 1666. The gardens are simply amazing and include a Parterre, Chinese water garden, and topiary. A late afternoon cruise takes you to a stunning mooring at Cookham Lock. Cookham was once described as ‘Heaven on Earth’ by artist Sir Stanley Spencer, one of England’s greatest and most eccentric painters. Much of his work was painted in and around Cookham. Dinner served onboard.
After breakfast, visit Stanley Spencer’s gallery and walk around the village before cruising through Bourne End and Marlow to Hurley. Tour Peter Freebody’s boatyard and watch in wonder at the traditional craftsman at work, building and restoring wooden boats as they have been done for generations. You have time to explore the ancient 11th-century village, including Ye Olde Belle, reputed to be the oldest inn in the country, before returning to the barge. Dinner served onboard.
A morning cruise to Henley on the Thames through the fabulous countryside, your final mooring along with the famous Henley Regatta Rowing Course. An earlier lunch followed by a 40-minute drive to Oxford. A fascinating tour of Christ Church, Oxford’s grandest college, was founded twice, once by Cardinal Wolsey and then by King Henry VIII. The magnificent surroundings were where Lewis Carrol wrote Alice in Wonderland. For your final night, enjoy the Captain's Farewell Dinner aboard.
Day 7: London | Disembark
1 Breakfast
Following breakfast, disembark and return to London or Heathrow Airport.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
$44,000
or $5,500 per person based on 8 max passengers
Twin/Double Suite
Twin/double air-conditioned suites, with a combination of period furniture and contemporary en suite shower rooms, TV/DVD, WiFi (subject to local reception).
Initial deposit is 25%, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 100 days prior to departure by Credit card, check, and bank transfer. All final payments by credit card subject to a surcharge of 2.5% and maximum of $20,000 charge
I could not be happier with my Adventure Life experience, from beginning to end. I travel a lot, and I think your company and personnel do an outstanding job. I truly appreciate your professionalism, attentiveness, and flexibility. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend your company and would be happy to serve as a reference.
Constance Block
TrustScore 4.8 | 254 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 254 reviews on
2 days ago
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
2 days ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
2 days ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
1 week ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 week ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.