FAQ's

Yes we welcome dogs onto any of our passenger vessels and hire boats as long as they are kept under control and do not cause a nuisance to other passengers, crew or river users.

Please note to keep our boats dry and ready to hire we do not allow dogs or people to swim from our hire boats.

Children of all ages are welcome on our passenger vessels and hire boats. We have infant life jackets available for those using the hire boats. Please note that infants must be held by an adult and for safety reasons they cannot be strapped into a car seat or carrier.

All children regardless of age count towards the maximum capacity of the boat.

On sunnier days we will stay open later if there is demand, we advise arriving early to avoid disappointment

We are open to the elements however we do aim to be open even if it is raining. Our passenger vessels have a rear roofed section so you can still enjoy the river in the rain.

On the rare occasion the weather is torrential or the river is in flood we may operate on a reduced service or close completely for safety reasons. Please call us if you want to check our services before travelling if the weather has been particularly bad.

We understand that sometimes there may be extenuating reasons for running late, Please contact us as soon as possible so we know what is happening and we can discuss your options.

Please note that we do have a tight booking system. We will need the boats to be returned for the next group to start on time to prevent any knock-on delays during the day to other hirers.

As we have a large number of motor and rowing boats we do not reserve boats to maintain a constant flow of boats coming in and out. We operate with a physical queue system only. Electric launches are pre-bookable up to 24hrs before on the website.

Lifejackets are mandatory for all non-swimmers and children under 16 years old on all of our self-drive hire boats. We will provide these free of charge. They are also available for any person 16+ who would prefer to wear one. We provide buoyancy jackets to all hirers of the Big Canoes.

Lifejackets are not required on the passenger vessels. Full safety equipment including life rings are aboard the passenger vessels as directed by the MCA licencing of the vessels.

We have limited storage for pushchairs at the Boathouse for the self-drive boats, they are left outside and at your own risk. Please make sure all valuable personal belongings are taken with you onto the boats.

We have limited storage for pushchairs and wheelchairs/mobility aids on the Bancroft Gardens Public River Cruises, these are also left at own risk and all valuables should be taken aboard with you.

Our passenger vessels are over 100 years old and unfortunately they are all accessed via a set of steps. We are unable to take wheelchairs on-board due to the layout of the boats. Passengers must be able to use the seats provided. If you have a query about access please give us a call.

We now have a self-drive wheely boat for hire which is able to take wheelchairs aboard and is bookable via our website. It is also able to be driven by wheelchair users.