We are looking forward to welcoming you back.

We are continuing to update the information on this page as partners advise their re-opening, so please keep checking.

Update 1 July 2020

UK Government confirm all forms of boating in England to restart from the 4^th July.

British Marine is delighted to confirm that from the 4th July, all forms of boating, including skippered charter and passenger boat operations can recommence, subject to all relevant COVID-19 guidance being followed. See British Marine statement 1/7/20

Update 30 June 2020

Following Government advice businesses along the River Thames are slowly starting to open up again. On this page we'll be bringing together information from our partners to help you plan your visits to the River Thames and its towns and villages. Some such as day boat hire, watersports and shopping are now open with many of the rest starting to open from 4 July. However, there will be a staggered approach over the next few months and some such as museums may not be opening until August/September.

Please check with any business before visiting to confirm opening times and safety procedures.

Toilet facilities at the locks are still closed - an updated list of facilities that are open along or near to the Thames can be found here.

The information below is split into the following sections

On the River | Towns and Villages | Attractions and Open Spaces | Eat & Drink | Something Special 

Make the most of summer days by messing about on the River Thames

• Hire a boat for a day - The businesses are doing everything they can to keep you safe, all boats and life jackets will be thoroughly cleaned after each use, hand sanitiser available and all measures to keep the 2m. Day Boats can only be hired with people from your own household or support bubble. Choose from rowing boats and canoes, to motorboats or an Edwardian launch which seats up to 12: Hobbs of Henley | Salters Steamers | Henley Canoe Hire | Moose Canoe Hire at Bisham | Kris Cruisers at Datchet |Pure Boating at Wallingford (extended opening to 8pm) are all offering day hire boats by pre-booking only now.
• Opening from 4 July are the classic boats with fully qualified skippers: Private Boat Hire at various locations along the Thames | Henley Sales & Charter - Midsomer Maiden at Henley (seats 12) | Kalbarri Charters at Bray | Hobbs of Henley  | Salters Steamers at Oxford

          Full information on day boat hire can be found here 

• Take to the water on a paddleboard - Moose Canoe and SUP Hire at Bisham has a fleet of Canadian canoes, SUPs and Sit on Top Kayaks to hire from a half or full day. Everyone is welcome from experienced paddlers to complete novices. The Bisham to Bisham route is the most popular and is great for families. Paddlers head upstream to Hurley lock before heading back at a leisurely pace.
• Henley Rowing Experiences offers having a go at rowing in Henley - home to the World’s most prestigious regatta! They will be offering outings for members of the same family in these Covid times and individual sessions with an Olympian or a fully qualified coach. Prices ranging from £60-£190. Please call in advance to confirm. Beginners welcome!  Call 07881205545
• Boat Trips on the Thames - Some are starting on 4 July from various locations: City Cruises in London has the "WE'RE GOOD TO GO" certification and is offering 20% off sightseeing day-tickets in July | French Brothers will be operating 40 mins from Windsor 4 July and 45 mins from Runnymede next week | Hobbs of Henley is operating 1 hour cruises from Henley | Thames Rivercruise at Reading from 5 July offering 45/60/90 minute cruises | Salters Steamers are hoping to start their 40 minute boat trips from Oxford soon 
• Holiday boats are operating again from 4 July. Book a boating holiday/staycation with motorboats from: Le Boat at Benson or Penton Hook | Kris Cruisers at Datchet | Hobbs of Henley | Choose a Dutch barge from Calmer Cruising at Bisham | A luxury wooden boat from Bygone Boating at Benson.
• Buying a boat - if you are inspired to spend more time on the river, why not buy your own boat. Boat sales are now open: TBS Boats at Bray or Penton Hook | Henley Sales & Charter at Henley or Beale Park | Bushnells at Wargrave, Reading | Thames Boat House at Shepperton | Stanley & Thomas Boat Builders at Windsor

Visit the towns and villages along the Thames

Non-essential shops are now open, as long as they follow Government guidelines. Towns and villages have been preparing for this and you'll notice extra safety measures are in place to ensure residents and anyone visiting or working in the local businesses stays safe.  This includes introducing an enhanced schedule of cleaning and sanitising of public spaces, social distancing and directional signage,  and safe access for shoppers. Here’s some of our favourites:

• Windsor - Browse the pedestrian-only shopping centres and shop-lined streets offering shoppers a great mixture of high-street names and independent retailers.
• Reading is the premier shopping destination in the south east outside London with everything you could want all in one place; from quirky boutiques to high end jewellers, independent stores alongside major high street brands in Broad Street and The Oracle Reading. Living Reading has created an interactive map of the shops that have opened to date.
• Henley on Thames has a wide range of shops, including boutiques, galleries, speciality food shops and antique shops. It has also produced information on the shops that are opening and specific information about safety.
• Marlow has an historic high street offering an array of hidden treasures with designer brands, independent boutiques and antique shops.

Attractions and Open Spaces

Some attractions along and nearby the River Thames with outdoor spaces have partially opened:

• National Trust properties including Cliveden (see something special below) and Basildon Park where you will need to book your visit in advance. You will be turned away if you arrive without a booking. New tickets are released online every Friday but sell out very quickly.
• Beale Wildlife Park - Starting by limiting the number of visitors per day with ongoing reviews to see if they can increase numbers. As no pre-booking is available, we recommend that you check their Facebook page and twitter feed prior to visiting. Indoor parts of the Park such as Bertie’s Beasts and Bugs, the Toddler Village and the Indoor Picnic area will remain closed. All play areas will remain closed including the paddling pool and sandpits. There is a takeaway only service from the restaurant. The narrow-gauge railway will be running but, to enable social distancing, the number of places in carriages have been reduced. All of the animal enclosures, apart from the beehives, are accessible and there is plenty to see and do throughout the Park including a new Toddler Trail and a number of family discovery trails planned throughout the summer.
• Stonor Park - The gardens are open Wednesday to Sunday Please note: timed pre-booked Garden tickets have to purchased on their website prior to arrival or try their Street Food. Stonor Street Food with KERB - 24-28 June For those longing to go out to a restaurant or who would just like a break from cooking Stonor has organised for some fantastic Street Food vendors to visit with KERB. KERB believe that the food on our streets should be filled with incredible, diverse, slap-you-round-the-face-it’s-so-good flavour, and that the talented traders behind it should have the best chance possible to do what they love, develop their businesses and, ultimately, succeed from the kerb up.You can either enjoy your mouthwatering food in the picnic area (you will need a Car park ticket) or take it home. You will need to book a FREE timed slot on our website to collect your food so that we can safely control the number of people collecting food at the same time. You also need to purchase a car parking ticket if you wish to stay at Stonor to enjoy your food in our picnic area. 

From the 4th of July tourist attractions will be able to reopen if they can do so safely. We will update the details when we hear from our partner businesses.

• The Thames Path National Trail - This long distance walking route starts at the source of the river in a field in the Cotswolds and follows the banks of the Thames for 184 miles (294km) through several rural counties before entering the City of London and finishing at the Thames Barrier in Greenwich. On its way the Trail passes through peaceful water meadows rich in wildlife, historic towns and cities such as Oxford, Henley and Windsor, many lovely villages and some of the best known landmarks of London. The Thames Path is a gentle Trail, able to be walked by people of all ages and abilities. There are many nature reserves and circular walks along the trail.

Visit Thames has a Walks for All section suitable for those with wheelchairs and buggies as well. The trails show the width of the Path where known and offers some less well-known walks. Local walks include Goring, Pangbourne, Reading, Henley on Thames and Maidenhead.

Places to Eat & Drink

Until all pubs and restaurants are allowed to open you can still savour the best food in your vicinity as some are offering take-aways including:

• Henley businesses offering take-aways and home deliveries can be found on Henley Basket
• Coppa Club Streatley is now open for takeaway and click-and-collect of some of your favourite Coppa dishes – hand stretched pizzas, salads & burgers, plus ice-cream, tea & coffee. Tues – Sat 12noon – 8.30pm, Sun 12noon – 7pm. Pop in or call ahead on 01491 529 315. Contactless card payments only please

You can also help to secure the future of your favourite local business by paying it forward and buying a gift voucher.

From the 4th of July restaurants and pubs can open. Indoor hospitality will be limited to table services and contact details will need to be collected from customers.

• Miller of Mansfield, Goring on Thames is opening 15 July the bar, hotel and restaurant – inside and outside with revised opening hours.  They will be continuing with their Miller at Home offering as well as welcoming you back to The Miller albeit with a revised layout and service offering.
• Oakley Court, Windsor will offer ‘ALFRESCO DINING AT OUR TERRACE RESTAURANT’ reopens 4 July. Pre-booked tables only. This will help us manage demand and ensure we fully comply with the social distancing measures dictated by the Government. We will be making full use of our beautiful decking area and spreading our tables out on the Terrace but this will reduce our capacity so please book with plenty of notice.
• The Astor Grill, Cliveden, Taplow will re-open for non-resident lunch bookings from 13th July 2020. Dinner bookings will be available from 1st September 2020. We will take limited bookings for this service during this time. Lunch and dinner for hotel residents is available to book as normal.
• The Plough Inn, Long Wittenham will be re-opening from 4 July. Follow their Facebook page
• The Swan at Streatley hotel bar is currently closed and will welcome guests again from 4th July when the hotel re-opens. Hours will be Sun-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat 8am-9pm Coppa Club (date tbc). This is of course conditional and subject to change.
• Brakspear Pubs – we understand that some will be re-opening in July but please check the individual pubs for their offer e.g. The Angel on the Bridge, Henley on Thames will be operating the terrace menu only with some specials initially. They will be taking reservations for lunch and dinner up to a maximum of 6 for tables in the bar and dining room. The outdoor terrace will operate on a first come, first served basis as they are not adequately covered if it rains.

Places to Stay

• The Runnymede on Thames Hotel, Egham re-opens Monday 20 July
• Macdonald Compleat Angler, Marlow re-opens Saturday 4 July - Up to 30% off when booking direct
• Danesfield House, Marlow re-opens Friday 31 July
• Cliveden, Taplow re-opens Saturday 4 July 
• Sir Christopher Wren, Windsor reopens Saturday 4 July
• Oakley Court, Windsor re-opens Monday 20 July for hotel stays
• The Swan at Streatley, Streatley on Thames reopens Saturday 4 July
• The Roseate Reading re-opens Saturday 4 July
• Miller of Mansfield, Goring on Thames re-opens Wednesday 15 July

                                                   Looking for Something Special?

It's time to treat yourselves, make the most of the summer along the River Thames with these newly created experiences.

Cliveden House has just launched "The Iconic Picnic at Cliveden” available until August 17th. Explore the National Trust Gardens with its sculptures and then head to the Astor Grill court yard which is a retro suntrap for foodies with vintage Veuve Clicquot airstream. The Iconic Picnic consists of Takeaways of fluffy scones (and all the trimmings), fish and chips and burgers on offer at the Veuve Clicquot airstream. Socially distanced seating is laid out, positioned appropriately to give visitors peace of mind.

Hobbs of Henley with Bistro at the Boathouse is opening up The New Orleans for Drinks with Mr Hobbs Gin and Bistro Hotdogs! From Saturday 4th July (and then every Fri-Sun) 12-6pm. The boat will remain moored up and the upper deck will have some limited tables. Social distancing will be in place as will all safety and hygiene measures. You will not be able to reserve a table. Find out more on their Facebook page