Picnic & BBQ locations along the Thames

Picnic on an island on the Thames: Ray Mill Island, Maidenhead

A great place for a family picnic with toilet facilities, picnic tables and benches, and in the summer a café. The Island has an adventure play area suitable for children between 3 and 8 years, an aviary and guinea pig enclosure and wooden animals dotted around for imaginative play. The Island's name dates from when the Ray family managed a flourmill here and the lock was originally called after the family.  At the northern end of the Island you will find Boulter's Weir, one of 50 remaining on the Thames.

Picnic by the 2,000 year old Ankerwycke Yew tree opposite Runnymede

Take a look underneath the canopy of this venerable old giant. It's a little out of the way but well worth the journey, open all year round with an ancient 2,500 year old yew tree and the remains of a Benedictine priory to discover. With a wonderful array of wildlife and a wide variety of trees, Ankerwycke is the perfect spot for a peaceful walk on a sunny day.

Picnic in style on Fringilla chauffeured motor yacht

Fringilla is based in Maidenhead and cruises between Windsor and Marlow passing along some of the most beautiful parts of the upper Thames. Boarding from Maidenhead allows you to see the Cliveden Reach with its restored period cottages and National Trust gardens and Bray with it's beautiful riverside houses and world famous restaurants during a 2 hour trip. Enjoy as a venue for a picnic lunch or afternoon tea. Vessels are hired with a fully qualified experienced skipper.

Picnic at Cliveden National Trust Gardens

Fill your hamper with your favourite goodies from home, throw in a comfy blanket and enjoy al fresco dining at Cliveden. Positioned on top of chalk cliffs and overlooking the River Thames, Cliveden's magnificent gardens and woodlands offer breathtaking views that have been admired for centuries. The spot was chosen by the 2nd Duke of Buckingham in 1666 for its striking view to the River Thames. Discover the picnic sites around the woodlands and gardens.

Picnic in Marlow’s riverside park - Higginson Park

A great place to picnic with a variety of entertainment. Marlow's riverside park slopes down to the Thames with a popular children’s playground and boat hire, or take a French Brothers cruise. Families can kick a ball about or feed the swans.

BBQ, Picnics and Wild Swimming at Port Meadow, Oxford

Port Meadow in Oxford - wide open space, all day and all night, no restrictions on barbecues, wild swimming in the Thames with lots of informal paddling, popular with families and young people and pubs near by.

When you visit "Oxford's oldest monument" you are looking at a landscape that has changed little since prehistoric times. William Turner was inspired to paint his early landscapes here. Lewis Carroll rowed Alice Liddell and related Alice in Wonderland to her.