MAGNA CARTA
Cruise the
Historic Royal River Thames, England
STANDARD
ITINERARY
Hampton Court Palace to HENLEY-ON-THAMES
Sunday, Day 1
- LONDON – HAMPTON COURT PALACE
Meet
the Captain or a crew member at the Stafford Hotel in London at 3pm for
afternoon English Cream Tea, before being transferred at 4pm to the
Magna Carta. Champagne reception and welcome moored outside
Hampton Court, former Tudor Palace of Henry VIII, where we remain
overnight. Dinner aboard.
Monday, Day 2
- HAMPTON COURT PALACE - SHEPPERTON
This
morning we have ample time to really explore Hampton Court Palace, the
most fabulous Tudor home, once belonging to Cardinal Wolsey until
acquired by Henry VIII! We walk through 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 grape vine and
the famous maze!
After lunch we enjoy our first cruise, up
through Molesey Lock and following the meandering path of the river to
Shepperton. Dinner aboard.
Tuesday, Day
3 - SHEPPERTON - RUNNYMED
After
breakfast we cruise to Runnymede and moor at Bell Weir Lock adjacent to
a luxury spa hotel where after lunch we have the option to use the spa
facilities including pool, sauna and steam room. Beauty therapies,
massages and other treatments are available but are best booked in
advance.
In the afternoon we take a short drive to
Savill Gardens. These beautiful gardens have something to offer all
year round and form part of Windsor Great Park. The stunning
new
visitor centre was built using sustainable timber from the royal
estates and makes a unique architectural statement with its grid shell
design inspired by leaf form. Dinner aboard.
Wednesday,
Day 4 - RUNNYMEDE - WINDSOR
This
morning we cruise to Windsor before enjoying lunch on board. Our river
journey takes us through Runnymede where King John faced the barons in
1215 and was forced to put his seal on the Magna Carta, the document
which was the very first Bill of Rights and from which our vessel takes
its name. From the boat we see the Magna Carta memorial and Magna Carta
Island where the sealing took place.
Our 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. We 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 aboard
followed by an optional pub night (all pubs are now non-smoking) with
live entertainment from Stephen Carroll. Steve is a very talented Irish
musician who has appeared at the Vienna folk festival. He plays a
selection of Irish and American folk music along with many of his own
songs and has a fantastic wit and sense of humour.
Thursday, Day
5 - WINDSOR - COOKHAM
This
new itinerary includes a special private visit to a country house which
may be Dorney Court this morning or Milton Manor on Friday afternoon.
Leaving Royal Windsor behind us we cruise up to Boveney Lock and take a
walk to Dorney Court. This very special home has been owned by the
Palmer family 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” We enjoy a tour usually with Jill Palmer the present
owner.
We continue our cruise past the fabulous
waterside homes of Bray, through the spectacular Clivedon reach and
open English countryside. We moor in Cookham, once described
as
‘Heaven on Earth’ by artist Sir Stanley Spencer, one of England’s
greatest and most eccentric painters. Spencer would transpose biblical
scenes into his surroundings and was knighted by the Queen shortly
before his death in 1959. We visit his newly renovated gallery and take
a walk around the village he loved so much and painted so frequently.
Dinner aboard.
Friday, Day 6
- COOKHAM – HENLEY ON THAMES
A
morning cruise to the village of Hurley where we wander through 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. We 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. We cruise to Henley on Thames,
our
final approach being along the famous Henley Regatta Course.
Once
we arrive in Henley we have a choice. If we were able to visit Dorney
Court earlier in the week we will visit the award winning River and
Rowing museum, after which there is plenty of time to explore the 18th
century town. Otherwise we take a short drive to Milton Manor, an
extraordinarily beautiful family home designed by Inego Jones with
Gothick library, Catholic Chapel and a wealth of fine and interesting
antiques. The present owner, Gwendoline Mockler-Barrett gives us a
private guided tour. For our final night we enjoy the
Captains
Farewell Dinner aboard.
Saturday, Day
7 - HENLEY-ON-THAMES - LONDON
Following breakfast, disembark at 10 am and
return to the Stafford Hotel.
NOTE:
On alternate weeks, cruise will be in reverse direction. This is a
sample itinerary and is subject to change.
Meeting Point:
3pm, Sunday at the Stafford Hotel, St James Place, London, for
afternoon tea.
Magna
Carta also offers many theme cruises including Golf, Antiques, West-end
Theatre, Murder Mystery, Health and Relaxation, and Christmas &
New
Years... Please contact Paradise Connections for more details.
Have a large group? Tandem cruise Magna Carta with Actief for
accommodations for up to 19 people! |
