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24th December - Christmas Eve
You are met by the Captain at The Stafford Hotel for afternoon tea and mince pies before transfer to Magna Carta moored in the spectacular setting of St Katharine’s Dock London. Meet the crew and discover your cabin before a festive Champagne welcome. Dinner on board. This evening after dinner aboard, we have a guest actor to read from A Christmas Carol while the saloon is candlelit and presents can be put around the Christmas tree. Optional midnight mass.

25th December - Christmas Day
After breakfast a choice of Christmas Day services including Westminster Abbey. We cruise today from Chelsea to Chiswick with mulled wine at hand and enjoy a wonderful Christmas feast in the afternoon. Present opening follows and the festivities continue into the evening which include a traditional English Christmas Tea.

26th December - Boxing Day
For Boxing Day, we once again start with a morning cruise through beautiful Richmond, past the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew and on through Teddington and up to Hampton Court Palace. After lunch we have a chance to continue a great British tradition and embark on a refreshing Boxing Day walk around nearby Bushy Park followed by a visit to a local English pub for a pint or two of beer. Dinner on board.

27th December
This morning we have a chance to discover Hampton Court, the palace most famous as home to King Henry VIII and haunted by his fifth wife, Catharine Howard. After lunch we continue our cruising through the beautiful locks, which are a regular feature of the non-tidal Thames, and ever changing scenery to Shepperton, where we moor overnight. Dinner on board.

28th December
Morning cruise through the countryside to our mooring at Runnymede. It was here in 1215 that King John sealed the document that was the first ever Bill of Rights and from where our barge got its name. In the afternoon we visit the Magna Carta memorial, the JFK memorial and the Commonwealth Air Forces memorial before visiting Savill Gardens, part of the Crown estate. Dinner on board

29th December
Above Runnymede the scenery becomes quite breathtaking as we continue on towards Windsor. The Thames forms a natural moat around the castle and so our view of this mighty fortress and royal home keeps changing. Our afternoon visit is the castle itself. The largest inhabited castle in the world, Windsor has been a royal home for 900 years. Dinner on board.

30th December
The river just keeps on getting better! We leave Windsor and cruise through Bray and Maidenhead and into the spectacular Cliveden Reach. High on the wooded hill top we can see the magnificent former home of the Astor family and now one of the world’s finest hotels. We continue cruising into Cookham, which the late artist Stanley Spencer called a village “made in heaven”, and then we visit Stanley Spencer’s gallery by special arrangement. Dinner on board.

31st December - New Years Eve
A morning cruise as the Thames meanders through the open countryside of Bourne End and the delightful riverside town of Marlow where we can take time to stop and explore before continuing on to Hurley. In the afternoon the secrets of this tiny 11th century village reveal themselves and then there is time to rest before the New Year’s Eve celebrations begin. New Years Eve Celebration dinner followed by either a party aboard Magna Carta or we can join the villagers in one of their historic pubs. For charter groups other options can be made available.

1st January - New Years Day: “Welcome in the New Year”
Perhaps a slightly later start this morning! And a riverside walk before our chef provides a substantial brunch. Our final cruise takes us through unspoilt beauty into Henley-on-Thames, the last mile and a quarter being the actual regatta course for which Henley is so famous. Time to discover the town and the River and Rowing Museum before preparing for the Gala Captains Farewell Dinner aboard.

2nd January
Depart for London or Heathrow at 9am after breakfast

NOTE
Itinerary is subject to change.

During the time we are in and around London (from the 24th to 27th) there is a great list of optional entertainment and attractions that may be of interest. These include London Ghost Walks, Viewing the Christmas lights, Harrods and Oxford Street shopping, Ice Rink at Somerset House or Hampton Court Palace and carol concerts. Theatre options include pantomimes such as Ali Baba, Dick Whittington, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. Other shows such as Peter Pan, The Snowman and the Nutcracker are also available.

SORRY, booked for 2008/9