Oxford River Cruises - Private Charter

`Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolute nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. Simply messing,' he went on dreamily: `messing - about - in - boats; messing - - ' `In or out of 'em, it doesn't matter. Nothing seems really to matter, that's the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you don't; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you're always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and when you've done it there's always something else to do, and you can do it if you like, but you'd much better not. Look here! If you've really nothing else on hand this morning, supposing we drop down the river together, and have a long day of it?'
From Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Oxford River Cruises craft are equally suited to a lazy day with friends enjoying good food and wine or to taking out a hard worked team in need of some space to clear heads and inspire ideas. All charters are fully crewed allowing you to sit back, relax and enjoy your trip.

Private Charter
Oxford River Cruises offers a range of river launches for private charter.

Chartering a classic launch is a unique way of bringing together groups of family and friends. Whether you are celebrating a special occasion, catching up with old friends or simply want a peaceful, relaxing and private break from the pace of modern life for you and your partner we can design a luxurious charter to meet your needs. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

If you wish to make a corporate booking, perhaps for a team away day or to offer visiting clients unique and memorable hospitality we will work with you to put together the best possible package.

A heritage river boat is the ideal location for all sorts of corporate functions. Whether used for away days, client hospitality or social functions they provide an inspiring, comfortable and remarkable venue.

For staff, a break from the office environment inspires creativity and teamwork. On the river inspiration comes easily. The otherworldliness of river life can free the mind and invigorate the senses, rather as it did for Lewis Carroll on his trip up the Thames composing the story of Alice in Wonderland.

If entertaining clients our charters are sure to prove a success. There is no better way to experience Oxford than from the water and visiting executives will find a day or evening aboard the perfect tonic to alleviate the stresses of a busy schedule.

Wedding Receptions
Many beautiful churches and hotels lie on the banks of Thames and nothing could be more romantic than arriving at your wedding service or reception by river launch. Beautiful churches at Binsey and Iffley Village and reception venues on Port Meadow, in Oxford City, Sandford and elsewhere are all within Oxford River Cruises area of operation.

Larger boats are also excellent reception venues in their own right and can host groups of up to 150 people. As well as being unusual, romantic venues they are surprisingly cost effective compared to the hire of marquees or hotels.

Oxford River Cruises is delighted to offer private traditional boat charter during the Henley Royal Regatta. A day or evening aboard one of our fine Edwardian style day launches is the ideal way to enjoy the extraordinary spectacle that is Henley.

Full day private charters during the regatta start at just £70 per person. Let us organise all the elements for your perfect Henley outing including gourmet picnics, fine wines, entertainment and entry to special events.

Many of our trips follow the same stretch of river that inspired the first telling of the classic story of Alice in Wonderland. In celebration of this enduring and fantastic tale we are delighted to offer Mad Hatters Tea Parties on board our classic river launch, Bacchanalia. If you have ever dreamt of taking a bite out of an ‘Eat me’ cake, or gulping down a bottle with ‘drink me’ on the side while gliding down the river looking out for that mysterious white rabbit this trip could be for you. Differing versions of the trip are available for children and adults. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

Working with local author and historian Mark Davies we offer several guided cruises and walks along the Thames and the Oxford Canal. Mark is able to give illustrated talks on a number of local themes - waterways, historical crime, and literature. He brings to life the stories behind some of Oxford most celebrated novels, including, of course, Alice in Wonderland. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

A safe and unusual craft can provide a perfect location for a memorable birthday party. We offer both standard party packages as well as themed trips including our renowned Mad Hatters Tea Parties. A birthday party afloat is great fun, both for the children and accompanying adults.

Bird Watching Trips*
Bird life on the Thames can be truly breathtaking. With the river water at its cleanest in 200 years the Thames ecosystem is thriving. From the water you can enjoy a privileged view of some of Britain's best loved birds. Herons, Grebes, Coots, Moorhens and of course Swans are in abundance and glimpses can be caught of rarer birds including Kingfishers. Being electrically powered our 12 capacity vessel Bacchanalia runs quietly through the water with the minimum of disturbance to wildlife.

Bacchanalia, our flagship, is available for filming work on the Thames. Please contact us with you requirements. She has featured in media as diverse as The Daily Mail, The Oxford Times and TV Tokyo's Travelogue.

Oxford River Cruises exclusively offers transfers from Oxford City Centre to the The Perch Inn at Binsey. The Perch provides exquisite restaurant meals in a wonderful setting and is available for private functions.

The cost of this service is (based on a one way service): up to 12 people - £120, up to 30 people - £330

Oxford's renowned delicatessen Taylor's of St Giles provide exquisite picnic menus for our small group charters. They combine the freshest of produce with rich, homemade indulgences. To view sample menus please click here .

A wide variety of catering options are available ranging from a delicate finger buffet to a sumptuous 'River Banquet'. To view our standard menus please click here . Other menus are available by request. Please contact us to take you through the options.

For all private charters you are welcome to make your own catering arrangements but a corkage fee will apply if you wish to bring your own alcoholic drinks. An extensive wine list is available and we can organise Champagne or Pimm's receptions on larger boats.

We can organise many different entertainment options to complement your cruise. Music can enhance the beautiful and relaxed atmosphere of the river whilst a murder mystery or casino night works particularly well to entertain a group of colleagues. If you would like to organsie your own entertainment we can provide power and amplification if needed. If you are interested in the history of the Thames and it's connections to some of Oxford's best known literature then you will find our historian, Mark Davies, commentary fascinating. Mark is a published author the has unsurpassed knowledge of Oxford's waterways.

Quotations are based upon three hour hires (please contact us for longer charters or with other entertainment ideas)

Boats can be enhanced further by our decoration service, personalised to suit your taste:

Classic Decoration Package - £199 (£100 for 12 capacity launches)
Entrance decorated with balloon clusters and ribbons with ribbon adorning the awning poles. Balloons bedeck the outside perimeter rail & special helium balloons provide a decorative feature for tables. All personalised to your preferences.

Celebration Decoration Package - £249 (£125 for 12 capacity launches)
As "Classic Package" but using special pearlised balloons. Helium balloons bedeck the outside rail as well as the saloon - a lavish decoration package for a special celebration.

Small group charters usually depart from our moorings at The Perch Inn, Binsey on the beautiful Port Meadow reach of the Thames. The moorings can be reached on foot across Port Meadow from the city centre, or by car. Parking is available. For directions please click here .

We can also arrange departures from other locations in and around Oxford. Possibilities include Folly Bridge, Osney Island (for Oxford train and coach stations), Iffley Village, Godstow (for the Trout Inn) and Sandford-on-Thames.

Larger charters can depart from either Folly Bridge in Oxford City Centre, Donnigton Bridge (where parking is available) or the Thames Four Pillars Hotel at Sanford-on-Thames (for guests of the hotel). We can also organise departure from Abingdon, Goring, Henley-on-Thames and many other towns on the river. Full directions will be given at the time of booking.

No. of Passengers	Per Hour	Day Charter (up to 3 hours before 6pm)	Evening Charter (up to 3 hours after 3pm)
1-12*	£100	£300	£300
13-30	NA	£550	£570
31-50	NA	£660	£730
51-80	NA	£780	£860