Archive for June, 2008
Boating on the River Thames in London
A boat trip on the river Thames is one of the most amazing experiences you can have in London. The river is an ever changing landscape the water level rising and falling with the tide and the light reflecting on the boats and buildings. At night it gets even better where the multi-million pound interactive lighting system illuminates the World’s most famous buildings and bridges in an ever changing array of colours.
Sights such as Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament, London Eye, Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf all look as arguably more spectacular at night than they do by day. Great if you were thinking of treating someone special to a dinner cruise.
The types of boats available to hire on the river Thames are as varied as the sights! From RIB speed boats to London Party Boats for hire through to sailing barges all offering as many different activities for entertainment! Clay pigeon shooting, London jet boat rides, casino nights, disco cruises, wedding receptions Christmas parties and other seasonal celebrations.
The thing to remember to make the most of your boat trip on the river Thames is to plan ahead. Make sure you work out exactly what you want and search the many companies, view a selection of Thames Boats for hire and ensure you ask all the questions. After all on the day you want to relax and enjoy your charter not be worrying about every last detail…
Will the British weather affect my Thames Boat Charter?
Our traditionally unpredictable weather becomes incredibly important to you when you have a boat charter on the Thames booked! Instead of a passing glance at the summary forecast on the GMTV news over breakfast before leaving to fight your way on to the bus or tube you will find yourself scanning the detailed BBC local forecast online to try and work out whether that one little cloud is going to move over London during your Thames cruise!!!
But do not fear as wind and rain is not the end of the world, and equally hot sunny weather can be fully exploited as many boats have plenty of space undercover and out in the open, particularly the larger Thames passenger boats and London Party Boats. Most also have full central heating systems and some even air conditioning!
The key is to ensure when you select your boat before you confirm the charter that the boat is suitable for the number of guests if the weather is good or bad. Good weather can also cause problems if you have booked a London Party Boat with very small outside deck space as people all want to be outside soaking up the rays and there just isn’t the space. When you talk to the sales person and view the boats make sure you know how many can fit inside and outside comfortably – add smoking to the equation and covered outside deck space may also be an important consideration…
If you have chartered a speed boat or London Jet Boat or are joining the Thames Jet Boat experience then you will already be expecting a damp ride and waterproofs are provided – so poor whether shouldn’t be seen as much of a problem – just have a hot chocolate at a near by cafe when you get off the boat! If it is cold I would however highly recommend hat and gloves. If you feel cold when you step out of the front door this is heavily intensified when on a boat on water travelling at speed, so bring too many warm clothes – they can always stay in your bag. A good analogy to use with guests is to say, “on a cold wet morning you wouldn’t ride a motorbike down the motorway for an hour in a t-shirt would you!” Well sitting on a speed boat for an hour could be classed as similar…
However not wanting to put you off – if you have the right clothing you can really enjoy the fun of blasting along the river wrapped up snug and cosy, sat with your friends whilst viewing our beautiful city from one of the most exclusive seats in London.
If you have your wedding on a boat the weather becomes less important – imagine that field and marquee with all those heels sunk into the mud! A 5* luxury Thames riverboat is simply the nicest place to be if the weather has turned bad or indeed is beautiful bright sunshine on your most special day – a truly unique wedding venue.
So in summary before booking your boat charter on the Thames in London consider how different weather conditions will affect the people onboard – plan ahead and it won’t matter what the forecast and actual weather turn out to be as everyone will enjoy themselves and look forward to the next time.
