The most enchanting places to stay on the River Thames
A tepee, a pub, a boutique hotel – or the cottage made famous by the Profumo scandal? Immerse yourself in the history and atmosphere of the Thames in one of these riverside boltholes.
More than 350 years ago, the stones used to build the dome of St Paul's Cathedral were loaded in the Cotswolds before travelling down the Thames. Start the same journey today and your most constant companions will be swans and reeds. Ordnance Survey puts the start of the Thames at Trewsbury Mead. Depending on rainfall, a stream will appear between the Gloucestershire villages of Kemble and Ewen. From here, the river widens and meanders through several counties, flowing under bridges and softened by a series of locks. This is the Thames of The Wind in the Willows, with narrowboats and kingfishers, villages and small islands.
At Teddington, the Thames becomes muscular and tidal. In London, a series of bridges spans its ever-widening girth before it stretches out on either side of Essex and Kent and finally – after 215 miles – joins the sea.
The Thames is constantly changing, but never more than in the past 40 years as it has become a key tourist experience. Environmental changes have meant that as the water has become cleaner, swimming has become a pleasure. Anglers stand more chance of catching fish. Campsites have been joined by glamping options.
In 1996, the Thames Path was completed. At 184 miles, it is the longest riverside walk in Europe. Walking holidays have sprung up alongside, including ones where your luggage is transported for you; itineraries are as onerous or as leisurely as you desire.
And above all, there are the Thames hotels. You can stay in a charming riverside pub or a boutique hotel that has three Michelin stars; a tepee, a members’ club or a building commissioned by King Charles II. No two properties will be the same, but they all carry the Thames and its history with them.
Gloucestershire
Thames Head Inn, nr Cirencester
This classic Cotswolds pub may look timeless, but it has shifted over the years to changing trade; it was originally built for railway workers. A barn now, it has four bedrooms, traditionally decorated. Since 2019, there has also been a small camping area including 10 hard stands and two grass stands, while the food is a well-judged selection of pub classics including Sunday roasts. You may not get a river view here, but head behind the pub and a short walk takes you to the set of stones that marks the start of the Thames.
Double rooms from £85, including breakfast. Camping from £20 per night, per pitch (01285 770259; thamesheadinn.co.uk)
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Oxfordshire
Ye Olde Swan, Radcot
Glamping and pubs are newish bedfellows, but the combination works, especially here on a tiny island accessed via a 12th-century bridge considered the oldest on the Thames. Ten tepees are available until the end of September, and Ye Olde Swan, which dates from the 17th century, has an outdoor pizza oven and barbecue while Covid-19 restrictions are in place, plus breakfast at the weekends. There are plans to bring back the full menu as soon as possible. Paddleboards and kayaks can also be rented.
Tepees from £100, camping from £8 per adult (01367 810220; yeoldeswan.co.uk)
Trout Inn at Tadpole Bridge, Buckland Marsh
A couple of miles downstream in the heart of the Oxfordshire Cotswolds, the Trout Inn is commensurately smart. Located next to the Chimney Meadows Nature Reserve, this is one of the quietest and wildest parts of the Thames. Many of the Trout’s guests come with their fishing rods, and the six bedrooms have roll-top baths and a designer’s touch. Like the decor in the bar and restaurant, the Trout’s food stays very much in touch with its heritage, and the kipper-laden breakfasts have won awards. The pub has moorings for those arriving by boat.
Doubles from £100, including breakfast (01367 870382; troutinn.co.uk)
From
£ 85
pn
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Barefoot Campsites, Abingdon
Near Northmoor lock is a beloved spot for wild swimming and camping on a family farm. At weekends only from April to the end of August, there are log cabins, bell tents and bring-your-own options set around a series of fire pits – and even mains water. Yes, the season has closed for this year, but booking opens again in January and you will need to reserve a place fast. However, heed the owners’ advice: “If you struggle with composting lavatories and brushing your teeth in a mug of water, this is probably not the site for you”.
From £13.50 per adult, per night (barefootcampsites.co.uk)
Phyllis Court, Henley-on-Thames
No town celebrates the Thames more than Henley, the home of British rowing. Its inhabitants know this Regency-style building best as a club, but by booking one of the 17 bedrooms, anyone can become a temporary member. The room rates are an extraordinary bargain for such an extravagant sense of space and the facilities available, including four tennis courts, an indoor swimming pool and its parasol-covered terrace stretching down to the Thames, complete with a restaurant and bar.
Double rooms from £110, including breakfast (01491 570500; phylliscourt.co.uk)
From
£ 110
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Berkshire
Cliveden House, Taplow
This is one of the most beautiful stretches of the Thames, with a judicious mix of conservation and luxury, blended with a touch of scandal. Under the protection of the National Trust, the Italianate mansion once owned by the Astor family is now one of England’s most luxurious hotels. Some of the 47 rooms have views on to the river, while the hotel runs its own fleet of vintage boats for guests and has its own private stretch of river frontage. For extra privacy, the three-bedroom Spring Cottage, where the Profumo affair unfolded, has its own boat mooring and garden, reached via a private path.
Double rooms from £495, including breakfast (01628 605069; clivedenhouse.co.uk)
From
£ 495
pn
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River Arts Club, Maidenhead
Built in 1892 with full Jerome K Jerome appreciation of the river, this building has transitioned from a place where Guards officers could relax away from Windsor Castle to an unusual, highly luxurious bed and breakfast. Filled with contemporary art and featuring bold, clever decor, the 13 rooms range from a tiny turreted single to extravagant suites complete with private terraces. The ground floor has witty reminders of its military past, including an honesty bar and a cigar cellar. The managers, Iain and Alessandra, can arrange for guests to head to nearby restaurants in Ophelia, a boat permanently moored at the jetty, as well as bike hire and paddle hire.
Double rooms from £150, including breakfast (01628 631888; riverartsclub.com)
From
£ 150
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Monkey Island, Bray
From a set of monkish fishponds to a Regency folly and now a luxury hotel, over the centuries the varied uses of this seven-acre island on the outskirts of Bray have mirrored the twists and turns of the Thames itself. Now owned by the YTL group, the main property has been painstakingly restored, with 41 bedrooms, restaurants and bars which spill out on to the riverbanks, plus a floating spa located on a barge. A series of residences are now available to rent, including Long White Cloud – used as a composing retreat by Edward Elgar, and former home of racing driver Stirling Moss – which has river frontage.
Double rooms from £275, room only. Rental of Long White Cloud starts at £1,400 a night (01628 623400; monkeyislandestate.co.uk)
From
£ 275
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Waterside Inn, Bray
In the early 1970s, brothers Michel and Albert Roux of Le Gavroche – the renowned restaurant in central London – discovered a rundown Thameside property for sale. Today, the Waterside Inn is the only restaurant outside France to hold three Michelin stars consistently for 35 years. Now in the hands of Michel’s son, Alain, it has 11 bedrooms in the main building and adjacent cottages; an electric launch lets you explore by boat.
Double rooms from £290, including breakfast (01628 620691; waterside-inn.co.uk)
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Oakley Court, Bray
Bray doesn’t just have culinary fame, it also has film history. In 1975 this mansion was used in The Rocky Horror Picture Show – and Hammer House Of Horror fans will also recognise its gloriously camp Gothic architecture. With 118 rooms, it is large, but the hotel has 33 acres to play with including private river frontage, an indoor swimming pool, a nine-hole golf course and a recently created kitchen garden to supply the hotel’s restaurants and new terrace bar.
Doubles from £250, including breakfast (01753 609988; oakleycourt.co.uk)
From
£ 250
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Surrey
The Runnymede on Thames, Egham
Downstream from the location of King John’s most ignominious moment, this hotel may not have spectacular visuals (the building dates from the 1970s) but it knows how to use its setting: an Airstream trailer dispenses drinks and pizza, while fishing and boating are available from a private jetty. The hotel carries significant family appeal, with interconnecting rooms, child-friendly menus and carb-hungry ducks to feed.
Double rooms from £190, including breakfast (01784 220600; runnymedehotel.com)
From
£ 190
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Mitre Hotel, Hampton Court
In 1665, when King Charles II decided he needed more space for guests invited to Hampton Court, this graceful red-brick mansion on the riverfront was the result. This autumn – with its many delightful touches, including beehives on the roof and a boathouse centred around Whispering Angel wine – it will open as a hotel once again. Two restaurants will feature such dishes as suckling pig and oysters alongside burrata and whipped hummus, while the 36 bedrooms promise a sense of country house fun.
Double rooms from £178, including breakfast (020 8979 9988; mitrehamptoncourt.com)
From
£ 178
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Bingham Riverhouse, Richmond
Travelling from Hampton Court by boat, you will pass through Teddington lock and drift gently alongside Ham House and Eel Pie Island before reaching Richmond. Just a few steps from the landing point is Bingham Riverhouse: two Georgian mansions that have been combined to make a hang-out space for locals with 15 bedrooms featuring copper baths and a loungey vibe throughout. The restaurant is overseen by Steven Edwards of MasterChef fame.
Double rooms from £180, including breakfast (020 8940 0902; binghamriverhouse.com)
From
£ 180
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London
The Savoy
This is one of London’s grandest hotels, with an enviable location. Kaspar’s restaurant looks out on to the Embankment, but it is the bedrooms above the tree line that offer the best view; both Whistler and Monet chose the Savoy as the location from which to paint the Thames, although nowadays the London Eye makes a striking addition to the view. Woods Quay at the back of the hotel allows guests to nip around London by boat.
Double rooms from £568, room only (020 7836 4343; thesavoylondon.com)
From
£ 568
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Sea Containers
It took until 2014 for London to acquire a similarly grand hotel on the South Bank. If the Savoy offers teasing glances of the Thames, Sea Containers feels as if it is almost on the water. Directly on the Thames Path facing St Paul’s, both Lyaness, the ground-floor cocktail bar, and the Sea Containers restaurant make the most of the views (12th Knot, the rooftop bar, remains closed at the time of writing.) With 359 rooms and suites plus apartments, staying here feels, appropriately, like being on a docked liner, and rooms are currently a bargain.
Doubles from £168, room only (020 3747 1000; seacontainerslondon.com)
From
£ 168
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More of the best London hotels with river views
Essex
Roslin Beach Hotel, Southend-on-Sea
At the widest point of the Thames, rows of candy-coloured beach huts provide the biggest clue that the river is eventually merging into the sea. Across the esplanade from the Blue Flag beach of Thorpe Bay sits Roslin, a family-run hotel with 62 charming rooms. Afternoon tea on the hotel’s terrace is a cherished ritual, while its restaurant has two AA rosettes. Guests also have the use of a small Elemis spa.
From
£ 124
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Double rooms from £124, room only (01702 586 375; roslinhotel.com)
Essentials
Walking companies that operate along the Thames Path include Contours (01629 821900), Macs Adventures (0141 5302516), the Carter Company (01296 631 671), H F Holidays (020 3974 8865), Footpath Holidays (01985 840049) and Celtic Trails (01291 689774)
A number of companies offer cruise and narrowboat hire, including Kris Cruisers (01753 543930) and Le Boat (023 9427 8989). Salters (01865 243421), which usually offers cruises between Oxford and Staines, is currently doing boat hire only. Thames Clippers has resumed its service between Putney and Royal Woolwich, travelling through the centre of London. Thames River Boats (020 7930 2062) is offering round trips from Richmond and Westminster.
