From kayaks to hot tubs: how to be the talk of the Thames

To celebrate a new musical version of Kenneth Grahame’s ‘The Wind in the Willows’, Paul Miles suggests 10 great ways to explore this historic river

Theatre-goers will be transported to the watery world of the riverbank this month as a new musical production of The Wind in the Willows opens in the West End. The book’s author Kenneth Grahame took inspiration from the stretch of the River Thames near his childhood home in Cookham Dean, and much of the upper reaches of the river, remain as leafy and peaceful as they would have been in Grahame’s day. Early summer is the perfect time to get out on the water, so here are some novel ways to explore the Thames from its languid upper reaches to the busy heart of London.

Upper reaches

Lechlade in Gloucestershire is the upper limit of navigation for boats on the Thames but you can hire a canoe or kayak beside this Cotswold town’s pretty single-span Ha’penny Bridge and explore some six miles further upriver. Paddle the twisty, tree-shaded waters past meadows where cattle graze and beyond Inglesham Roundhouse, the junction with the former Thames and Severn Canal. Haul your canoe ashore and take a peep inside the quaint little Church of St John the Baptist with its medieval wall paintings.

After a few hours’ canoeing you may be tempted to book a three-day one-way canoe and camping trip from Lechlade to Oxford, where you can be met by a minibus to return you to Lechlade. Waterproof storage barrels provided. Parking on site. From £13 an hour for all trips (01367 252303; cotswoldcanoehire.co.uk).

Punts and paddle boats

Fourteen miles north of Oxford is picturesque Newbridge, with its splendid riverside pub, the Rose Revived, from where you can hire punts and stripy gondola-style pedalos (for up to four adults or a family of up to seven). If you’re not sure about poling a punt (trickier than it looks), hire an electric one. An hour or two spent messing about on the water, followed by a meal in the garden makes for a perfect summer’s outing, and sightings of herons and kingfishers are common. From £14 an hour (07753 276145; oxfordpunts.com).

Champagne and canopies

Jerome K Jerome called Cliveden Reach, “the sweetest stretch of the river” with its lush wooded banks and the eponymous country house (now hotel) peeping from on high. In the Edwardian era fleets of small craft carrying women with parasols and men in blazers bobbed about here on fine summer days.

You can experience some of that style still, thanks to beautifully restored skippered launches from Cliveden House hotel. Think frilled canopies, gleaming mahogany and polished brass. If you want to push the boat out you can order a picnic featuring smoked salmon and dill macaroons. From £50pp including a glass of champagne (01628 607107; clivedenhouse.co.uk).

A cheaper option is a 45-minute cruise with the National Trust in their Edwardian-style replica boat with canopy, costing £11.50 adult, £6 child; maximum 12 passengers. Cruises run from Easter to October at weekends and bank holidays, daily in July and August, from 11am to 3.45pm. See nationaltrust.org.uk/cliveden for more details. Chug along the river in a launch from the Runnymede hotel, right; paddle boarding provides close encounters with the world of the river, below

Barge break: sleep on board the hotel boat Kailani