London & The River Thames Cruise

From Weybridge to Rochester

ITINERARY

DAY 1 Join Spirit of Chartwell, Weybridge. Reception and introductory talk. Moor overnight Weybridge.

DAY 2 Excursion upstream on board Lady Clementine to Cliveden House (frequented by Churchill and infamously associated with the Profumo Affair). Later drive to Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Churchill, and Bladon, his final place of rest. Return to Spirit of Chartwell. Sail down river, passing Hampton Court. Moor overnight Kingston-upon-Thames.

DAY 3 Sail to Richmond for visit to Marble Hill House (elegant 18th century riverside villa). Continue to Westminster and leave for Westminster Abbey and Churchill Museum and War Cabinet Rooms, close to 10 Downing Street. Rejoin Spirit of Chartwell by Tower Bridge. Reception on board Havengore (the ship which took Churchill on his final journey) followed by illuminated London dinner cruise. Moor overnight Tower Bridge.

DAY 4 Sail to Canary Wharf for visit to the Dockland Museum (from Roman settlement to Docklands’ regeneration, this former sugar warehouse reveals the long history of London as a port through stories of trade, migration and commerce). Continue to Greenwich Maritime Museum (Maritime Galleries, the Royal Observatory, and the Queen’s House). Moor overnight Greenwich.

DAY 5 Early departure for Tilbury Fort in the Thames Estuary (Henry VIII built the first fort here, and Queen Elizabeth I famously rallied her army nearby to face the threat of the Spanish Armada). Continue along the Thames Estuary and then through the mouth of the Medway to Rochester (with famous castle built circa 1127 by archbishop of Canterbury). Farewell dinner. Moor overnight Rochester.

DAY 6 Return to Weybridge by coach via Chartwell House (home of Winston Churchill). Disperse Weybridge by 1600.
Blenheim Palace.