Page 22 - July 2013 Kettle published 2

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City & Village Tours: 0845 812 5000 info@cityandvillagetours.com
“there are few places in England to beat the
Cliveden Reach at Maidenhead.”
Charles Dickens
This late afternoon cruise is two hours from
Boulters Lock, Maidenhead along of one the
loveliest and laziest stretches of the River Thames
through the lush canyon that is the Cliveden Reach
where hanging beechwoods tower above you, past
the timeless meadows of Cookham and the
impressive houses of Bourne End and onto Marlow.
The other part of the day explores the landward
sides of Marlow and the Cookhams by coach
Please note that this is a new itinerary for 2014 and
is different from the 2013 brochure.
This is a later start day making it a possibility for folk
from Kent and Essex as you’ll meet our guide
in elegant Marlow at 11.45am for an early lunch at
noon. Marlow is a super place for a browse and there
are many choices for lunch and as you’ll be making
your pick at noon, ahead of the lunchtime crowd,
you’ll find the world is your oyster! You can opt to
The Beechwood Beauty Boat Trip
shop (boutiques and charity shop heaven!) or join
the guide for a short but sweet 30 minute town trail
before boarding the coach to begin an exploration of
the local area on a winding and scenic route.
Cookham is the second wealthiest village in all of
England and is a very attractive place indeed. Above
the village are the Quarry Woods – this is Kenneth
Grahame’s Wild Wood from Wind in the Willows.
Grahame had spent an idyllic childhood on the river
at his grandmother’s cottage in Cookham Dean.
The artist Sir Stanley Spencer was born here and
worked in and around the village all of his life,
wheeling his painting equipment past the pretty
workmen’s cottages and much grander houses in an
old pram. The meadows here are one of the most
popular mooring spots for the weekend boaters who
dash upstream from the marinas at Windsor and
Bray on a Friday night to secure a plum spot
opposite the huge houses across the river at
Bourne End (boat houses of which pictured right).
The Beechwood Beauty Boat Trip