The Edward Elgar Hotel Boat

The Edward Elgar is the largest capacity inland hotel boat in the UK. She has stairs much like you would find in your home with railings and full head height throughout. Comfort is a priority on board with quality seating, mattresses and furnishings. The entire boat also has climate control for air conditioning and heating.

This page has all the information you need to discover what a cruise on board is like including the facilities, access, service and food.

88

Feet Long

11

Twin Cabins

3

Decks

Included on all cruises

We try to make sure as much as possible is included in our cruise fee.

All meals featuring traditional English food

House pour wines, beers, spirits, and soft drinks.

Tea & coffee at all times

Daily afternoon cake

Live entertainment, games and quizzes

Daily tour or excursion

Boating,

with creature comforts

Comfortable Beds

Quality mattresses and mattress toppers. Plump pillows, duvets and extra blankets for a good night's sleep.

En-Suite Facilities

Every cabin is en-suite with shower,  washbasin and w.c.

A Window in Every Cabin

Our windows don't open for safety reasons, but we have a highly effective ventilation system on board to make you comfortable.

Peaceful Nights

Our advanced battery and inverter system means we don't need to run generators at night, keeping the boat perfectly quiet.

Comfy Saloon

Plush dining chairs, seats and sofas in our saloon help you to relax whilst looking out of our extra large viewing windows.

Cosy Bar

A variety of wines, beers, soft drinks and spirits are served from the bow bar. Most drinks are included. You can run a tab during your stay and pay by card for premium drinks.

Upper Viewing Deck

The best seats in the house! Being 15 feet above the water, our passengers spend most cruising time up here on fair weather days.

Live in Crew

Our live in crew are on hand to look after your every need, to guide you to each excursion and to point out interesting places along the river.

Reliable

The Edward Elgar cruises along at a gentle pace, losing only 5 hours of cruising time (on one occasion) as a result of on-board breakdown in the last ten years.

Our Passengers Say It best...

Watch video interviews of our passengers talking about their cruises on the Edward Elgar

Comfort on Board

Recommending to friends and taking multiple cruises! These passengers love the comfort offered on board.

Great food

Traditional English food, done right.

Sociable Atmosphere

There is a unique atmosphere on the Edward Elgar. These passengers talk about their experiences.

The Crew

Our crew look after everything, and these passengers really appreciated it.

Great Service

& no hidden costs

Food, Drink & Special Diets

Our chef cooks up three freshly-prepared meals every day featuring traditional English food you know and love. Tea and coffee is complementary and wine, beer, house pour spirits and soft drinks are available free of charge . If you have a special diet then just let us know at the time of booking and we will be ready to accommodate your needs, you only need to tell us once!

Accessibility Guarantee

All of our moorings are either within a 400m walk of the daily excursion or we lay on transport free of charge. We have been assessed by Visit England to be suitable for elderly guests who can still manage stairs unaided. Complete access guidance is available below. Please note some tour destinations are historic buildings which are less accessible. See our Access guidance area for more details.

Optional Tours & Excursions

The boat is your home from home whilst you are with us. Our excursions are at no extra charge so if you don't feel like going along, then just collect a cup of tea and a book and find yourself a seat by the window to relax the day away. You don't have to attend any excursion if you don't want to.

WiFi & Entertainment

Every cabin gets access to our on-board WiFi which is available throughout the boat when we are in a good signal area! Every cruise also features at least one night of live entertainment as well as deck games and quizzes.

"You couldn't have felt safer...highly recommended"
-Dennis Gardener, 2020 passenger

Freshly Made

food aboard

Sample Menu

Breakfast

French Toast with cinnamon served with Parma ham and slowly roasted tomatoes.

Toast, cereals, juices & coffee or tea

Lunch

Homemade Scotch Egg served with a runny yolk, salad and celeriac coleslaw.

Apricot fool.

Afternoon Tea

Homemade carrot cake.

Evening Meal

Cotswold gin-cured Salmon with fennel and orange.

Braised beef in Gloucester brewery dockside dark beer served with mashed potatoes and caraway carrots.

Treacle tart.

A selection of local cheeses served with biscuits.

4 Star Hotel Boat - Visit England Quality Assessments

The Edward Elgar has regular assessments by Visit England and has retained a four star rating for more than ten years.

2020 Assessment

An assessment was not conducted on board in 2020 due to the covid-19 pandemic. Improvements made for Covid safety are noted in the 2021 report above.

Access Guidance

Further infomation on access is available on our access guidance page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I have to pay and when?

Secure your booking with a £200 per cabin deposit. Balance payments must be paid in full 60 days before the cruise is due to depart.

I'm a single traveller. Do you have single cabins and single rates?

Yes. The Edward Elgar and Deborah only musthave twin cabins on board, but we do have single rates available on all cruises.  Please note that to make a single booking, you will need to do so by phone by calling us on 01452 410411 as single bookings cannot be booked online.

All our scheduled cruises will have at least one cabin available at a single rate. Cruises departing in April and October will have two single-rate cabins on every sailing.

Is there parking & is it secure?

Yes. We have on-site parking at the boarding point in Gloucester which is covered, locked and has CCTV.

Parking is £7 per night on our standard package and included in the "Plus" package.

I have reduced mobility, is this suitable for me?

We have been inspected by VisitEngland and received an M1 mobility rating. This means we are considered to be suitable for older and less agile guests with sufficient mobility to climb a flight of steps but who would benefit from fixtures and fittings to aid balance. If you would like a full copy of our access guidance then you can find it here.

Do you allow children?

Our holidays are designed to be completely laid back and relaxed. We do not usually allow bookings with children as it is an adult only setting. However, if you charter the vessel in full for Christmas cruises, we do allow children but we ask that children are a minimum of 7 years old for safety reasons.

Do I need travel insurance cover?

Yes. It is very important in case you have to cancel unexpectedly. We do not sell travel insurance but we will provide you with details of travel insurance providers that can arrange suitable cover for one of our cruises. You can use any insurer and we don't insist you use our partner insurer. It is important you purchase coverage as soon as you have booked your holiday. Having travel insurance is a condition of travel with English Holiday Cruises. Here is the link to our partner insurer, Just Travel Cover.

What happens if I need to cancel? What are your terms of booking?

Please make sure you have familiarised yourself and everyone in your party with our terms of booking and cancellation policy.

I have already made a booking. Where can I get the boarding pack information?

Boarding Pack for Cruises Departing up to and including 24/7/23 - Download

Boarding Pack for Cruises Departing from 31/7/23 - Download

All 2024 Sailing Dates Availability

Date Cruise Type Duration (nights) Availability
29/3/24 Easter Ship Canal Explorer Cruise 3 Sold Out Find out more Book Now
02/04/24 Ship Canal Explorer Cruise 3 Chartered Find out more Unavailable
05/04/24 Canal Getaway Cruise 2 Chartered Find out more Unavailable
09/04/24 The Severn Bore Cruise 4 Sold Out Find out more Book Now
15/04/24 Severn Vale Discovery Cruise (Reduced Rate) 6 Sold Out Find out more Book Now
22/04/24 Severn Vale Discovery Cruise (Reduced Rate) 6 Sold Out Find out more Book Now
29/04/24 Classic Severn Cruise 6 Over 50% Sold Find out more Book Now
01/05/24 Paris to Epernay & Champagne 6 Last Few Cabins Find out more Book Now
07/05/24 - New Date Steam Trains & Morgan Motors 5 Over 50% Sold Find out more Book Now
13/05/24 Classic Severn Cruise 6 Almost 50% Sold Find out more Book Now
20/05/24 Severn Vale Discovery Cruise 6 Over 50% Sold Find out more Book Now
28/05/24 Steam Trains & Morgan Motors 5 Sold Out Find out more Book Now
03/06/24 Severn Vale Discovery Cruise 6 Sold Out Find out more Book Now
10/06/24 Classic Severn Cruise 6 Last Few Cabins Find out more Book Now
17/06/24 Severn Vale Discovery Cruise 6 Sold Out Find out more Book Now
24/06/24 Classic Severn Cruise 6 Last Few Cabins Find out more Book Now
01/07/24 Severn Vale Discovery Cruise 6 Sold Out Find out more Book Now
08/07/24 Severn Vale Discovery Cruise 6 Almost 50% Sold Find out more Book Now
15/07/24 Classic Severn Cruise 6 Available Find out more Book Now
22/07/24 Severn Vale Discovery Cruise (Reduced Rate) 6 Sold Out Find out more Book Now
29/07/24 Severn Vale Discovery Cruise (Reduced Rate) 6 Sold Out Find out more Book Now
05/08/24 Classic Severn Cruise (Reduced Rate) 6 Sold Out Find out more Book Now
12/08/24 Severn Vale Discovery Cruise (Reduced Rate) 6 Sold Out Find out more Book Now
19/08/24 Classic Severn Cruise (Reduced Rate) 6 Sold Out Find out more Book Now
27/08/24 English Vineyards & Wine Tasting Cruise 5 Sold Out Find out more Book Now
02/09/24 Classic Severn Cruise 6 Last Few Cabins Find out more Book Now
04/09/24 Paris & Medieval France 6 Sold Out Find out more Book Now
16/09/24 Severn Vale Discovery Cruise 6 Available Find out more Book Now
23/09/24 Severn Vale Discovery Cruise 6 Almost 50% Sold Find out more Book Now
30/09/24 Severn Vale Discovery Cruise (Reduced Rate) 6 Almost 50% Sold Find out more Book Now
07/10/24 Severn Vale Discovery Cruise (Reduced Rate) 6 Almost 50% Sold Find out more Book Now
14/10/24 - NEW DATE Ship Canal Explorer Cruise 3 Available Find out more Book Now
18/10/24 Canal Getaway Cruise 2 Chartered Find out more Unavailable

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English Holiday Cruises LTd. Registered in England and Wales Company Number 05207004. Registered Address: Windsor House, Bayshill Road, Cheltenham, GL50 3AT.  Please visit the Contact Us page for our correspondence address.

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4 star hotel boat