Le Boat Chertsey

Dogfriendly Magazine Review

Read our comprehensive review of this listing printed in our bi-monthly magazine.

Le Boat, Chertsey
Reviewer: Liz Morphew

If, like us, you’re always on the lookout for an exciting getaway that’s 100% dog friendly and 100% adventurous, we highly recommend a weekend break with Le Boat.

Despite my lack of seafaring experience prior to picking up our luxury boat rental, all it took was a short debrief, a quick test drive, and we were headed off down the Thames. Located at Penton Hook Marina (right opposite Thorpe Park) we boarded the Horizon 3 to begin our voyage. At an impressive 13.5 x 4.3m, it’s no joke of a boat. Comprising three bedrooms (each with their own bathroom) and a large kitchen/entertaining area, there’s plenty of space aboard the boat. And for the sunworshippers, the outside sun deck comes with two sun loungers, a large central dining table and a barbecue.

We were met on board by the friendly (patient) Le Boat staff, who took us through the basics of boating etiquette, as well as how to navigate a massive floating holiday home, with a quick test drive around the marina. Satisfied we weren’t raging maniacs, we were free to roam the waters. It’s amazing how quickly you pick up the controls and feel at ease. And to top it all, when we arrived on board, the Le Boat team gave Simon, our two-year-old cavapoo, his very own captain’s hat and doggy life jacket. The world is a wonderful place.

It’s a well-known fact that boating is thirsty work, so naturally the first priority was to find a suitable dog friendly pub. By recommendation of the folk at Le Boat, we downloaded the River Thames Guide Lite app, which is a handy SatNav for the river, showing the locations of local pubs, attractions and, most importantly, locks along your chosen route.

It wasn’t long before we found ourselves at Pent Hook Lock. The first of several on our journey, and we soon found our rhythm: Liz on ropes, Dave on steering, and some friendly locals on the lock controls. Simon, although lacking in contribution, did look rather adorable, watching along in his Captain’s hat. While waiting for the water to slowly rise in our first lock, we visited the nearby ice cream van and ordered two of the biggest ice-creams on offer, and a doggy version of the equivalent size for Simon. This was not as hard work as I was expecting after all.

Having made it through the lock in one piece, we pulled up to our first stop, The Bridge for a few drinks and a bite to eat. Part of the Youngs Pub chain, the venue has a large bar area with comfortable seating, a restaurant and outdoor terrace overlooking the river. Being owners of a 10-year-old Fiat 500, it’s not often we turn heads when arriving at our local watering hole but sauntering along the Thames and mooring up outside The Bridge in our Le Boat Horizon 3 was possibly the coolest arrival we’ll ever experience.

The pub has a wonderful atmosphere, with friendly staff who clearly love dogs, taking a shine to our Simon and the many other furry friends that came to visit. Food and drink are reasonably priced with the addition of a pop-up burger shack for those wanting to order off menu. Naturally, one drink turned into two (or three) and we decided this was our spot for the night. One of the best things about having a boat as your home, is that you can moor-up for the night almost anywhere along the Thames. A little before last orders, we stumbled back to our boat to cosy up for the evening.

Although a tad nippy at first, the boat is quick to warm up. The heating is powered by the batteries which charge as you sail around during the day. It was also the perfect time for a late-night snack. There’s a barbecue built in on the top deck, but with dusk drawing in, we decided to stay inside. The main quarters has an oven, grill, hob and microwave, so we had no trouble rustling up some french toast. Yummy.

Having free reign of the gigantic master room, we weren’t short on space and soon drifted off, with Simon horizontal between the two of us, of course.

Woken by the glorious sunlight, we were up and ready for day two on the boat. Having bought a few provisions for breakfast, we enjoyed a lazy morning of coffee and Sunday papers in the kitchen/lounge area before heading back on deck for our next adventure.

We took Simon for a quick stroll, and happened upon one of the many dog friendly trails peppered along this stretch of the Thames path. Then with our Captain happily exercised and watered, and with our sights set on Windsor, we launched off once more through Penton Hook Lock into the open waters of the Thames.

As relative novices to boat life, it was surprising how relaxing we found cruising along the water. Fresh air, sunshine, wildlife and the occasional wave to a cyclist, rambler or fellow boatman were all part of the package, as well as the sense of contentment and peace that you really only experience when you escape city life. We’re convinced we even saw Simon crack a smile as we passed a gang of canoers.

Simon isn’t usually a big fan of transport. Whether bus, train or car, he’s usually a slightly nervous traveller, feet firmly planted down, distrustful of the way the floor seems to be moving and confused by the motion. And this was true of his first couple of hours on board the boat. But once he got his bearings he was happy to potter about the deck or stare down a passing swan. It’s not an exaggeration to say that before we set off, we were worried that Simon might end up jumping in. (Or to be more precise, we were worried that if Simon jumped in, one of us would have to jump in after him) but in reality, that was never a problem. Simon spent the entire trip settled and with the wind in his face.

Led by our stomachs (and a slight dip in the weather) we boycotted our plans for Windsor and instead settled on finding a hearty Sunday roast. Again, using our River Thames Guide Lite app, we stumbled upon The Swan, a Fuller’s pub on the river in Stains. The perfect spot to moor a boat, we took up residence for the afternoon. The roast did not disappoint, as we devoured a portion of the pork and the beef (with Simon enjoying scraps of both) and a lovely pint of Frontier larger. The atmosphere was relaxed, hosting a mix of locals and tourists enjoying their Sunday afternoon. Extremely dog friendly with ample space both inside and out, The Swan is a true find and we’ll definitely stop by again.

With full tummies and a rather sleepy Simon, we returned to the boat for another short cruise along the water before mooring up for a relaxing evening under the stars.

We took a rather lazy approach to our two-night stay on the boat, but for those with an adventurous side, there’s plenty to see and do along the Thames, including the Runnymede memorials, the Magna Carta and Windsor Castle.

Our final morning coincided with the first bit of bad weather, so we changed the steering from al-fresco upstairs, to the rather less-wet indoor downstairs option. We popped on the radio and sauntered back to drop the boat off at the marina. After showing off our newfound boating skills by reversing her into the dock, we packed away and reluctantly took off.

Usually, a weekend away is one of either an ‘adventure’ or ‘relaxing’ but rarely is it both. This weekend was both, and then some. And as we drove away with a smile on our faces, we couldn’t help feeling like we were ‘kings of the world’.

Le Boat, Chertsey, review by Liz Morphew and appears in DogFriendly magazine issue 72.  For more information on the DogFriendly magazine visit https://www.dogfriendly.co.uk/magazine