Boat and Bus Charter

in connection with events at the museum

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Venue Hire

There are few venues in London at which you can arrive by boat for your function. A boat trip ads an extra dimension to many types of function and the appeal of boats seems to transcend all ages and cultures. We have our own mooring immediately behind the building, with a distance from boat to door of only a few feet. If boat travel is not practicable, you can still enjoy a transport of delight by booking a heritage bus.

Boat trips

A boat trip on the Regent's Canal is a terrific addition to many types of event. Boats can bring guests from Islington or Hackney to the East, Camden or Little Venice (Paddington), to the west. Canal travel is slow - an hour to two hours is needed for the trip depending on your route. The route from Little Venice is via the picturesque permitter of Regent's Park, then past the bustle of Camden. There are four locks on the journey. The route from the east also has locks. What is more, if you come from the east, or make a diversion, you travel through a long canal tunnel - something many guests may never have done before. The canal is mainly industrial with lots of reminders of our heritage. Notes on the history can be provided by the museum if you wish.

Dinner or drinks reception cruises can also be arranged following on after a business or social event in the museum. Why not end your conference at the museum by cruising into the sunset?

Narrowboats are of the traditional long narrow shape and some are suitable for a larger number of passengers but not for more than light catering. Restaurant boats can be used for passenger carrying and are larger, with a kitchen on board. They can accommodate a dinner cruise.

Recommended Boats

Tap on pictures for larger picture

Click on small picture for larger picture	Boat Name(s)	Base location	Boat Operator	Capacity	Description
	Long Tom	Islington	Islington Community Canalboat Trust	12	This boat is jointly owned by London Canal Museum and Islington Community Canalboat Trust. The latter is responsible for private charter. The boat is enclosed against the weather but has large windows that open to provide open-air cruising in good weather.
	My Fair Lady	Camden	Walker's Quay	98	A fully enclosed, heated, all-year-round hospitality boat with full kitchen facilities. Can be chartered to bring large groups of guests to the museum for a function, or can provide a restaurant cruise departing from or arriving at the museum for a smaller number of guests.
	Jenny Wren	Camden	Walker's Quay	72	A traditional narrowboat with open accommodation perfect for summer trips, but with protection in the event of rain.
	Jason	Paddington	Jason's Trip	48	One of the oldest working narrowboats on the canal system, Jason is a traditional boat with open accommodation perfect for summer trips, but with protection in the event of rain.
	Freda	Islington	The Copper Quay	42	Built in 2016, this narrowboat is locally-based and offers sheltered or open accommodation according to the weather.
	Tarporley	King's Cross	Camden Canals and Narrowboat Association	12	A historic narrowboat with a small open deck at the front.
	Angel II	Islington	Islington Community Canal Boat Trust	12	A modern narrowboat with a small open deck at the front.
	Pirate Viscount and Pirate Prince	Camden (west)	The Pirate Club	12 each	A narrowboat and a wide-beamed boat with a small open decks at the front. Pirate Prince, the wide-beamed boat, is fully wheelchair accessible.
	Lady Mildmay and Opportunity	Hackney	Laburnum Boat Club	12 each	A pair of smaller narrowboats that have both enclosed cabins and large open decks at the front, making them versatile in unpredictable weather. Lady Mildmay (pictured) is wheelchair accessible.
	Beauchamp	Paddington	The Beauchamp Lodge Settlement	60	A large electric barge designed as a floating classroom. This boat tends to be slower than other boats so plenty of time has to be allowed for trips on board. It is fully enclosed with heating.
	Lady A	Greenford	Canal and River Cruises	12	A small capacity hospitality boat offering private charter and meals on board.

Boat Journeys

Boats can bring passengers from any point on the Regent's Canal to the museum. Remember that you generally have to pay for the time the boat spends running empty before or after your trip as well as the time during which you are on board. The most popular starting points are, from west to east:

• Paddington. Boats can pick passengers up from Little Venice or from the arm of the canal that leads down to Paddington Basin, which is very easily reached on foot from Paddington Station. Cruise to the museum in about 2 1/4 hours through four locks.
• Regent's Park. An attractive walk across the park from Westminster Register Office at Marylebone, the journey from here will be about 2 hours.
• Camden Town. Camden locks and the surrounding markets are famous and busy. The journey time from here to the museum depends on where exactly you start, because of the three locks. Approximately 45 minutes to 1 1/4 hours.
• Islington. Just to the east of the Angel, Islington, a path leads down to the canalside and you can board your boat for a trip of about 40 minutes to the museum, including a long tunnel. Islington Register Office, in the Town Hall, is about a 15 minute walk from here.
• Hackney. The canal passes under Mare Street, Hackney, and Hackney Register Office in Hackney Town Hall is about a 15 minute walk along Mare Street from here. Allow about 1 3/4 hours for the journey through several locks and a long tunnel.

You should always plan your function so that it will not matter too much if there is a delay during your boat journey. Boat journeys cannot be timed exactly because the time taken will be affected by other boats using the locks and the tunnel. You may have to wait for the tunnel to be clear or for boats travelling through locks in the opposite direction.

Bus hire

Timebus offer a variety of classic London buses that can bring your guests right to the museum's door. (link opens new window)

We help you plan

If you need advice about planning your itinerary, by water or by road, we are happy to help. We do not take commission from boat or bus companies and are therefore impartial. Please remember to tell us about your plans. Our mooring needs to be booked for your use if you arrive by boat. There is no charge for this if you are hiring the museum.