Ericka Liam
Boat Trips With Dogs Near Me – What do you get when six people, four dogs and a picnic big enough to last a week take to the Thames in a self-propelled electric boat… a day of fun for people and dogs! We certainly experienced that when we were invited to try Go Boat Kingston, the latest dog-friendly sailing experience to hit London from Go Boat London.
You may remember that last summer we reviewed the dog-friendly Go Boat experience on Regent’s Canal and had a wonderful time, so on a cloudy Sunday afternoon, Belinha, Lilliput, Claude and Orly, along with their humans, were excited to try the Go Boat. new location in Kingston upon Thames.
Boat Trips With Dogs Near Me
Since they first launched in Copenhagen and then arrived in London at Paddington in 2017, a ride on one of the Go-Boat self-propelled electric boats has been a must on the “London To-Do List”. The boat is eco-friendly (the foam core of the boat is made from 80% recycled PET – the equivalent of around 600 plastic bottles) and travels at over 5 miles per hour, so it can be piloted by people with no sailing experience – don’t worry, the Go Boat crew will instruct you on how to operate the boat before departure.
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Like Go Boat Paddington, the Go Boat Kingston experience offers the option of chartering your own boat, but this time with a very different experience… sailing on the Thames, the thought of which is exciting and a little scary at the same time!
Sailing the Thames is quite different to sailing the Regent’s Canal, especially if you are a novice skipper! Contrary to what I expected, the general opinion of those on board who have done both trips is that it is actually easier to run the Go Boat on the Thames than on the Regent’s Canal. This is mainly due to the fact that you have less room to move around in the canal and so until you are on the boat, you probably won’t be going where you are going!
On the Thames, however, there is more open space, so everything is easier. Of course, there are other boats on the river with you and some of them are big boats, but as long as you stay on the edge and follow the instructions of the Go Boat crew, there is enough room for everyone to sail without incident.
At first we put the captain at the feet of Lilliput and Claude, but soon we had to hand over the farmer to his own captain – Claude’s father Ian (disclaimer – of course we don’t allow the dogs to drive the boat, but they are the captain’s party in a sense a figure of speech).
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For the Go Boat Kingston experience you have two route options – one to Molesley Lock which goes through Hampton Court and the other to Teddington Lock as you can see on the map here.
We had booked a two hour boat experience which was plenty of time for one of the itineraries so we decided to sail to Hampton Court. Surprisingly, even though it took about an hour, the time flew by.
They all bring picnic items, which are definitely recommended to spice up your time on board. Alcohol is permitted subject to the following limits – either two bottles/cans per person of standard, stronger beer or pre-mixed spirits or one 750ml bottle of wine/champagne/prosecco for 2 people. Of course, everyone on the boat should stay sober during the trip and stick to alcohol-free options.
We finally had enough food and drink on board to last us a few days! The dogs couldn’t believe their luck as the puppies made by Lilliput’s mother and the dog beer Snuffle became the biggest hits and were gobbled up at a record speed.
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After sailing past Ditton Island in the Thames and seeing many enviably beautiful homes along the way, we arrived at Hampton Court. The magnificent Golden Gate and the view of Hampton Court Palace from our unique vantage point were definitely worth choosing this route for our trip.
We soon reached Hampton Court Bridge and it was time to turn around for the journey home and one last chance to finish the picnic!
Of course! Everyone agreed it was a great afternoon doing something different with our dogs and for those who have never been on a dog friendly Go Boat it was a really great experience.
Those who have had the Go Boat experience on Regent’s Canal are big fans and are happy that the experience is different enough that you don’t feel like doing the same thing twice. There are some differing views on the two’s favorite experience for different reasons – sailing the open waters of the Thames is a winner for some and the uniqueness of sailing the Regents Canal for others. Either way, it’s definitely a step up for both experiences.
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Our number one tip for a dog-friendly Go Boat London experience is to bring something your dog can sit on. Since the surface of the boat is quite shiny, it can be a bit distracting and slippery for dogs. Belinha is really uncomfortable on slippery surfaces, so this time I bought a long dog mat and it’s not as slippery as before, even the towel she put on it is slippery.
Another top tip is to bring a picnic, but don’t go to the beach like we did (pardon the pun). Make sure you have some special treats in the picnic basket for the pups as the experience is all about them too. Plus, if your pup is a nervous sailor, a puppy or chicken cake will help him get into the sailing spirit.
None of the dogs on board are swimmers (quite the opposite, in fact), but if your dog suddenly doesn’t like swimming, it might be wise to invest in a dog life jacket, and there are a few on Amazon for a reasonable price. It is also advisable to keep them tight, as an unexpected dip in the Thames will be different from Dipin Regents’ canal. Claude brought his bandages just in case…
The Go Boat accommodates eight passengers, and these passengers can be humans or dogs. However, if your puppy is a small dog and can sit on your lap (the guideline is that it should weigh less than a two-year-old), then they do not count towards the passenger limit.
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We took advantage of the 2 hour Go Boat Kingston experience which was enough time to go to Hampton Court Palace and back. However, if I were to do it again for the first time, I would recommend booking the three-hour trip as it gives you time to sail both ways, to both Teddington Lock and Hampton Court Palace.
If you’ve ever been to Go Boat in Merchant Square, Paddington, you’ll know that it’s easy to get hit by all the boats near the pier, so we were looking for the same thing when we arrived in Kingston. However, the entrance to Go Boat Kingston is almost hidden, located up a few steps on Kingston’s Riverside Walk next to Côte Brasserie and Haché Riverside Social – in fact, you could walk past it if you weren’t looking.
Here’s our advice on how to get to Go Boat Kingston – the postcode to get there is KT1 1QN for satnav:
By train: The train to Kingston from Waterloo takes 30 minutes and then approx. 10 minute walk to Go Boat Kingston
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Because we brought a (very large) picnic on the boat trip, we didn’t try any of the restaurants or pubs along the Riverside Walk opposite Go Boat Kingston after our trip, but if you want to, here are some dog-friendly rules:
Dog-friendly Go Boat Kingston tours can be booked seven days a week from May to November. Prices are £59/£79 (off-peak/peak) for one hour, £89/£109 for two hours and £119/£139 for three hours. Depending on how many people you have on board, the prices are set to be really reasonable for a fun, dog-friendly experience. Happy sailing!
We got experience with Go Boat Kingston but all opinions are my own and this is an honest review.
Hi, I’m Teresa…the man behind The Dogvine, London’s dog blog. We bring you information about dog friendly London, dog events in London and lifestyle products for city dogs. Just think of us as Time Out for dogs!
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