The boat & access
Meet The Rita Ellen
An elegant event cruiser, warm and welcoming, with fairy lights, fresh flowers and a proper welcome from the moment you step aboard.
Onboard
Cosy, characterful and built for comfort
Inside, fairy lights and fresh flowers give The Rita Ellen its cosy glow, whatever the weather outside. She is fully enclosed and heated, so cruises run year round, with windows that open when the sun comes out.
Tables of four with reserved seating mean no clambering aboard for the best seats, and there is a fully licensed bar and galley, plus a full-size flushing toilet and wash basin.
The detail
At a glance
- Capacity
- Up to 40 for a reception, 30 for a buffet, 24 for seated dining
- Comfort
- Heated and fully enclosed, with windows that open in summer
- Seating
- Tables of four with reserved seating, no clambering for the best spot
- Onboard
- Licensed bar and galley, full-size flushing toilet and wash basin
- Cruise length
- One to five hours, day or evening
- Mooring
- Central, at the Crowne Plaza, five minutes from the car parks
Access for all
Genuinely accessible, and dogs are welcome too
Wheelchair lift aboard
A hydraulic lift carries guests from the landing stage straight into the cabin, with crew trained to help you board.
Step-free & warm
Plenty of room for wheelchairs and walking frames, an accessible toilet, and comfortable window-height views.
Dogs welcome
Four-legged friends are part of the family. Bring them along for the cruise.
The route
Through Stratford, then out into open country
You drift through Stratford’s two historic bridges, Clopton and Tramway, past the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and down to Holy Trinity church, where Shakespeare is buried.
Then it is upstream into quiet Warwickshire countryside, past riverside gardens, with resident herons, the occasional kingfisher, and the Stratford swans for company, guaranteed.
A live local guide
Encyclopaedic, warm and often very funny, the reason guests come back.
Wildlife & quiet
Away from the crowds, with the river largely to yourselves.
A drink in hand
Tea, coffee, something from the bar, or a chilled glass of fizz.
Plan your day
Ready to plan your day on the river?
Tell us roughly what you have in mind and we will come back with an indicative price. Every cruise is bespoke.
- 01
Build a price
Use the cruise builder, it takes a minute.
- 02
We confirm the detail
Date, numbers, menu and timings.
- 03
All aboard
Your own day on the River Avon.