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Boat Hire

A boat on the River Great Ouse outside The Kingfisher pub with rooms.
Here at The Kingfisher we are delighted and very excited to announce the arrival of our very own boat, Badger!

Welcome Aboard!

Arriving this spring we will have Badger moored on our jetty, ready for you to come and have some fun on the River Great Ouse.

Available for hourly hire, Badger is a fully electric open top Ruban Bleu boat focussed on absolute comfort. With a capacity of up to 6 sailors it is perfect for a friends or family get together, a romantic cruise or a fun filled team building activity.

Badger features a sun awning for those glorious summer days, spent ‘simply messing about in boats’.

Boat hire is subject to availability

Boat Hire

HOURLY BOAT HIRE

This is for self drive boat hire and includes fuel, lifejackets, on boat training and insurance

£60 per hour

 

WEDDING DAYS

Enhance your wedding day with picturesque images on our boat on the River Great Ouse. This includes a skipper and a bottle of chilled Prosecco, with an hour’s cruise

£120 per hour

 

GROUP ADVENTURES

For friends, family or colleagues you won’t find a better activity! This is self drive boat hire and includes an iced bucket of 4 beers and 4 soft drinks

£100 per hour

Picnic packages!

SUNSHINE & SCONES

Delicious homemade scones, TipTree jam and Rodda’s clotted cream accompanied by tea and coffee

£15 per person

 

WIND IN THE WILLOWS’ AFTERNOON TEA

For a really special treat, our afternoon tea includes sweet and savoury options inspired by Kenneth Grahame’s classic novel, served in a picnic hamper on board!

£25 per person

 

JUST DRINKS

A bottle of chilled Prosecco and up to 6 glasses – £32

An iced bucket of 6 soft drinks – £25

An iced bucket of 6 beers – £40

Boat Hire FAQs

Follow us

We’ll be cruising down the river to cool down this weekend ⚓️

Our boat is available for hourly hire with a selection of refreshing packages (and you can now book online via our website!) 

Prefer to stay on land? Join us on The Jetty and dine riverside with tasty small plates and our outdoor bar 🍻

Discover more via the link in our bio 🔗
You’re looking at Bedford’s Business of the Year 2025 🏆

We had an excellent evening last week at the SME Bedfordshire Business Awards and came away as a winner! 

A huge thank you to @thebedfordshirechamber and well done to all the finalists 🥳 

To all our wonderful team, THANK YOU this wouldn’t have been possible without your hard work and dedication ❤️
The best place to spend a sunny day in Bedford 🌤️

Our new summer menu goes live this evening, enjoy highlights of peach & rosemary glazed chicken, sunblushed tomato linguine and crab & grapefruit salad.

Come and enjoy dinner with a view…🍴
A boat ride is always better with a pub at the end of it!⚓️🍻

Available for self drive hourly hire, our boat is fully electric with capacity for up to 6 six sailors. Have lunch in the pub before you board or opt for our afternoon tea and drinks selection on-board. 

Here’s to glorious summer days spent ‘simply messing about in boats’ 🥂

Discover more via the link in our bio 

#rivergreatouse #boathire #bedfordboat #bedford #riversidepub #riverside #summer
We’ll take any opportunity to dine Al fresco when we’ve got this view! 

The Jetty offers small plates, an outdoor bar stocked with all your favourite tipples and tranquil riverside views. Open Friday to Sunday during May 🌤️

Tap the link in our bio to discover more 

#bedford #riversidepub #bedfordpubs #rivergreatouse #bedfordfoodie #bedfordfood #bedfordshire #riverside #alfresco #alfrescodining
Wind in the Willows Break | £99 per person 

Settle in riverside with an overnight stay, a delicious breakfast and an hours boat hire with afternoon tea - to be enjoyed on the boat or back at the pub ⚓️

Tap the link in our bio to book, sailors! 

Please see our website for full T&C’s 

#riverside #lifeontheriver #staycationuk #staycation #bedford #pubwithrooms #rivergreatouse #boathire
Dinner with a view? We’ve got you covered…

Nestled along the River Great Ouse, you’ll find our pub with rooms tucked away in the riverbank. Better yet, we have two outdoor dining terraces to soak up those river views! 

Dine Al fresco on our Riverside Terrace and enjoy our full pub menu. The Jetty offers tempting tapas, small plates and boasts our @brewpointuk outdoor bar - cheers! Please see our website for opening hours. 

See you soon 🍻

#alfresco #alfrescodining #dinnerwithaview #bedford #bedfordpubs #riversidepub #ontheriver
Picture this; a hot sunny day, cruising down the River Great Ouse with your friends, a glass of fizz in-hand - bliss. 

Nestled along the riverside, you’ll find our pub with rooms serving great food, delicious tipples and good times. Step off our jetty and onto Badger, our all-new boat to hire! ⚓️

Find out more on our website, link in bio. 

#bedford #riversidepub #boathire #boathirebedfordshire #rivergreatouse #pubstagram #boat
But don’t just take our word for it - we’ve been voted ‘Best Hotel’ in the @muddyhertsbeds awards! 🏆

A huge thank you to everyone who voted for us, it really is so greatly appreciated. 

If you haven’t visited us before, we hope you’ll stop by this summer 🌤️

#bedford #placestostay #besthotel #muddyawards #muddystilettos #besthotels #bedfordhotel #pubwithrooms #visitbedfordshire
We just can’t wait for the weekend! 🌤️

Don’t miss out on:

The Jetty 🍻
Re-opening for the summer on Friday 2nd May, we’ll have live music on Friday at 7pm and Saturday at 2pm 🎶

Boat Hire ⚓️
Bookings now being taken! Cruise down the river from tomorrow 1st May from £60 an hour for up to six sailors

What better way to start the long weekend?! 

#riversidepub #bedfordpubs #rivergreatouse #bedford #riverside #boathire #thejetty #lifeontheriver
Our boat is now available to hire, we’re taking bookings from Thursday 1st May ⚓️

With hourly hire from £60, Badger is a fully electric open top Ruban Bleu boat focussed on absolute comfort. With a capacity of up to 6 sailors it is perfect for a friends or family get together, a romantic cruise or a fun filled team building activity.

Head to our website to find out more, because life’s better on the river!

#boat #boathire #boathirebedfordshire #bedford #rivergreatouse #riversidepub #ontheriver