Access Statement

At Canterbury Historic River Tours, we believe in making history accessible to all. Since 1932, we have been offering award-winning guided river tours along Canterbury’s waterways, giving unique insight into our city’s rich past and hidden secrets.

We usually cater for wheelchair users and provide assistance to anyone with additional needs or requirements. As part of our training programme, we provide disability awareness training to all staff, who are able to assist passengers who require support getting on and off our boats.

We offer a complimentary ticket for carers and personal assistants. Please contact us if you want to discuss your particular requirements.

If you would like to get in touch, you can email us at enquiries@canterburyrivertours.co.uk or call us on 01227 379 600. If we are out of the office, you can reach us on our mobile number: 07790 534 744.

We look forward to welcoming you aboard.

Arrival to Canterbury

Arrival by Car

Canterbury’s high street is pedestrianised during business hours.
You can find public car parks very close to us:

Arrival by Park & Ride

  • Approaching from Dover: New Dover Road, CT1 3EJ
  • Approaching from Thanet: Sturry Road, CT1 1AD
  • Approaching from Ashford:
    Wincheap, CT1 3TY

Arrival by Bus

  • The nearest bus stop is located close to the city’s iconic Westgate Towers, approximately a five-minute walk from us.
  • Visitors may find it easier to get off at Canterbury Bus Station at the top of the High Street and walk from there. This takes approximately 10 minutes.

Arrival by Train

  • The closest train station is Canterbury West, which is approximately a 10-minute walk from the King’s Bridge. Canterbury West Station also has a passenger lift.

Taxi Services

Canterbury has several taxi services available in the city, that all accommodate for disabilities.

  • Canterbury Taxis, Ltd. (Open 24 Hours) – 01227 444 444
  • Longley’s Private Hire – 01227 710 777
  • Cabline Taxis – 01227 555 555

Beginning the Tour

  • You can find us on the King’s Bridge (CT1 2AT), a lightly cobbled section of Canterbury’s high street.
  • When your boat is ready to depart, you will be guided by one of our members of staff down All Saint’s Lane (lightly cobbled) and through the back seating area of a restaurant to our jetty.

Accessing the Boat

  • There is a small step just before you reach our garden area, which is paved with wooden decking. Leading down to the jetty itself there are three steeper steps. Your carer or personal assistant can help you onto the boat and offer any additional assistance. Our staff can also assist you, if required.
  • To get into the boat, you will need to step onto the wooden seat and then into the boat before sitting down. You will stay seated for the entire duration of the tour.
  • Extra steps and/or loading blocks can be provided if needed.
  • The boats cannot be boarded by wheelchairs, but there is room to store them in the garden area, as is also the case with walkers and pushchairs.
  • The boats are renovated lifeboats. They are remarkably stable and secure.

During the Tour

  • Passengers will remain seated throughout the tour.
  • Throughout the tour, the boat slowly passes under three low-hanging bridges: the King’s Bridge, the Greyfriars’ Bridge, and the Friars’ Bridge. To avoid them, passengers will need to duck slightly into the boat.
  • If the river is too high for our boats to fit safely underneath, we do not attempt to and offer a discounted tour.
  • Depending on daylight, visibility when going under the King’s Bridge can be limited, but due to the short length of the bridge you will not be submerged into darkness.
  • If passengers have any additional needs they are encouraged to speak to the guide before the tour departs. Those hard of hearing can sit closer to the guide so as to hear better if they wish, and there is the option for a free written version of the tour’s content in English, Spanish, French, German or Italian.

Getting offboard

  • Passengers will alight the boat one by one.
  • Any extra assistance that may be required can be provided by your carer or personal assistant, and a loading block will also be made available.

Toilets

There are no toilets at our location. However, we are close to two public toilets, which are both easily accessible for all: In the Beaney Library, you can find public toilets across three floors, complete with wheelchair accessibility and baby-changing facilities. It is a short walk from the King’s Bridge.

Its hours are: 10am – 5pm Tuesday – Saturday; 11am – 4pm Sundays; Closed on Monday.

In the Best Lane car-park, there is another set of public toilets, open in the summer from 7:30am to 7pm, and in the winter from 7.30am to 6pm. They also provide baby-changing facilities.

Additional Information

  • Dogs are welcome aboard and go free of charge.
  • We do not offer self-hire vessels.

Future Plans

  • We are looking into introducing a Hearing Loop system to aid passengers who are hard of hearing. However, our access to electricity is limited.
  • There are plans to open a small merchandise stall in the garden area adjacent to the jetty.
  • There is currently no merchandise available from the business.

Contact Information

Office number: 01227 379 600
Mobile number: 07790 534 744
Email: enquires@canterburyrivertours.co.uk

Postal address:
Canterbury Historic River Tours
℅ The Cricketers
14 St Peter’s Street
Canterbury
Kent
CT1 2BQ

Where to find us:

The King’s Bridge
Canterbury
CT1 2AT

You can find us on social media:

Generally, we are open every day from 10am until 5pm, from March 1st to November 1st.

During our closed season (December 1st – February 28th), we are still contactable by phone and email, should you have any enquiries. We are in the office from 9.30am until 5pm.

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