henley regatta
 

We are going to the henley regatta this summer.
We are a family of 4,(ages 13 and 16).
Where would you suggest we stay?

Are you just going for one day, or are you attending the full five days?

If just one day - then stay wherever fits in your itinerary. In London, In Oxford or anywhere in between. Henley is an easy drive from lots of places.

If you are attending for several days you should probably stay in or quite near Henley - many places will have a 3 night minimum over regatta week and things book up far ahead. If you are staying in the area several days I'd definitely consider renting a cottage - but they do raise their rates for that week.

So what is the rest of your itinerary like? From where are you traveling to Henley? What is your nightly budget? (w/o this info it is nearly impossible to give useful advice)

Lucky you. I watched once years ago when I was on a 6 day barge trip on the Thames.

We are going to be there for the whole regatta as my oldest son will be competing (hopefully).
I like the idea of a cottage.
Our budget is between $100 and $300 a night. A wide range but I would spend more if it was beautiful.
Thanks for your help!
Joan

How exciting!

You might try this place www.cottageguide.co.uk/oldbutchery/ It is about 5 or 6 miles from Henley in the village of Nettlebed. It is just about 1/2 way between Henley and And Wallingford. And only about £85 ($160) per night

Or this one right on the river in Henley www.cottageguide.co.uk/watersedge-henley/ - but it probably books up for regatta week years in advance. It is approx $300 per night.

If neither of these work out the villages/towns you should search for (besides Henley on Thames itself) are Goring, Wallingford, Maidenhead, Marlow or even High Wycomb

This is a good agency w/ cottages all through that area. www.cottageinthecountry.co.uk/

On the Cottage in the Country site - the properties closest ro Henley willbe in the "Thames Valley, Windsor & The Berkshire Downs" section . . . . .

I would recommend against High Wycombe. There are nice bits, but a lot of it is pretty industrial and some of it is quite grubby. Also hilly.

We were in Henley today and even though there weren't any big special events going on, it was still crowded in the center. During the regatta it gets absoutely mobbed and I think you might find it a relief to stay outside of town.

You might want to consider the villages of Shiplake and Wargrave, both close to Henley (about five minutes by train). Or even Twyford, because that's where the rail connection to Henley originates (it starts at Twyford, then stops in Wargrave and Shiplake before ending at Henley). Would make it easy for you to get back and forth and no worries about parking. The downside is that these villages/towns, pretty as they are, don't offer much in the way dining options or shops/services that travelers might need or want.

Or you could also consider staying in nearby Marlow, which is a wonderful small town, has all of the charms that Henley has and none of its drawbacks (except for frustrating traffic jams during rush hour trying to get on and off the highway). Plus Marlow has better restaurants at better prices. And there is bus service between Marlow and Henley so again, you don't have to drive. There is enough for your kids to do in Marlow for a few days and it would be nice to be away from the crowds in the evening.
http://www.marlowtown.co.uk/marlacco.html

While in Henley this afternoon, we had a bite at the Angel on the Bridge tavern which is located right next to the Thames and the Henley bridge. Great scenery. BUT...the food was greasy and overpriced (we had our dog with us, so couldn't eat anywhere else). If you want to stop there for a drink, fine, but I would encourage you to look elsewhere for dining options. (We have had some nice meals at the Loch Fyne restaurant [seafood] in Henley, but they didn't have their outdoor tables set up and no dogs allowed inside, so that option wasn't available to us.)

:) BTilke - the first time I ate at the Angel was in 1974 - and your description of the food would have been been exactly the same back then . . . .

Thank you so much for your help janisj!
I contacted the waters edge cabin in Henley and was very excited that they had not rented it yet BUT very disappointed that it was 3000 pounds for that week!I am waiting to hear from the old butchery. Thank you BTilke, amazing to get advice from someone actually there!

One other village to consider is Hurley (which "bleeds" into the Maidenhead boundary, but it has a very village-y feel). There is a nice B & B with a good restaurant, the The Black Boys. There is regular bus service between Hurley and Henley.
http://www.blackboysinn.co.uk/index.htm

We stayed at a National Trust Property that was first rate. The name was Cliveden. Dont know the town name.