Public, Themed or Charter Trips on Our Pleasure Boats.
The Basingstoke Canal Society is a registered charity which owns two passenger boats providing pleasure trips on the Basingstoke Canal. The John Pinkerton II which operates from Odiham hosts up to 50 guests and Kitty, operating from The Town Wharf in Woking, up to 12 guests. Our trip season is from March to October every year.
Both boats are operated by John Pinkerton Canal Cruises Ltd and are crewed by trained and qualified volunteers. All proceeds go directly to safeguarding the Basingstoke Canal for the future.
There are three ways you can enjoy the canal on either of our boats:
| Charter Trips – you can book all the seats on either boat for a private event or party. Public Trips – open to the public and can be booked online or on the towpath on the day. Themed Trips – cream teas, special events or music evenings. These can be booked and paid for securely online. |
Charter Availability and Prices
Unlike the Public and Themed trips, Charter trips are unique one-off events that may be tailored to your requirements.
Charter trips are available every day between April and October, apart from published Public and Themed Trips. You can easily check charter availability by using the calendar on our Book Your Trip page.
- John Pinkerton: Simply find your preferred date, click on any available trip shown in green to find out more and complete the Booking Request Form.
- Kitty: Available to charter for your exclusive use at any time when no other bookings are shown on the calendar. Kitty can also be chartered in place of a scheduled public trip providing no advance bookings have been made.
Trip times are subject to variation, as local conditions may impact, and can be seen in the comparison chart below.
All charter requests are subject to confirmation by our Booking team who will be in touch with you to discuss your trip and make the necessary arrangements. To find out more about catering and entertainment, please visit our FAQ page.
| John Pinkerton II | Kitty |
|---|---|
| Details: Length 68ft, Beam 10ft | Details: Length 35ft, Beam 7ft |
| Facilities: Licensed Bar, toilet, variable seating arrangements, tables (each seating 4 for up to 40) | Facilities: Bench seating, centre table, no toilet onboard |
| Departure Point: Hampshire Colt Hill Wharf, London Road, Odiham, RG29 1DH | Departure Point: Surrey Town Wharf, Brewery Road, Woking, GU21 4LJ |
| Scheduled Times: 10.00am : 2.00pm : 7.00pm (Subject to Variation) | Scheduled Times: 11am : 1pm : 2.45pm (Subject to Variation) |
| Charter: Your party of up to 50 guests will have exclusive use of the boat for a 2.5 hour cruise | Charter: Your party of up to 12 guests will have exclusive use of the boat for a 2.5 hour cruise. |
| Volunteer Crew: Four | Volunteer Crew: Two |
| Charter Costs 2025 Season High Season: July & August Monday to Friday afternoon £360 Friday evening to Sunday £380 Mid Season: May: June & September Monday to Friday afternoon £320 Friday evening to Sunday £340 Low Season: April & October Monday to Friday afternoon £280 Friday evening to Sunday £300 A 3.5 hour extended trip can be arranged for an additional £80 | Charter Costs 2025 Season £80 to charter the entire boat for a 75 minute trip £128 to charter entire boat for a 2 hour trip £160 to charter the entire boat for a 2.5 hour trip A public trip can be converted to a 75 minute charter on request providing there are no existing bookings. The longer cruises are restricted to the last cruise if on a public trip day. Charters on non-public trip days by request. |
| Deposits Bookings will only be confirmed once the required deposit has been paid. For private charter groups, this is 50% of the charter fee. For coach or tour operators the deposit is £50.00 Full payment is requested 14 days before the trip | Deposits No deposit is required for Kitty charters. Full payment is requested within 14 days of confirmation |
| Discounts A discount of 10% is offered for weekday daytime cruises booked by schools and parties of seniors. | Discounts No discounts are currently offered on Kitty |
| Availability: Look for any green coloured time slot in the Calendar | Availability: Any day with no Public trips. Any Public trip showing no bookings |
| Conditions of Hire Please see conditions of hire here | Conditions of Hire Please see conditions of hire here |
Still not sure or want to discuss alternative times, then contact the Booking Team on 0750 686 4411 (between 10am and 6pm) or by completing the form.