Henley Royal Regatta Chauffeur Hire

Henley Royal Regatta runs for five days at the turn of June and July, with crews racing two at a time up a straight stretch of the Thames from Temple Island towards the town. Racing starts in the morning and continues into the early evening, and the day is spent largely on the towpath or in the enclosures beside it, with lunch somewhere in the middle and Pimm's throughout. It is a river event, so the weather has a vote.

Getting in and out is the difficulty. Henley funnels across a single bridge, the town operates a temporary road layout during the regatta, and much of the parking sits in meadows on the far bank. A chauffeur delivers you close to the enclosure entrance and takes the car away, which spares a long walk over grass in the shoes the day requires and removes the entire question of who is driving.

Arrive before the middle of the morning if you can, because the bridge and the approaches from the A404 and Marlow slow considerably once racing is under way. Bring a layer, since the river is colder than the forecast suggests once the sun drops. Enclosure membership and guest badges come from the stewards or from whoever is hosting you; as an independent chauffeur company we have no involvement in admission and would not claim otherwise.

A Rolls-Royce Ghost or a Mercedes S-Class suits a couple arriving for the day. Groups of five or six take a V-Class comfortably, with room for blazers, hats and a hamper if you are picnicking on the bank. Where a party is arriving from several directions we will run more than one vehicle to the same set-down and the same collection point, which saves a great deal of telephoning later on.