Swan Upping - Reading
Overview
I saw this event for the first time last year, and despite the awful weather, we had a great experience, the friendly crew talked us through all that was happening, and we actually got to see lots of swans and cygnets.
Boarding will commence at 10.00 at Caversham Pier, from here we will slip lines and proceed to follow the skiffs of the swan uppers and offer a great raised viewing platform so you can see the full tagging process.
Tea, coffee and biscuits will be served on arrival with a full bar onboard with alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks available to purchase throughout the cruise. We expect to return alongside the pier at 1300, when we will walk to the nearby Toby Carvery for lunch.
Includes
- 3 hour cruise on the Thames
- Tea & Biscuits on arrival
- Reserved table at nearby Toby Carvery for lunch
- Spice Host
Extras
- Drinks on board the boat (after the welcome tea & biscuits)
- Lunch at Toby Carvery
Watch the century old tradition of Swan Upping
A flotilla of traditional Thames rowing skiffs, manned by Swan Uppers in scarlet rowing shirts and headed by The King’s Swan Marker, wearing a hat with a white swan’s feather, row their way steadily up the Thames. ‘All up!’ they cry as a family of swans and cygnets is spotted, and the Swan Uppers carefully position their boats around the swans, lift them from the water and check their health. The Swan Marker’s iconic five-day journey upriver has been an annual ceremony for hundreds of years, and today it has two clear goals; conservation and education.
As the five day journey of the swan uppers passes through Reading we will join the rowing skiffs and watch on as this years signets are both documented and tagged being part of a tradition that goes back centuries. Three skiffs carrying the King's Swan Marker (for the crown) and the companies of the Vintners' and Dyers' will take it turns to 'claim' the signets. In a process largely unchanged for generations.
There is a car park near the boarding point, Postcode RG1 8DB
| Type | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| Member | £37.50 | Available |
| Guest/ Non Member | £42.50 | Available |
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