The River and Rowing Museum is shut, so here is what is open: £14.50 river trips, free Wittenham Clumps, £13 heritage trains and Stonor gardens from £7.
Start with the thing that will otherwise waste your afternoon. The River and Rowing Museum, the one attraction most guides still put at the top of a Henley itinerary, is closed to the public. Its own website says so plainly, and it is now looking for other organisations and museums to take on its River Thames and rowing collections. School workshops still run. Do not turn up expecting to get in.
Everything below was checked against the venue’s own website this week, with the price it publishes. Prices are the standard adult rate unless stated.
On the river at Henley
Hobbs of Henley runs the town’s public boat trips and is open for the 2026 season. The one-hour daily river trip runs April to September and costs £14.50 for an adult, £12.50 for a senior aged 65 or over, £10 for a child aged 3 to 16, and nothing for under-3s. You pick a time slot when you book. Hobbs also hires boats and runs a programme of themed evening cruises through the summer and autumn.
The Thames Path through Mill Meadows and out along the regatta course is free and open all year, and it is the single best thing in Henley that nobody charges for.
Henley Royal Regatta has published its 2027 dates: Tuesday 29 June to Sunday 4 July. Tickets go on sale in spring 2027. If you are booking accommodation for regatta week, that is your window.
Stonor Park, up the valley
Stonor is the big house and deer park in the Chilterns valley north of Henley, and it prices in layers.
| Ticket | Online | On the day |
|---|---|---|
| Gardens only, adult | £7.00 | £8.00 |
| Gardens only, child 2 to 15 | £5.00 | £6.00 |
| House, chapel and gardens, adult | £13.00 | £15.00 |
| House, chapel and gardens, child 2 to 15 | £7.00 | £8.00 |
| House, chapel, gardens and playground, adult | £14.00 | £16.00 |
The playground, Tumblestone Hollow, is sold as its own ticket with the gardens included: £11 adult and £12 for a child aged 5 or over in the regular season, less if you book online. Camp Tumblestone runs 19 July to 2 September 2026 at £12.50 adult and £13.50 child. Under-2s and carers go free on every ticket.
Stonor’s autumn diary is already fixed: the Great Antique and Vintage Car Boot Fair on 9 August, the ICHF Henley Craft Show from 28 to 31 August, Adventure Cinema from 11 to 13 September and medieval jousting on 19 and 20 September. Check the calendar on the day-tickets page before you drive up, because the house has its own open days.
Free, and always open
Wittenham Clumps, run by the Earth Trust, is free, has no closing time and calls itself the most visited free-to-access greenspace in the region. Views from the top of the Clumps, a wildflower meadow, Little Wittenham Wood and the Thames at the bottom. The car park is on Sires Hill, Little Wittenham, OX10 8NB. If you have one afternoon, no money and a dog, this is the answer.
Two heritage railways
The Cholsey and Wallingford Railway runs the surviving branch between the two towns, a round trip of about 45 minutes in 1950s coaches behind a heritage diesel or a visiting steam engine. £13 adult, £6 for a child aged 3 to 18. A table for four in exclusive use is £28 and a compartment for six is £45, and on-train catering is only available if you book a table or compartment and board at Wallingford.
The Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway runs on selected dates to November, with Santa trains in December. Tickets are day rovers valid on every train all day: £16 adult (16 to 59), £14 senior or railcard holder, £5 for a child aged 3 to 15, under-3s free.
Didcot Railway Centre
Didcot Railway Centre is the Great Western Society’s engine shed and works site. Open Wednesday to Sunday, 10.30am to 4pm, last admission 2.30pm, at OX11 7NJ. What you pay depends on whether the engines are in steam.
| Day type | Adult | Child | Senior | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery day, no trains | £12.00 (£13.50) | £7.50 (£8.00) | £9.00 (£10.00) | £35.00 (£38.00) |
| Limited run day | £14.00 (£15.50) | £8.00 (£9.00) | £11.00 (£12.50) | £40.00 (£44.00) |
| Steam or heritage diesel day | £18.50 (£20.50) | £11.00 (£12.50) | £16.50 (£18.50) | £55.00 (£60.50) |
Child prices cover ages 3 to 15 and a family is two adults and up to two children. Coming up: Brick Adventures on 22 and 23 August, the Autumn Steam Gala from 11 to 13 September and A Christmas Carol from 9 to 14 December. Check the calendar for which kind of day you are buying, because the gap between a discovery day and a steam day is £6.50 a head.
Wallingford Museum, and the Agatha Christie year
Wallingford Museum is open 3 March to 28 November 2026: Tuesday to Friday 2pm to 5pm, Saturday 10.30am to 5pm, Sunday 2pm to 5pm in June, July and August, and bank holiday Mondays 2pm to 5pm.
The ticket is the best value in the district. £6 for an adult, and it gives you unlimited access for the whole season. Children with an adult go free and groups of ten or more pay £5 each. This year’s exhibitions are Agatha Christie’s Wallingford, marking fifty years since she died at Winterbrook House in the town, Through Wallingford’s Workhouse Door, and a mini exhibition, Digging for Wallingford, from the local archaeological society.
Waterperry Gardens
Waterperry, out towards Wheatley, is open all year except between Christmas and New Year: 10am to 5.30pm from 1 April to 31 October and 10am to 5pm in winter. Garden entry is currently £11.35 under the Great British Summer Savings Scheme until the end of August. The Summer Orienteering Butterfly Trail and the A Brighter View exhibition both run from 11 July to 6 September.
Frequently asked questions
Is the River and Rowing Museum in Henley open?
No. The museum’s own website states that it is currently closed to the public, and it is seeking other organisations and museums to take on its River Thames and rowing collections. Education workshops for schools still run.
What is there to do in Henley for free?
Walk the Thames Path through Mill Meadows and along the regatta course, or go to Wittenham Clumps at the other end of the district, which is free, has no closing time and has a car park at OX10 8NB.
How much is a boat trip in Henley?
The one-hour daily river trip with Hobbs of Henley costs £14.50 for an adult, £12.50 for a 65-plus senior and £10 for a child aged 3 to 16, with under-3s free. It runs daily from April to September.
What can you do near Henley when it rains?
Wallingford Museum, at £6 for the whole season, and Didcot Railway Centre, which has covered engine sheds and runs Wednesday to Sunday from 10.30am. The Cholsey and Wallingford Railway and the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway both run enclosed heritage coaches.
When is Henley Royal Regatta 2027?
Tuesday 29 June to Sunday 4 July 2027. Tickets go on sale in spring 2027.
What is the cheapest family day out near Henley?
Wittenham Clumps is free. After that, Wallingford Museum at £6 for an adult with children free, then a discovery day at Didcot Railway Centre at £35 for two adults and two children.
Sources
Every price and opening time above was taken from the venue’s own website in August 2026: River and Rowing Museum, Hobbs of Henley daily trips, Henley Royal Regatta, Stonor Park prices, Earth Trust, Wittenham Clumps, Cholsey and Wallingford Railway tickets, Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway fares 2026, Didcot Railway Centre opening times and prices, Wallingford Museum and Waterperry Gardens.
Opening days and prices change, and several of these places open on selected dates only. Check the venue’s own site before you set out. Getting there and parking is on Henley roadworks and travel; the trains are on Henley trains to London.
Have your say
We read every message. To comment on this story, email the newsdesk and we may publish a selection of responses: hello@henleypost.co.uk.