Afternoon Tea Cruise

Afternoon Tea – A Brief History

The quintessentially English habit of Afternoon Tea dates back to the 1840’s and was designed to
stave off hunger between Lunch and the set Evening Meal. It was indulged in by the upper
echelons of society who would declare ‘open at home for tea receptions’ for up to 200 guests to
attend between 4pm and 7pm.

Our Afternoon Tea

Here at Lancashire Canal Cruises our 30’ narrow boat seats a more modest number of
passengers (12) but it does mean that we can concentrate on looking after you more closely !
Our Afternoon Tea cruise is very traditional and of course includes scones (how do YOU pronounce it ?!),
delicious finger sandwiches, local strawberries, cakes and of course a choice of teas and coffee.
A refreshing glass of chilled rose or a soft drink to accompany along with options to pre-order
champagne, Prosecco, wine, gin or craft beers.

Enjoy a debate with your companion regarding clotted cream or jam first on your scones. Devon
or Cornwall respectively. Relax and enjoy the countryside views as we sail east and keep an eye
out for the wildlife. We regularly see kingfishers and swans and mallards, moorhens and coots
recognise the boat and announce themselves noisily. Our 90 minute Afternoon Tea cruises are
extremely popular in the Summer but please bear in mind you can charter the boat for your very
own private hire Afternoon Tea Cruise which allows us to sail to the quant village of Parbold, home to an
art gallery with a genuine Victorian windmill and also have an ice cream at Yours is the Earth.

We pride ourselves on being able to tailor our cruises for your exact needs. We are excellent
listeners and have hosted surprise proposals (all accepted!), baby showers, birthdays,
anniversaries, heritage journeys, team building trips and the occasional ‘swan party’. Get in touch
to discuss how we can provide your very own bespoke experience.

We are Lancashire Canal Cruises. We’re waiting for you.

Holly, on the admin side was brilliant and was so accommodating. She helped me so much and understood that I needed to change my date. The overall experience was beyond brilliant. Thank you all so much!

Leah Johnson

A really nice assortment of cakes, chocolate, battenburg, fruit tart, scones cream and jam. plenty of fresh fruit, strawberries, raspberries, tangerine. Unlimited tea, with juice and a wine for the non driver. A very nice journey circa 2 hours, very informative about the area and it's history, learned so much.

John Lyne

Fabulous day out had by all..we will be returning very soon..x

Anne Murdoch

Had a wonderful afternoon, the last trip before lock down 2. Greeted really well by our captain and host. Everything explained by really well. Plenty of food and really fresh. Beef chicken and cheese sandwiches, gerkins and tomatoes.

John Lyne

Fantastic experience plus I loved the hotpot loaded with mince and topped of with crisp baked crusty potato it's a slow look at what's on show that we miss in our cars it's a must do trip

Howard Moss

Lovely afternoon tea cruise along the canal. Mark was very knowledgeable and friendly. Would definitely recommend this.

Carol Eastwood

It helped that it was a beautiful sunny day. The skipper, Mark was very insightful giving us a talk on the local history of the canal as we made our way to Burscough Wharf and back again.

Tony Houston

Nice way too spend a few hours took my mother for a mothers day treat great food fantastic host wish it hadn't been raining thanks very much

Gary Chadbond

Just got back from an amazing cruise with afternoon tea with this company. The food was lovely and fresh!
The skipper, Mark was lovely and professional! He was so naturally friendly and explained everything about the history of barges and the area. He was so knowledgeable. The cruise itself was beautiful and relaxing.

Leah Johnson

What a wonderful experience! Mark was such a great host, very kind and helpful. We miss our trip because of car crash on the road, he not only accommodate us on the next trip but he make us fresh afternoon tea and he place us in the best part of the boat! I can’t explain what a wonderful people and what a experience we had ! Truly amazing! Definitely try for yourself !!! Thank you Mark! See you soon!

Plamena Dimitrova