What customers say

  A pleasant trip along the river with a very average "cream tea" consisting of only one scone//jam/cream on paper plates including the cup of tea, all pre-packed and covered in cling film. Rather over-priced. All other drinks extra. Crew on board who were nice and friendly.

  What a fabulous trip the Soul Cruise was from start to finish !
Had so much fun dancing & singing to some excellent tunes from the 2 master DJ’s Keith & Martin.
It was a fun, friendly event with our friends ... & we also met lots of new like-minded people .
Wished we could have got tickets for the back to back cruises but they were sold out so we will plan & book ahead for 2020!
If you want a fun time with like minded people this is just amazing value so get booked & get dancing !

  What can I say, had the boat on a charter and what a great day we've had. Boat was lovely and the crew even better, all volunteers with a real passion for what they do to make our 4 hour cruise very enjoyable.

Highly recommended and you see the countryside from a different perspective once you're on the water.

  Booked with a few friends. We all had a great time. Party atmosphere, great music, good bar prices. Already booked for next year. Recommend if you like good music, dancing and having fun.

  What a fantastic evening on the John bunyan.... a cruise down the ouse with perfect weather and great tunes of soul and Motown this a private charter so I was allowed with 2 others to bring some pink gin on board as they font sell ot we made sure we asked permission first and brought all mixes and the hubby's all brought from the bar on board as well as the other 18 in our party ,yea music is loud but you cant dance to back ground music all the staff are very friendly and accommodating...lovely to wave at people on the river bank and alot joined in the waving and dancing take my advice get a great group of people together and dance your way down the river consider it a disco on the move ....

  If there is anybody out there interested in superb soul music, get on the Soul Boat Bedford for a great soulful afternoon/evening. NOT TO BE MISSED.

  Spent a great afternoon on a Soul Cruise with a few friends. Both the DJs were excellent and play a great mixture of Soul tunes enjoyed by everyone on board and a lot of people on the riverbank too! The staff onboard were friendly and helpful. Alcohol prices were surprisingly reasonable too. Great friendly atmosphere. Would definitely recommend Soul Cruises.

  When our friends booked this evening cruise with Soul Music we expected a melodic evening sailing gently down the river Ouse. What we got completely destroyed a potentially lovely cruise.

The disco belted out music so loud I was screaming into our friends ear without being understood. We went to the bar and could not fully pick up what was being said and this was actually behind the speaker so should have been easier to hear. In a night club the decibel alarm levels would have kicked in for such a small space.

All of this is such a pity as the trip its self would have been really great if the music had been lowered. I did not raise it at the time as others appeared to be happy dancing away to the music although some having consumed quite a lot of alcohol either from the bar or the full bottle of gin they bought with them.

The staff were all very friendly and bar prices extremely good. Unfortunately that doesn't help if the noise is providing me with a headache! The good news was it obliterated my tinnitus while on the boat. Sorry will not be booking again. More

  Great fun, the crew were polite and knowledgeable concerning the route and the cream tea was good. Wish we had booked the 4 hour cruise instead of from the quay in Bedford. Recommended.

  We thoroughly enjoyed the experience. What a beautiful way to see Bedford. Loved every minute. What a great team!
Best wishes
Irene Grant-Jones

  Went on the John Bunyan boat as a group of approx 30.The weather was mixed - heavy showers & lovely sunshine, but it doesn't matter what the weather is like as the boat does have a full length roof. Parking at Priory Marina is free.The staff were informative & knowledgeable regarding some of the historic buildings we passed. The trip, which lasted just over 3 hours, came with an afternoon tea consisting of a selection of tasty sandwiches & cakes complete with either a cup of tea or coffee. They also offered alcoholic drinks, which came at an additional cost. Also jugs of water were offered at no cost. During the trip a member of staff brought round souvenirs to purchase.

  Had a lovely day out on boat trip to The Barns for afternoon tea, then back, staff all very good as well, would say it’s good and not expensive.

  Their boat goes from Bedford to varied local destinations from time to time. The Great Ouse is interesting, but it isn't massively beautiful. The skipper gave a few points-of-interest comments, but the PA was rather indistinct and many of the passengers were rather raucous so I didn't get everything. Refreshments on board very reasonably priced.

The skipper was a little hostile if you ask questions; at the end he plonked a collecting tin on our table, which I thought was a bit much.

  As a group we were taken on a 2 hour trip. The 'staff' were knowledgeable and friendly and made us feel very welcome. The scenery was amazing. The hot chocolate was gorgeous too. Highly recommended.

  Perfect way to spend an afternoon - a rainy one at that. Abundant wildlife, super crew, enjoyable company. Good food at The Anchor. Plenty of river incident and Wind in Willow adventure. 🥰. The trip was organised by a charity for people, friends and family...More

  Have been on the JB Boat on numerous occasions - lunch cruise, afternoon tea, fish and chip supper and musical evenings - all brilliant. The volunteers who crew the boat are highly professional and friendly making one feel very safe and secure and very welcome....More

  We visited the Barns Hotel for another reason and we could see they were offering shorted boat trips . Very good and the staf are great. We will do the Fish and Chip cruise next and possible the Sunday afternoon tea. What a nice way...More

  Took my daughter on the bank holiday Sunday afternoon tea cruise. Although she wasn't feeling well she really enjoyed it. The food was good and all volunteers really helpful. Weather could have been better but this is Britain.

  Bought a trip with afternoon tea for my husband. The weather was perfect which did make all the difference. It was well organised and the volunteers were very friendly. The scones were absolutely fab. Highly recommended.

  My partner bought us a lunchtime package with Plowman's. Over all it was ok and staff were great expect for one loud Scott's man (Purser) who was so loud and annoying. The trip was nice while going through he town waterway however the the last...More

  we took one of the evening cruises which set off from Sovereign Quays and took us at a very leisurely pace first towards kempston , then back past the Quays as far as the Suspension Bridge before returning. The volunteer staff are brilliant and work...More

  My wife and I enjoyed a trip yesterday down the River Ouse from Bedford to The Barns Hotel where we enjoyed a superb afternoon tea. The trip was enjoyable and the crew on the boat very helpful and attentive. We had originally booked the trip...More

  I have been struggling for the past 6 weeks or so, to find the right words to do as much justice to the John Bunyan team as they did to my family and me on the morning of what would have been Peter's and my...More

  Saw the Facebook heavily advertised hourly boat trips were taking place in St Neots today so decided to take my 4 and 7 year old on their first boat ride. They were incredibly excited. We arrived at the festival and asked the two men at...More

  Saw the Facebook heavily advertised hourly boat trips were taking place in St Neots today so decided to take my 4 and 7 year old on their first boat ride. They were incredibly excited. We arrived at the festival and asked the two men at...More

  Took the grandkids on the trip, saw Bedford from a completely different angle and we all enjoyed it. Cream teas and ploughmans lunch were excellent.

  A specially built boat to carry you on an adventure down the Great Ouse around Bedford and beyond. Experienced and friendly team running the boat and all manner of wonderful speciality cruises to choose from. Very good food and drinks to choose from. You can...More

  A specially built boat to carry you on an adventure down the Great Ouse around Bedford and beyond. Experienced and friendly team running the boat and all manner of wonderful speciality cruises to choose from. Very good food and drinks to choose from. You can...More

  Caught boat just past Swan hotel/ Park Inn. Lots of rowers in the way as it was a hot day, everybody was enjoying the waterways. First you go up water, about half hour, past the Gudwara to Telegraph poles, a lovely views with ducks &...More

  I came on the John Bunyan on Saturday 21st July for a family occasion and it was a lovely experience. The volunteers running the boat were kind and helpful, they took great care of everyone on board the boat, it was lovely to see a...More