We look forward to seeing you onboard
Most cruises depart from/return to our mooring at Campbell Wharf, at the end of Avebury Boulevard in Central Milton Keynes. Postcode MK9 4BG. There is a drop off point nearby and there are steps or a ramp to get down to the waterside.
Please note there is no parking available here. All parking is 10-15 minutes’ walk away, as shown on the map.
Selected cruises depart from/return to Great Linford Manor Park, where there are two car parks. It’s a 5-10 minute walk from either car park to Electra’s waterside mooring.
Special event cruises depart from a variety of canalside locations. Details of where to park and where to meet Electra are sent with your tickets and/or publicised on the website at the time.
School holiday cruises that combine cruises with a guided walk always start by meeting the walk leader in a designated car park. The walk leader then accompanies you to the Electra boarding point. Please follow the details sent with your ticket.
What our customers say

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First time on this boat for my wife and I. We booked an evening jazz cruise as a birthday treat. It was a really wonderful experience. The... read more only downside was that the wheelchair access which was advertised was almost impossible at the Newnham Steps mooring. However the very helpful volunteer staff cheerfully manhandled the chair from the quay onto the boat which has a convenient lift. At the end of the cruise we accepted an offer of an alternative disembarkation at Sovereign Quay. This was much easier and was only a few hundred yards from where we had parked. Anyone in a similar position to us is advised to contact the company to arrange an alternative pickup. Everything else was wonderful, a lovely jazz band at just the right volume, friendly attentive crew, fast table service of drinks and snacks, good prices. A fun evening. We will certainly be back for one of the daylight trips.
September 1, 2021Spent 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... read more and a lot of people on the riverbank too! The staff onboard were friendly and helpful. Alcohol prices were surprisingly
August 1, 2019 -
Enjoyed a tranquil 2 hour summers evening mini cruise along Bedford River Ouse this evening. Fish OR chicken & chip supper included, bar and refreshments available - lovely. ... read more Boat / Deck Crew very friendly, informative. We encountered a lock all very exciting and saw lots of wildlife, including: ducks, cygnets & swans and a heron and many more birds. The boat glided through lily pads and we saw irises, tall reeds and beautiful trees all around. The scenery alone worth the trip - would highly recommend. Great trip for groups, clubs, WI groups etc
June 10, 2022We went for a 2 hour boat trip on board the John Bunyan boat with a local social club. We all had a ploughman's lunch & hot drink served by... read more the volunteers. The crew shared their local knowledge with us which made it so interesting. The cost.was very reasonable & in aid of Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway charity.
I recommend this as a lovely afternoon excursion.
June 6, 2022 -
We had a lovely tip on the JB boat, just a lovely way to explore the river and going through the lock with an inch either side, the team certainly... read more know what they are doing!
May 27, 2022Booked 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... read more and having fun.
August 1, 2019 -
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... read more cling film. Rather over-priced. All other drinks extra. Crew on board who were nice and
July 1, 2019We were on the Motown and soul cruise, what a fantastic way to spend an evening cruising the embankment with the excellent on board DJ getting all involved even the... read more “river bank people” to give us a wave, a massive thank you to the volunteers that run the boat, if you are thinking of booking this cruise then you will not be disappointed
August 1, 2021 -
Lovely trip along the river. The volunteers are helpful and enthusiastic. They have all undergone appropriate training.
The disabled lift worked well for my companion who walks with crutches,... read more and another lady who walked with a stick. The volunteers ensured their safety.
Tea and coffee are available on board at a very reasonable price.
Very enjoyable.
April 23, 2022When 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.... read more
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.
August 19, 2019 -
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... read more 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.
August 29, 2019 -
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... read more allowed with 2 others to bring some pink gin on board as they font sell ot we made sure we asked permission first and
August 1, 2019What 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... read more 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.
September 1, 2019 -
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... read more Keith & Martin. It was a fun, friendly event with our friends ... & we also met lots of new like-minded people . Wished we could
June 1, 2019 -
Visited here with a group from Essex. Had two hour gentle cruise with a cream tea. From the moment we stepped aboard we were immediately looked after by the volunteers... read more who were friendly, attentive, chatty and extremely helpful. It was a very tranquil and informative trip and one I would recommend to anyone. They are a charity and are very dedicated to their job. Well done.
September 30, 2022A Boat Trip on Bedford River - 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... read more cling film. Rather over-priced. All other drinks extra. Crew on board who were nice and friendly.
September 9, 2019 -
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... read more 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 ....
August 29, 2019Great time ! We joined the boat at the priory marina and cruised for 3 hours to the Anchor pub at Great Barford. Beautiful countryside , a relaxing cruise followed... read more by a nice lunch at the Anchor then coached back to our car.Highly recommended.
July 1, 2021