Well Sisters, it might sound a bit naff or even a bit snobbish but a river cruise as a Hen Party activity on one of the country’s splendid waterways as you munch your way through either a lunch or pr-organised dinner is a marvellous experience.

Hen Parties by their nature, unless you a Swiss, tend to speed up as the day progresses and the alcohol consumption reaches fever pitch by which time most of the Hens want to be on a dance floor sweating bricks or doing the Conga.

So as a preamble to all the grunting and sweating why not think about a more sedentary way of spending the early part of the day while the Hens conserve energy.

River cruises are done on old converted barges and are beautifully fitted out. They are covered in of course so you, the bride-to-be and the girls will not have to worry about breaks in the weather.

Most cruise companies do one and a half hour lunch trips and two hour evening trips while you enjoy dinner on board.

Most if not all have bar facilities, carry an extensive range of wines and are open to discussing menus depending on the size of your Hen party.

If you have a very large group it is possible to hire the boat strictly for yourselves but if the Hen Party is a small group if intimate friends then you may just book a table and share the trip with the others on board.

Summer time of course would be the best time for such a trip as the rivers are surrounded by beautiful landscapes and the countryside in full bloom.

On the other hand you could just hit a music festival at the same time and forget about food.