Punting Down the River in Britain
A punt is a traditional type of flat-bottomed boat with no keel and a square bow that was originally used for carrying cargo and for fishing and hunting on the Thames River. It became to be used as a pleasure craft from the late 19th century onward.
With no oars, paddles or rudders, a punt is propelled and steered by the use of a long pole pushing against the bed of the river, and can therefore only be used in relatively shallow water.
There are still punts on the Thames, upstream from the tidal reach at Teddington, and they also can be found at a few other spots around the country. These include the Avon at Stratford upon Avon and also at Bath. In addition there are punts on the River Wear, the Great Stour, the Nidd, and the Great Ouse, as well as on a couple of canals, the Lancaster Canal, and the Regent's Canal.
However, for many people, punting is virtually synonymous with the historic university town of Cambridge, and to a lesser extent, Oxford.
Punting in Cambridge
In Cambridge, you can punt on the River Cam with many venturing as far upstream as Grantchester, however, the busiest and most popular section is known as The Backs.
This is an area where seven of the colleges back onto the river and with gardens and meadows on the opposite side. The Bridge of Sighs and Clare Bridge are just two of the many famous and scenic bridges on this section of the river.
There are two main companies renting out punts for self "driving", Scudamores, (scudamores.com) founded in 1910 and the oldest punt company in Cambridge, with three locations, The Quayside Punting Station, Scudamore's Mill Lane Punting Station, and the Granta Place Punting Station.
The second company offering self-hire is Cambridge Chauffeur Punts, (punting-in-cambridge.co.uk) located next to Silver Street Bridge. Not so well known, Trinity College, also rents out punts from its own fleet to members of the public.
For those who don't want to do the actual punting, there are numerous companies offering chauffeured and group tours. Whereas the self-hire punts are usually the standard punt width of 3 ft, larger groups can be accommodated on wider punts, sometimes called ferry punts.
As well as the two companies mentioned earlier, other companies in Cambridge offering group tours include Traditional Punting Company ( traditionalpuntingcompany.com), Scholars Punting Cambridge (scholarspuntingcambridge.co.uk), and the Cambridge Punt Company (cambridgepuntcompany.co.uk).
A wide variety of group and private options are offered by the different companies including numerous food and drink options like champagne, afternoon tea, or even Thai food cruises.
There are evening cruises, cruises in search of bats, and combination walking-cruising tours. Special events like engagements, Valentines Day, Hen parties, are catered for. For the full list of prices and times consult each company's website listed above.
Punting in Oxford
In Oxford, punting has also long been associated with the university, and punting is done on the River Cherwell, a tributary of the Thames, and on the Thames itself, though locally this section of the river is named Isis.
Viewers of the TV detective drama Inspector Morse and its sequel Lewis will have seen many scenes that include punts on this section of the river.
The scenery from punts in Oxford is more rural than Cambridge, and in places wider and busier. There are several companies that rent out punts as well as offer chauffeured tours, though there are none of the larger, wider punts for larger groups. However it is also possible to rent other boats such as rowing boats, pedalos, kayaks, and canoes.
Oxford Punting (oxfordpunting.co.uk), is located in central Oxford right by Magdalene Bridge and Cherwell Boathouse (cherwellboathouse.co.uk/punting), located further upstream in the north of the town, both have many options.
Hotels in Oxbridge
If you wish to stay in Cambridge there are several good options. These include the three-star Holiday Inn Express Cambridge, the three-star ibis Cambridge Central Station and the four-star Ramada Cambridge, a 20-minute drive from the centre.
The visitor to Oxford can choose from a full range of options to suit every budget. These range from hostels such as Central Backpackers to luxury accommodation such as the Oxford Spires Four Pillars or The Randolph. A wide variety of Bed and Breakfasts as well as value hotels are also an option.
See a list of hotels in Oxford.
Hotels in Cambridge
Cambridge Accommodation - Booking.com
Book Hotels in England - Booking.com