Punting in the river

I have been recently punting first time in my life in Cambridge. First, well, it is rediculously expensive from my opinion regarding what you get. I had to show Cambridge to my mother and I thought punting would be great idea. So I paid 22 pounds for two of us for a little under 40 minutes or... half torture... I know it is England with unexpectable rains, and expectable as well. So it was not the sunniest day, I agree, rather cloudy. But we were assured that if it rains there are big umbrellas to be given during punting which will keep everyone dry. So we went for it. "Surprisingly" it started raining. There were umbrellas on the boat, but ours was ...  Read the complete review

Punting has to be one of life's most serene pleasures. Being punted is a good convivial experience but for me, the pleasure lies in the punting itself. Has she finally flipped I hear you cry! Well, no, but, in advance of finer weather I thought I'd share a little about one of England's finest pastimes. A punt is a flat-bottomed boat designed for navigating inland waterways. Imagine a thick plank of wood, hollowed out in the middle and slightly curved up on the underside at each end and you have a punt - all you need now is a pole and you're ready for the off. Originally designed as cargo boats and fishing platforms the punt, at least in England, is now ...  Read the complete review

In the summer of 2006 I was offered a place at a summer school in Cambridge. Before being accepted to the summer school I had no idea what Punting was. When I saw it was on the timetable for one of the sessions during the week I decided I should find out! A punt is a square-ended boat, which has a flat bottom and is usually propelled using a long pole. Punts were introduced to provide stable craft, which could be used in areas of water too shallow for rowing conventional craft. Punting has now become one of the most popular ways to see the famous bridges and colleges along the River Cam. There are two routes that you can take along the ...  Read the complete review

Well, with Big Brother's Spencer giving punting some unexpected publicity, the time is nigh for more of us to discover it's delights... (And just to claify, punting is done in Cambridge, East Anglia, GREAT BRITAIN. Apparently that can be confusing.) 'Punting' is an art descended from the fishermen of the middle ages, who devised it in response to the shallow waters of the fens. Normal boats got stuck in the mud, so they created flat-bottomed boats without rudders. (That last part may sound alarming, but don't worry; read on.) When the fens were drained the punt lived on, after people discovered its enormous potential for amusement. ...  Read the complete review

I live in Cambridge, so I think I'm well qualified to extol the virtues of punting. Firstly, punting is ridiculously fun. Especially if you do it in summer, as you invariably get soaking wet - even if you don't fall in! Laughing at those that do is all part of the festivities. There are usually plenty of punts on the river - 'the backs' - and, although this can get a bit annoying if you're an expert punter, it adds to the atmosphere by providing plenty of opportunities to a) knock someone off their punt, and b)get talking to that cute guy in the next punt! Punting is quite tricky at first, and if you're only in Cambridge for a day trip I ...  Read the complete review