Punt in Oxford, another view around the city, family outing

Punt is a small squat and square bottom boat to be used in rivers or shallow canals as it is pushed with a stick to the bottom of the river and not paddled with oars by the waters of the river.

In the UK there is a plethora of Rivers and Canals scattered across the territory, generally shallow enough to reach the bottom with a long stick and thus push the boat towards the direction to be followed.

In Oxford you can rent the boats of Punt in several points, but the best known are in the Folly Bridge on the River Thames near the Head of River pub Head of River pub with the company Salter’s Steamers which was probably where Lewis Carroll told the story of Alice in Wonderland for the first time and Magdalen Bridge on the Cherwell River, near the Oxford Botanical Gardens and Magdalen College Tower.

A tour of Punt is a guaranteed fun for the whole family, a group of friends or it can be quite romantic for a couple.

In addition to Tranquility to stroll through the waters of Oxford, you will still have a privileged view of various points of the city and you will see a rich variety of wildlife. At Oxford, you may even be lucky enough to find an almost endangered water rat that owns a colony here.

Practicing punting in Oxford is a surprisingly quiet and rural experience. Most of the walks are made on the Cherwell River, which flows through the green belt of Oxford woods for the last few miles before joining the Thames.

Punting on the Thames below can be done next to Port Meadow, west of the town, this stretch has a wonderful setting and has a few pubs like  The Trout Inn in Wolvercote.

Punt to more than a century

Punting is a much-loved landmark in Oxford life since Victorian times, popular with students and visitors to the city.

For centuries, flat-bottomed boats were being driven to carry cargo or to fish and in the 1860s appeared the first uses of the Punt for leisure.

Its popularity grew rapidly, even as the Cherwell River was shallow and slow and largely free of the traffic from other boats and has proven to be an ideal setting for the Punt. Moreover, Punt is considered appropriate as a gentle entertainment for older girls of the female colleges, Lady Margaret Hall, for example.

When riding pont de Oxford

Punting is a truly timeless, slightly eccentric delight, especially at Oxford: sailing up or down the river, dragging sticks in the water and admiring wildlife or picnicking by the river or on the boat itself, as a lot of people enjoy the ride to take drinks (can be alcoholic, avoid the excess) and snacks in the boat itself.

In general, because of the weather and temperature, the ideal period to do the Punt is from the middle of March until the beginning of October, after 9 AM, until the sun sets, which in August can be until the evening hours.

You can rent only a 1 hour tour, where a guide drives the boat through the waters and tells you all (usually up to 5 or 6 people) and you will have the freedom to follow the route that you find most interesting, for 1 hour, 4 hours or all day.

Magdalen Bridge Boathouse

Punts para até 5 pessoas e custa £22.00 por hora.

Endereço:
The Old Horse Ford
High Street
Oxford, OX1 4AU

Telefone:
01865 202643 or 07980 488054

Site:

Salters Steamers

Punts for 6 – £20.00- £60.00  (4 horas) – £100.00 (8 horas)

Endereço:
Folly Bridge
OX1 4LA

Telefone:
(01865) 243421

Site:

Cherwell Boathouse

week day £ 18 per hour or £ 90  a day, Weekends £ 20 per hour / £ 100  all day.

Endereço:
Cherwell Boathouse
Bardwell Road
OX2 6ST

Telefone:
01865 515978

Site: