Oxford Punting Tours

"We picked up our oxford punting tours tickets just after five and had the reach above Magdalen Bridge almost to ourselves. The pole hit gravel about waist deep most of the way, which made steering far easier than I had expected. Bring a cushion of your own, because the wooden seat boards get hard after an hour."

"It took me a solid twenty minutes to stop zigzagging into the willows on the far bank. Once I found the rhythm of dropping the quant pole and pushing off the riverbed, the flat-bottomed punt tracked straight. A chauffeur passing the other way showed me how to twist the pole free of the mud, which probably saved the whole afternoon."

"We booked a chauffeured oxford punting tours tour from the Cherwell Boathouse and drifted north with the water barely moving. Our guide mentioned the college gardens and the Botanic Garden without turning any of it into a lecture, and mostly let the birdsong carry. Marked down only because the wait at the landing stage ran close to forty minutes on a warm Saturday."

"Punting on the Cherwell turned out to be the quietest thing we did in England. Ducks came right up against the hull and the overhanging branches made a tunnel where the light went dappled and green. Two adults and a picnic bag fit comfortably in one punt with room to stretch out."

"Went out in March when the Cherwell was still brown from rain and most of the trees were bare. Fewer boats on the water meant no jams under the bridge, though I needed gloves to keep a grip on the wet pole. The staff were patient with a complete beginner who nearly lost the pole twice."

"Search results throw up a lot of oxford punting tours tours, but the appeal is simple once you are out there — a wooden boat, a long pole, and a river that barely moves. Late in the afternoon the sandstone walls turned orange behind us and the water went the colour of weak tea. My partner poled while I steered with the paddle, which we later learned is not really how it works."

"Two hours in open sun and I came back pink across both forearms, so pack more than you think you need. The stretch up toward the University Parks is shadier and worth carrying on for. The deposit at the boathouse was taken quickly and refunded the same day without any fuss."

"Leaves were coming down onto the water and the pole came up with river mud and one very confused snail. A river punt tour in Oxford at that time of year is quiet enough to hear bells ringing across the meadow. We passed maybe four other boats in ninety minutes."

"None of us had held a quant pole before and we still made it past the bend and back without help. The banks smell green and damp even in February, and the mist sat low over the water for the first half hour. Wear shoes you do not mind soaking, since the stern boards stay puddled."

"The punting itself was calm and pleasant once we got away from the landing stage. Getting to that point involved a long queue and a fairly brisk handover of the boat with little explanation. The river was high after rain, so the pole barely found bottom in a few places and we drifted more than we steered."