Punting in Oxford
by Terri Waters
Title
Punting in Oxford
Artist
Terri Waters
Medium
Photograph
Description
Situated underneath Magdalen College Tower, at the lower end of Oxford's world famous high street you will find Magdalen Bridge Boathouse. Here you can hire traditionally crafted punts, rowing boats and pedalos or spoil yourself by hiring a Chauffeured boat to explore along the River Cherwell. A punt is a flat-bottomed boat, typically used in small rivers and canals. It is propelled by pushing the river bed with a long pole.
Float along the Cherwell past the Botanic Gardens, around Magdalen College School playing fields and Angel & Greyhound meadows, past St Hilda's, and up the recently cleared byways past Christ Church meadow to the Isis.
Punting Dos and Don'ts according to the Guide to Punting in Oxford
DO:
Punt from the Oxford end (the shallow decked bit, rather than the obvious smooth raised platform). It's much less slippery that way and (more importantly) it's the Done Thing around here. We punt from the sloping end, while Cambridge falls off the flat bit.
Make sure you get a pole that floats. Wood is traditional but can be splintery, hollow aluminium is much better. Oxford tends to use aluminium, Cambridge wood.
Wear clothes that won't suffer if they get a bit damp and skanky, and footwear with grip.
Take account of the current when calculating your journey time to and from the boathouse.
Take suncream and/or umbrellas, and, vitally, a rubbish bag for the remains of your picnic.
Watch out for low bridges and branches. They can come upon you very suddenly and with horrible inexorability.
Make yourself comfortable by bringing extra cushions and, if you're going out towards the end of the day, some insect repellent and a blanket or jumper (blankets are better than jumpers because they provide a legitimate reason for snuggling up to attractive seatmates).
Feed the ducks if you believe that ducks are messengers from another civilisation and that you will understand their speech if you listen just a little longer.
Keep your centre of gravity low when you're moving around the punt.
If you are about to have a head-on collision, steer to the RIGHT.
DON'T:
Take delicate glass glasses. Plastic or paper cups or sturdy mugs are good. Imagine holding a small, energetic party in a bathtub for a few hours and you'll get an idea of the dangers.
Drink the river water. There's a certain amount of pollution and agricultural runoff in the Thames and Cherwell, as well as water rats who may or may not have Weils disease. The chances of your actually catching it, unless you get very intimate with an infected rat, are vanishingly small, but it is worth avoiding.
Dive in off the side of the punt. This can upset people and punts. There are also a lot of places along established punting routes in Oxford where the current is unexpectedly strong, and there have been fatalities of recent years, especially at high water.
Go down rollers between rivers with people in the punt. Results are likely to be expensive if not tragic.
Feed the ducks. Unless you want to be followed by ducks. And other waterfowl rising to swans. This is only delightful for the first hour.
Bring your mobile phone. Or if you must, stash it in a plastic bag somewhere out of the way.
Assume that anyone in any other vessel knows what on earth they're doing.
As you can see from this tonue in cheek guide, the rivalry between the University cities is fierce.
Rivalry between the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge is a phenomenon going back many centuries. During most of that time, the two were the only universities in England and Wales, making the rivalry more intense than it is now.
The University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, sometimes collectively known as Oxbridge, are the two oldest universities in the United Kingdom. Both were founded more than 800 years ago, and between them they have produced a large number of Britain's most prominent scientists, writers and politicians, as well as noted figures in many other fields. Competition between Oxford and Cambridge also has a long history, dating back to around 1209 when Cambridge was founded by scholars taking refuge from hostile townsmen in Oxford.
The Boat Race is an annual contest between two rowing crews from Oxford and Cambridge universities.
The Race takes place close to Easter each year on the River Thames in West London between Putney and Mortlake.
The first race took place in 1829 in Henley on Thames following a challenge between old school friends. Since the second race in 1836 the contest has taken place in London.
Uploaded
February 7th, 2013
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