Punting on the Cherwell

Punting is the practice of propelling a flat-bottomed boat (a punt) along a shallow river using a long wooden pole, and it is the most distinctively Oxford warm-weather activity from May to September. The River Cherwell runs alongside Magdalen College and through the University Parks before joining the Thames south of the city. The primary punting centre for visitors is Magdalen Bridge Boathouse at the eastern end of the High Street, where punts can be hired self-drive or with a chauffeur punter. Self-drive punt hire: approximately GBP 24-30 per hour for a boat that holds 4-6 people. The technique requires standing at the stern (back end), lowering the pole to the riverbed, pushing against it, and dragging it out before it gets stuck in the mud. You will get the technique wrong at first. You will almost certainly get wet at least once. The river between Magdalen Bridge and the University Parks is the standard route: willow trees hanging into the water, the Magdalen College deer park on one side, students and ducks. Cherwell Boathouse north of the city centre (Bardwell Road, accessible by bus or a 20-minute walk from the centre) is slightly less crowded and has punts for the upper Cherwell. The season runs May to September, conditions permitting.