Taking a Punt

It's no secret that we love London, but it's important to get out of the city every now and again and see the rest of beautiful England. So many Aussies-in-London use the city as a base for European excursions and don't actually see any of England's charms - not us though!

After all, what could be nicer than a lazy sunny Sunday in Cambridge with some friends? With Bron and Andy we headed into the countryside to explore this famous university town. After a scenic train ride, and a quiet pint with a roast for lunch (in the pub where the discoverers of DNA enjoyed the same), we wandered around town, enjoying the great weather and the relaxed-yet-academic air of the place. But we all had a not-particularly-secret agenda: To Punt On The Cam. And so we were drawn, as if by magnets, to the Silver Street bridge, a mecca for would-be punters and puntees alike.

The young lass spruiking for student-powered and -guided punt-tours implied that if we were to self-propel, it would be very difficult for us to get any further down the river than "a couple of bridges". That was a direct challenge to our (hitherto unknown) punting skills, and a challenge that could not be ignored.

Johnny took on driving duties first, which proved very challenging - getting the boat under control and under a narrow bridge while an endless stream of boats came back the other way! Annoyingly for a town with a stellar reputation in science and technology, the punt refused to obey the laws of physics - pushing on the starboard side of the boat would cause the boat's nose to swing starboard, not port as you would expect. This took a lot of getting used to, but together with strategic use of pole as rudder, we all got the hang of it in the end.


... as Bec demonstrates here!


Cruising along through beautiful scenery, past impressive buildings and under many bridges, we each took turns "working the pole" while the others relaxed. A true English experience we can definitely recommend.