Blog

We share stories and give advice

Punting in Cambridge

Punting in Cambridge is the most popular and exciting tourist activity.

Synonymous with the city, punting is a must for first-time visitors or long-term locals alike.  Cambridge and punting go hand in hand. As one of our touts says, it’s like going to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower- that is if you come to Cambridge and don’t go punting!

You can go punting in Cambridge without having to compromise on comfort. You get to sit in a comfortable flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow. This boat is designed to show you all the beautiful sights while punting through shallow water and small rivers. Your chauffeur will propel the punt boat by pushing against the riverbed with a long pole known as a quant.

Summer is the best time to go punting in Cambridge, and here are the top reasons why you should book a punting tour to make your trip more magical.

Learn About Cambridge

Your chauffeur will be a Cambridge native or long-term resident, and they will have plenty of historical tales to share with you during the ride.

There will be lots of anecdotes and banter shared, especially if you know Cambridge well!

Some of them are students from Cambridge University. For a laugh, you can ask them to tell you funny secrets about this famous university that was once attended by Stephen Hawking, Alan Turing, Emma Thompson, and Charles Darwin.

See Beautiful Scenery

Even though Cambridge is home to some of the most beautiful historically crooked streets where you can admire the architecture. Seeing it from the rivers on a punt is an entirely unique experience.

Enjoy the majestic River Cam on a chauffeured punt and breathe in the fresh air from all the surrounding greenery and Cambridge landscape.

You will get plenty of picturesque views of the college gardens along the way.

Have Fun in Groups

Punting in Cambridge is very popular among hen parties and corporate groups.

Our punt boats usually allow up to 12 people on board. This could mean bringing a rather large family, or you can make new friends with other tourists.

You can also hire a private tour for your group to celebrate a special occasion. This is a terrific chance to spend time with fun people and share a laugh. You can also bring some drinks on the punt.

Romantic Rides

If you want to spoil your partner with a romantic trip, book a private punting tour in Cambridge just for the two of you.

It will be like a romantic gondola ride in Venice. You can bring a bottle of champagne and have a toast to celebrate love while the chauffeur punts you down the beautiful college backs.

Get a couple’s photo taken on the River Cam with the breathtaking views and surrounding architecture.

Relaxing Atmosphere

After an exhaustingly long day of walking around the city, punting in Cambridge is a great way to kick back and relax without ending your tour.

There is enough space on the boat for you to sit comfortably and be transported along the River Cam.

The punts move at slow speed so you can take plenty of photos along the way.

You will get uninterrupted views of Cambridge from a punt which makes it the perfect way to end a trip and get the most magical photos to share online when you get back to the hotel.

Punting Safety

Punting safety is very important to us. As a whole punting is a very safe activity. It is surprisingly very hard to capsize a punt, however, it is not always that hard to fall in! Especially if you are inexperienced or are unfamiliar with punting safety.

Even though a punt moves through the shallowest of waters if a passenger is not a strong swimmer, it can be a bad experience for them.

Most operators are highly skilled at manoeuvring a punt safely, but there is always a risk of capsizing, especially if the chauffeur is new or if another tourist onboard starts rocking the boat.

Many things can go wrong, and it’s always better to take the necessary precautions before going on your Cambridge punting tour.

Reputable operators organize most punting tours, but some chauffeurs offer self-drive or are inexperienced. This is dangerous because punt boats are significantly heavy and need a lot of practice to navigate and manoeuvre safely, especially around the Cambridge University area where the waterways are extremely narrow.

Many self-punts also crowd the area because they want to make money from tourists. This causes a lot of traffic on the waterways and boats can often hit each other while passing.

 

Punting safety during your tour

It is vital that customers should keep their hands inside the boats because their fingers risk getting crushed anytime another punt boat passes by closely.

Skilled chauffeurs are in no rush to complete tours and pay more attention to safety. If they see a punt boat coming from the other side, they will stop and give it plenty of space to pass and avoid any accidents. Make sure you use an operator who demonstrates patience and has undergone safety training.

If your tour group has any small children or elderly people, they should be seated in the middle of the boat. This way, if any collisions occur, they will not be in danger of tipping overboard and falling in the water. Never sit too close to the edge of your punt because if another boat does hit, you could get hurt.

 

Self-hire punting safety

Keep a watchful eye for weirs and sluice gates. There are two of each on River Cam, and the water is usually low enough for them to be safe. However, try and stay away from them as much as possible because if safety buoys aren’t present, you could get sucked down the water, especially if it rained heavily before your trip.

When there is an increased flow, small waves can form, and they can trap those who are not careful. To avoid a drowning accident, choose the best tour operator who has a lot of experience.

They should be able to identify which routes are the safest and never take risks with people’s lives just to rush through tours or take shortcuts. They should also give you a little safety briefing before the trip and remind everyone to keep their limbs inside and never sit too close to the edge.

If you suspect someone is too intoxicated to be taking a ride, inform your chauffeur because you don’t want to risk having someone who might suddenly move around and tip the boat.

 

Why choose us?

At Tyrrells Punting Company we have been operating for over 15 years, our staff are all highly trained professionals. We specialise in chauffeured guided tours of the ‘college backs’ and we work tirelessely to ensure that our customers have an unforgettable and safe experience with us.

Our tours purposely avoid both weirs on either end of the river so you will be safe with us.

An ‘uber’ exciting collaboration

You might have heard that Tyrrell’s Punting Co has teamed up with Uber to offer large chauffeured punts for 3 days this week. This allows you to go punting in Cambridge for just £10, and that’s not per person, it’s for a group of up to 8 people. You must be within one mile of our departure point and then you can book directly through their app.

We are delighted that we were the company of choice for this collaboration.

We hope this promotional price will allow customers, who might not have been tempted to go punting, to book and come punting in Cambridge!

Uber Promotion

We are open 7 days a week but our promotion will run 22/23/24 August 11am-6pm.

Book on the app and we look forward to taking you out on the River Cam………..oh and the weather looks awesome so no need to bring an umbrella!

WhatsApp chat