It's an Oxford Thing!

It was all go last Friday as we inadvertently double booked ourselves - Cuttleslowe School Summer Fair and punting with friends. Luckily the fair was straight after school which therefore to minimise the amount of time spent there, we compromised with the girls. They each had a a turn at Ella's class stall 'Pick a Stick' and a face paint. From there we raced back home before jumping in a taxi to take us to Magdalen College (pronounced mordlin) where we were meeting Andy, his colleague Ed and Ed's wife Imogen.

Magdalen College, like many of the colleges in Oxford has restricted access. It welcomes visitors as long as they are willing to pay, however as Ed and Imogen are members of the college, we waltzed through the gates avoiding the £14 fee. More importantly though another perk of being a member was access to the college's collection of punts.

One of the more famous Oxford Colleges, Magdalen is located on the banks of the River Cherwell and adjacent to the Magdalen Bridge. Strolling through the grounds we admired the beautiful buildings and the bell tower which loomed above. Our destination was the college boat shed where we were to collect the pole, waterproof cushions, spare oar and our punt, number 14. A punt is a flat bottomed boat with a square cut bow that is propelled by one standing on the back using a long metal pole.

It was chaos to begin with as Ed successfully negotiated the many first time punter tourists beneath Magdalen Bridge. A few near collisions before we escaped eventually finding our own peaceful space on the river. We enjoyed snacks and drinking Pimms while drifting along past Christ Church meadow, St Hilda's College, an old little mill and were joined by the odd duck or two!

It was here Andy got itchy feet and took the opportunity to have a go at being the punter. He soon realised that there was more to it than meets the eye as we began to zig zag down the river occasionally connected with the bank or an overhanging tree! Andy refined his technique quickly and soon we were travelling along at a nice pace. The girls took turns to hinder help row the punt with the spare oar. At least this kept them busy for awhile but they too need to master their techniques as poor Imogen ended up slightly wet!

Despite their initial protests, I think the girls will have fond memories of their punting experience as I know I will.