The River Cam
About The River Cam
Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Traditional Thames pleasure punts were not introduced to Cambridge until about 1902–1904, but they rapidly became the most popular craft on the river,[7] and today there are probably more punts on the Cam than on any other river in England. This is partly because the river is shallow and gravelly (at least along the The Backs) which makes it ideal for punting, but mainly because the Cam goes through the heart of Cambridge and passes close to many very attractive old college buildings. However, the popularity of punting beside the old colleges in Cambridge produces significant congestion on this relatively narrow stretch of the river during the peak tourist season, leading to frequent collisions between inexperienced punters. These collisions are mostly harmless, but visitors to the city may prefer the calmer experience offered on the river above the weir. Further upstream, the river enters some particularly beautiful and tranquil countryside as it approaches the village of Grantchester. A popular summer pastime for Cambridge students is to punt to Grantchester and back, stopping for lunch in a pleasant Grantchester pub.[8] During tourist season, students have been known to steal the poles of tourist punts as they pass below the College bridges.[9]
There are several companies on the Cam operating tours and hiring punts to visitors, as of 2006 these companies included: Scudamore's (who acquired their long-standing rival, Tyrell's, in 2006[10] ), Cambridge Chauffeur Punts, and Granta Punting Company. There are also some independent operators (although these are currently under threat[11] ) and, while most of the colleges along the river keep punts for the exclusive use of their students, at Trinity College the punts are also available for hire to the public.
The tradition in Cambridge is to punt from the till (locally known as the "deck") at the back of the punt. There are some advantages to this: you are less likely to drip on your passengers and it is easier to steer by swinging the pole behind you, but it is not how Thames punts were traditionally propelled. Nor was the till originally designed for standing on; Cambridge-built punts are made with extra strong decks, and sometimes with a deck at both ends.[12] Photographs of punting on the Backs in 1910 show that the practice was well established by then; according to an old Cambridge boat man, Don Strange interviewed in the 1970s, the practice was started by women from Girton anxious to show off their ankles.[13]
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First To Review:
Jun 7, 2009
I used to live along the River Cam, a bit farther away from the city center. And I discovered that there is no better pleasure as just sitting along the river with a good book and let the sun shine on you. Go have walks all along, and let the spirits of the great minds of Cambridge kidnap you.
Nov 12, 2008
If ever you find yourself in Cambridge, punting on the River Cam is an absolute must! It's not terribly expensive and it's very enjoyable, especially on a warm day. It really feels as though you've gone back to old England, surrounded by really old buildings that seem untouched by time.
Nov 17, 2010
Punting in the River Cam it's amazing!
You can see the University from differents angles, pass under the beautiful bridges and have a lot of fun with the pretty ducks!
You can see the University from differents angles, pass under the beautiful bridges and have a lot of fun with the pretty ducks!
Oct 1, 2009
Very nice river :))), there is an imitation of the bridge of the sights, which is in Venezia.
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