Punting | Cherwell Boathouse Oxford

Oxford’s Finest Punt Station

Punting is a truly timeless, slightly eccentric, quintessentially Oxford, idyllic pleasure.

Take a leisurely punt upstream, about half an hour from us is The Victoria Arms. Past the pub you can punt through beautiful rural country side, ideal for a full day out. Downstream takes you through the lovely University Parks, a great spot for picnics and games with the kids. To travel further in to Oxford you need to tackle the rollers to portage your punt to the lower Cherwell and on to Magdalen college.

Suitable for novices and experts alike, students, corporate parties, families and groups of friends can all experience this quintessential Oxford experience of punting on the river Cherwell. With around 80 boats availability is always good midweek. With weekends being a lot busier, it’s best to arrive early.

The way the hire is structured you don’t need to commit to an amount of time. Upon arrival you leave a deposit (or card), we make a note of the time and you go for as long as you like. On your return we’ll stop the clock, calculate how long you’ve been and charge accordingly. We charge a minimum of 1 hour then break it down into quarter hours and call it a day rate of 5 hours if you’re longer.

Availability & Prices

How To Hire A Boat

On arrival, by tapping your contactless card you authorize access to the £110 (weekday) £120 (weekend) deposit. When you return, we charge the hire fee from the authorized amount. If you prefer to pay in advance, you can online at www.cherwellpunting.co.uk

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Even if you have paid in advance you may be required to join the ‘queueing’ system.

Weekday Availability;

Weekdays, boats are always available.

Weekend Availability;

Weekends are typically a lot busier.

This is how a hot summer weekend tends to flow…

We open at 10am
We never run out of boats before 11am
It’s unusual to run out before 12pm (noon)
The current trend is for punts to be available throughout the afternoon with a small chance of a short wait.
Once we run out we operate a queue much like a supermarket deli counter whereby we give out numbers and call out numbers as and when boats become available.
We have a nice lawn or benches where you can make yourself comfortable and a Tea Hut for refreshments & snacks.
Rarely do people have to wait over an hour and that time passes quickly as you watch others master the art of punting.
One person can queue on behalf of a party as long as they are equipped to hire the punt/s when their number is called.
In short, to avoid queuing arrive in the morning. Failing that expect a short wait while you sit by the river in the sun with a jug of Pimm’s (life could be worse).

Punt Season:

Mid-March to mid-October

Opening Times:

We stop letting punts out 1 hour before closing time.

All punts must return before closing times:

Up to the 20th April – 8pm
21st April to 30th May – 9pm
31st May to 30th July – 10pm
31st July to 30th August – 9pm
31st August to 25th September – 8pm
26th September to end of season – 7pm

Punt Hire Costs:

Weekdays: £23 per hour (min hire time) / £115 full day

Weekends: £25 per hour (min hire time) / £125 full day

Punts fit up to 6 people (5 seated + 1 punter)

Punts are hired out on a time basis or by the day onsite or via our booking platform:

https://cherwellpunting.co.uk

Punts can be collected from the punt office at the front of the Boathouse overlooking the river.

Deposit:

A £115/£125 deposit per boat is held from your account when making a booking. Once the boat is returned safely, without damage or excessive water logging, the balance minus punt hire time is released back to your account. Sometimes it can take up to 5 working days for the funds to be released.

Our Boats:

We have around 70 traditional hand crafted punts all made on site as well as rowing boats & Canadian canoes available.

Chauffeured Punting

It is possible to have a chauffeur depending on availability, although it is Oxford punting is unlike Cambridge, where the river runs through the “backs” (the backs of the collages) and the chauffeur acts as a tour guide, as the geography is different in Oxford chauffeur punting isn’t as popular.

It’s a common misconception that it’s difficult to punt, in fact with a little instruction anyone can do it and we’ll gladly (free of charge) provide a tutorial.

Have a look at this short tutorial video:

How to Punt

We feel that a chauffeur takes the fun out of punting and often liken having a chauffeur to going 10 pin bowling and paying someone to throw the ball for you.

We host countless events from hen parties and corporate hospitality to family get together’s and birthday parties. Self-punting adds a unique element to the day and provides a special quality to the memories you’ll take with you. All this and it would save you money on a chauffeur.

If you decide to have a chauffeur, please send us an email where we can forward you a link to a local WhatsApp chauffeur group where you post your chauffeur requirements and negotiate the hire of a chauffeur (around £20-£30 per hour + punt hire on top).