Scudamore’s Punting

One of the best managed punting tours in Cambridge.
Our experience wasn’t as good, because it started to rain.
However, Scudamores were the only company that provided umbrella’s for protection and blankets for warmth.
I hope to be able to make this trip again when the weather isn’t so bleary.

I took the chauffeured punt tour and had a great time. Our chauffeur/​guide was informative, good natured and funny. The river passes through the university grounds and provides a nice view of chapels, libraries and student residences. This tour definitely exceeded my expectations, mostly because our guide did such a great job describing the history and landmarks along the river.

Punting in Cambridge is a must-​do. I came to town for the day and decided kind of last-​minute to go punting, got a ticket for four quid off the full price from the Tourist Information Centre (right next to the Market), and ended up here.
I did the tour with a professional punter, of course. It seems that renting a private vessel for punting was also somewhat popular, but I recommend against it unless you have very strong arms and are very confident in your punting ability. We kept getting run into by amateur punters, and one girl got desperate and asked our guide if she could go back to land after a few minutes of running into people. I’d much rather enjoy a relaxing ride and not worry about falling out of the boat!
As a solo traveller, I was able to get on a boat with a bunch of other people within a few minutes of getting my scheduled ticket. The guide wasn’t super interesting (and said a couple things that weren’t really true from what I knew of the university), but he wasn’t bad either, and it was such a nice, sunny spring day that I have to give the tour four stars because I was a fan of the experience. Definitely recommended on a day with good weather as a relaxing way to see a bit of Cambridge!

Everybody said, «you have to go punting whilst you’re in Cambridge!» I thought it might be corny but it was really beautiful and definitely worth the time and money.
There are lots of people trying to get your business — we ended up going with Scudamore’s. The standard rate is ~16£ per person but the internet rate (which the guy gave us) is 12.50£ so definitely ask for the internet rate. The boat holds 12 people so you’ll be seated with others but the quarters aren’t too cramped.
Definitely go with a punting expert — after watching the amateur punters going down the river, I was glad for my relaxing ride. The guy who led our trip was very knowledgeable and gave a great tour of Cambridge.
The tour is about 45 minutes long.

Punting is definitely not as easy as it appears. This is why I give Scudamore a poor rating. We literally got zero/​nada/​zip instructions before being pushed off. Once we were adrift, I had no idea even how to steer and resorted to asking other nearby punters for instructions.
So after finally figuring out just enough to move down the canal, we came across some low hanging branches. While going under the branches, the pole became caught. Rather than letting it go (as I should have had I received proper instructions), I lost my balance trying to save the pole and took a plunge, with my iPhone in my pocket.
It was pretty embarrassing as it was graduation week and bunch of people looking on. Fortunately it was easy enough to climb back on without tipping my family into the canal in the process and I managed to salvage a little dignity by punting around for another 20 minutes or so. But it certainly wouldn’t be something I’d ever do again.
So because of their utter lack of concern or care, I lost some dignity and the use of my iPhone for the rest of the trip, had to travel back to London completely soaking wet, have to fix or replace my phone. What else could I have asked for?

Through dubious circumstances, I ended up getting enlisted to do the punting myself. It’s a good thing I gave my brand new iPhone 4S to a friend before going on the water.
A friend went to hire a guide while I waited in line by the boats, and somehow when she came back there was no guide! Instead, I was supposed to punt myself after a 30-​second training session. Needless to say, right in front of the King’s College Green I ran into my first pile of muck after several blocks of hitting stone and underwater walls. The punt didn’t dislodge from the muck as easily as I anticipated, and I lost my balance! A nearby Japanese tourist laughed really loudly, and I continued on my way. When we were heading back to return the boat, he asked me through his translator whether I was OK. Also, I didn’t realize it at the time but my map of Cambridge was hanging half out of my rear jeans pocket, torn and wet, for the rest of my time on the boat. My friends were too busy laughing at me to take any pics, so sorry.

A few years ago in my old job I had to organise a tour for some overseas teachers and was recommended to use Scudamore’s and they couldn’t have been more helpful. They were brilliant and I know on the day our visitors had a great time.
A couple of years ago, my friend and I went on a day trip to Cambridge and were fortunate enough to have lovely warm weather too so decided to use the company again to go for a punt, we weren’t brave enough to punt it alone. Wise choice as we were punted along the backs and admired the beautiful scenery (and not just of our handsome punter) and architecture of the many Colleges, we saw so many people either in the river or very nearly so knew even more that we’d made the right choice!
Definitely a must do.

Who doesn’t love punting? NOBODY, that’s who! What could be better than pushing yourself down the backs with 3 carrier bags of M&S food, plastic glasses and plenty of bubbly on a sunny day?
What’s that you say? Should I take the tour or hire my own? Erm, hire your own dummy! You do realise you don’t get to use the pole and almost fall in the water several times if you go on the tour, plus you probably can’t get pissed (not that I condone drinking whilst in control of a slowly moving floating object).
There’s just one rule if you’re coming with me… EVERYONE has to have a go.

I had my doubts initially about punting, but it actually turned out to be a wonderful experience! The punt was actually more stable than I thought, and the tour guide was pretty knowledgeable, full of interesting little stories. The views of the colleges and the river Cam were quite serene and beautiful.
After the punting tour, you can also grab a pint or a bite at The Anchor right next to the dock.
Self-​punters are a menace to themselves and other on the river Cam. During our ~40-​minute tour we’ve run into multiple collisions with the self-​punters who couldn’t control where they were going. Falling into the water at least earns others a good laugh, but imagine being hit from the back by one of the punts during the collision — not fun. Unless you are already a punting master, self-​punting is not recommended!

If you find yourself in Cambridge and you have never gone punting, then do it. Quite simply, it is the best way to see a bunch of beautiful colleges from a great perspective. If you love taking tons of photos like I do, then this is your chance.
I really can’t say too much about the business itself because we were with relatives and friends. They did the punting and tour guide information for us. I’m sure the tour guides would be fine too. It was easy to walk right up, pay and get on the river. Not sure how crowded the water can be during the normal school year, at this point it’s mostly grad students so the number of people in town is less than usual. We had no crowding on the water and we were free to go where we wanted to.
I thought maybe I would want to give it a go once we got on the water… not so much. The vessel is really shaky and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you may wind up in the water. If that’s OK and you’re not holding $ 1,200 worth of camera equipment, go for it. You definitely won’t be disappointed if you appreciate history and brilliant architecture.

A great way to experience a relaxing trip down the river, plus a history lesson! We went on a weekday afternoon and there was no line. The river had a lot of activity, even a group filming a documentary.
I echo others that discourage self punting. Our trip proved quite memorable… as we were coming back under the Mathematical bridge we heard a splash and noticed the punter in a boat in front of us fell in. Turns out he couldn’t swim so our punter got us close enough to fish him out of the water. We were told its about 4 ft deep; despite that he was pretty panicked.

DO NOT PUNT YOURSELF.
A good portion of the point here is the stories and being able to sit back and enjoy them. Tip well.
On a sunny day, there is something very cool about sitting on the cushions while someone punts you up and down the river, while regaling you with tales of history about the town, colleges, bridges, and more. Punting is not as easy as you might think… and it is amusing to watch the tourists try to give it a go.

probably the biggest of the punting companies in town but not the cheapest (look to trinity punts for cheaper rates). that said, i loved punting along the backs of the colleges, even when the river got a bit overcrowded with other punts (tourists and students just finishing exams). beautiful day, beautiful buildings, beautiful university town, great fun!

The best punting company in Cambridge!
[Start at the iron bridge — it’s easier!]

what an experience! though i was having serious jetlag, i still had tons of fun! oh yeah, our punter was a total hottie, but that’s not the point (ok, a bit…)… i see a lot of people chose to do the punting themselves — they were either not moving, almost falling, or crashing into each other… don’t waste your energy, trust the professional, plus, they’d tell you the stories behind each buildings, bridges, along the riverwalk… MUST DO if you are there… so relaxing!
yes, get a glass of beer before getting on the boat! even nicer!

If you’re in Cambridge, you MUST punt. Scudamore’s is the perfect way to do it. The experience of punting down the River Cam and seeing all the ancient bridges, buildings, and architecture is priceless. If you’re feeling extra touristy, punt over to Grantchester and stop there for some afternoon tea and freshly baked goodies. Or even if you’ve already seen all the sights, it’s always fun to go just because. Bring a bottle of wine or two and make an afternoon out of it. You can opt to have a guide punt for you, or you can punt for yourself, but can’t say it’s an easy task for anyone who is a newbie. Your arms may be quite sore the next day. That’s why I just make my expert friends who live in Cambridge do all the work. :) However, I can proudly say that I never fell in the murky water while trying! Yes, I know, the thought of me trying to navigate a boat with a gigantor stick… quite hilarious.