Punting in Winter

Punting in Winter

Punting in Cambridge is on everyone’s bucket list, no matter the time of year, and winter weather shouldn’t stop you from coming aboard! However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t cold! So here are some of our Do’s and Don’ts for punting in Winter.

 

DO:

Dress for the weather! Now this one might seem a bit obvious but you would be surprised by the number of people who forget to wrap up warm.

This January and February we have a range of temperatures, from not too cold and sunny to overcast and potentially raining, so it is best to be prepared for all weathers. Remember, it is better to be too hot and take a layer off than wish you had brought more!

DON’T:

Forget your gloves! This ties in with my last point but again, it happens all the time. Customers nearly always remember a coat, sometimes even a hat and scarf but they always seem to forget about the need for gloves!

Your hands are going to get cold on a winter’s day, when you are spending an hour sitting on the river so remember; you will need gloves!

Also, linking to the need for gloves, we do not recommend putting your hands in the river. It can seem like a good idea to trail your fingers through the water as you go along but the current temperature of the water is 1.6℃.

 

DO:

Bring hot drinks on board. You are more than welcome to bring any food or drinks you like on board your punting tour with us but we definitely recommend bringing a hot drink to help keep you warm!

You can get brilliant hot chocolate from either Cafe Foy or Fitzbillies, both of which are located on Quayside – only a 5 minute walk from our location.

Or you can grab a cup of mulled wine from the Cambridge Wine Merchants which is also located on Quayside.

Whatever your taste we definitely recommend grabbing a cup of something hot before joining us on the river.

DON’T:

Stand up on the punt. Please don’t try to stay standing up on the punt. Our punts are flat bottomed and are more stable than you think, but they are designed for sitting in. Of course you will be standing when you step on board but then please sit down at your earliest convenience, it is too cold for anyone to be going for an accidental swim.

Helping you get onboard will also be your chauffeur and one of our cashiers, so listen to their instructions as they are trained to get you on and off the punt safely!

DO:

Bring your dogs on board! We love to see dogs down by the river, and we love seeing them onboard the boats even more! Dogs make everyone’s days better and, as long as their owners don’t mind, they will get a lot of attention from our staff.

Our experience with dogs on board has been that some get a bit nervous getting on the boat but after that they relax and enjoy the tour, maybe even more than their owners! We do recommend keeping half an eye on them as sometimes they like to jump in the water, and it is a bit too cold for a swim at the moment!

So there we have it, our top 5 do’s and don’ts of punting in winter. Hopefully you find these useful in keeping warm whilst onboard with us this winter.