It's a glorious Cambridge Summer evening. The sun is slowly setting over the idyllic Granchester meadows as lovers drift in punts to tea and buns at The Orchard tea house. Oh hello! What's that splashing? There goes mother duck and her eight little ducklings. Hey you at the back don't lag behind, you're missing all the fun! It's the stuff of all your romantic dreams. Lee Lonjwoosh takes his latest flame for an evening of punting larks, a bottle of Bucks Fizz in one hand and a packet of Jaffa Cakes
in the other and says, PUNT-LIFE!
....KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
It's very big, the pole thing. Stepping on board a punt first time ever, sticking it in, and then drifting with decided determination toward the nearest prickily bush, well it only seems a matter of time before you'll be taking the plunge, in time honoured Cambridge tradition, into the murky waters of the River Cam. And you may not be wrong. Sitting, pint in hand, earlier on in the evening on the Anchor patio, 2 'fallers' were witnessed. Put it like this, don't expect to stay dry. However, if like me, after your initial moments of concern you prove to be possibly one of the most elegant, controlled and stylish first-time punters ever to have graced the Cam, then punting holds all different guises of pleasure for all the family!
FUN FOR ALL THE FAMILY
Normally when you read the words fun for all the family in your local paper, well you can be pretty much sure this means that
a) you're in for a pretty flipping dull time.
b) there won't be a beer tent.
But, and this is an however, not so is the case with punting. Everybody loves it. Wot a laugh!, It's so romantic, I fell in and nice! are just a few of the quotes I've just completely made up. But seriously, take a look on the meadow outside the Tap and Spile of a Sunday afternoon and check out the different ages, shapes, nationalities and types taking in a day's punting. But be careful when taking Granny. Those first few tentative steps on board may well have her wetting her knickers.
THE VERDICT:
Need I say anymore. Punting is a Cambridge institution. Why?
Because it is EXCELLENT!
DON'T DRINK THE WATER!! One word of warning however. If you do fall in don't drink any river water. Okay so you're not likely to, but sore throats and dicky tummies may follow. On the other hand, if you are a foreign student and you happen to have the misfortune of finding yourself overboard a good idea I've just had would probably be to duck your head under and take several deep breaths. Know what I mean? "
Quelle
