A Punting Good Time!

Q. How much fun can you have on a river in Oxford?
A. More than I could ever have imagined.

On my way up to Hungerford, to the back end of a country field, past the running rabbit and beyond the extra long grass fields, there is a pub called the Pheasant! And this is where my friend Hannah has gone to work for a very nice man, who happens to be Will Young's dad.

The weekend was planned, changed and planned again and then it was decided that the most important thing on Saturday was to put a bet on the Grand National and get some grub. Being in a picturesque country village with beautifully decorated canals sat in the river, sun shining and everyone outside we decided to forgo that and sit in a car park and have a drink. Don’t ask me why, we just did.
The weekend continued with increasing hilarity as we moved on from Hungerford and the town to Oxford city centre. It then started to play out like the episode when Friends went to London for Ross's wedding. We got lost, asked for directions and still got lost, ate some food, ate some more food, talked a lot of s*$t, hit the town and then there was four in a bed!

The weather was brilliant and as the true tourists that we are we googled, sat naved and made our way to Cherwell Boat House on the river to go punting. No need for life jackets, disclaimers or inquiring of whether everyone can at least swim, we hired our punt from the lovely people at Cherwell Boathouse Punt Hire and headed off upstream to the pub. After a quick beverage stop we then went forth and explored the river in the direction of Oxford Botanical Gardens.
With every one of us having a go and trying to master the fine-art of punting I don’t think I have laughed so hard in all my life. There were real tears. And I am convinced that laughing is one of the best ab workouts I have ever done.
Running aground was a small issue and we became very familiar with the rivers banks and trees on both side of the river as we zigzagged our way back and forth. There was a near overboard, some travelling backwards and stationary moments on our journey but all in all I think the four people from Dorset mastered the skill of punting and entertained half of Oxford in the process.

Thanks Hannah, Rob and Kara for an unreal weekend!