Around Cambridge: the river Cam

Tourists, students and locals meet up on the River Cam, where punting is a popular tourist activity. Many of the professional tours are piloted (punted?) by experienced student punters, and at times the Cam is as crowded as the streets.






It appears there has been a war with Oxford over punting, as the Cambridge University website refers to ‘that other university’ who does not know the right way to punt. It would seem Oxford punters stand at the front of the boat, where Cambridge punters stand at the back (the correct position apparently, at least according to the University here).

The river Cam is also part of Britain’s extensive canal system, so there are many canal boats along its shores.

Many of the canal folk actually live on their boats, and they do many ingenuous things to make their lives more comfortable. We have seen 3 with mini wind turbines, which can generate enough electricity to power a Caravan fridge. One enterprising boat owner had solar panels along his boat rooftop. Many are equipped with small potted herb & vegetable gardens, clotheslines, canoes, bicycles and outdoor furniture. With housing so expensive, quite a number of people in Britain have chosen canal boats as a cheaper way to live.

As the canal boats move along the river, from time to time they need to move thruogh locks. Here is the one closest to us in Cambridge.

The last inhabitants of the Cam are the water birds. Swans and ducks are seen most days on the river, and the ducks especially have quite a fondness for tourists, as they are fed regularly by picnicking Britons.