0:00:02 > 0:00:05The waterways of Britain are a wonderful world of their own.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09From the earliest times, we've sailed, rowed,
0:00:09 > 0:00:11paddled and steamed along them.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15Whether travelling, trading,
0:00:15 > 0:00:17hunting, racing or just having a good time,
0:00:17 > 0:00:21we've made a boat that's perfect for the job.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25I'm Mary-Ann Ochota.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28I like nothing better than getting out on the water.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30Boats fascinate me.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32Their design, their engineering
0:00:32 > 0:00:35and what they tell us about the people of Britain.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42The punt is an ancient boat with an intriguing past.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47This is the story of how it was transformed
0:00:47 > 0:00:49from a working and hunting craft
0:00:49 > 0:00:51to a leisure craze that swept across Edwardian Britain
0:00:51 > 0:00:53and is still with us today.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00The history of Britain's boats is our history.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03This is Britain Afloat.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30The punt is part of the classic visitor experience to Cambridge,
0:01:30 > 0:01:33but these simple boats have been around a lot longer
0:01:33 > 0:01:35than those ancient colleges.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38And these vessels have enabled people to thrive
0:01:38 > 0:01:41in some of the most waterlogged landscapes in our country.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46We start our story on the River Waveney,
0:01:46 > 0:01:49a river that forms a natural boundary
0:01:49 > 0:01:51between Suffolk and Norfolk.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55I'm taking part in a harvest
0:01:55 > 0:01:59that only happens once every other year.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02It's been carried out in this part of the world for generations.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09And it's the punt, a boat with a flat bottom,
0:02:09 > 0:02:12usually pushed with a pole, that makes it possible.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Anna Toulson is leading our expedition.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22Anna, why is the punt so good in this terrain?
0:02:22 > 0:02:24It's brilliant for these types of rivers.
0:02:24 > 0:02:25It's long and slimline,
0:02:25 > 0:02:27which means it can get through quite narrow channels.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30Its shallow draught, the flat bottom,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33means it can get over quite shallow water
0:02:33 > 0:02:35and still remain buoyant.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38And also, because of how it spreads its weight, it's incredibly stable,
0:02:38 > 0:02:41so for people and for anything you want to load onto it.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43It keeps everything very steady.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48And I'm guessing boats like this have been used in places like this
0:02:48 > 0:02:50for hundreds, if not thousands of years?
0:02:50 > 0:02:53Yeah. It's a tradition that dates back centuries.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59And the crop being harvested by Anna and her team? The bulrush.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08- We use a short-handle sickle. Here's yours.- Thank you.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12And the aim is to cut the rush as close to the root as possible.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14So as close to the riverbed.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17So you generally take the rushes in your hand,
0:03:17 > 0:03:19get down to the riverbed
0:03:19 > 0:03:21and then do a quick, short-hand motion.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23- A kind of... - Are you pulling it towards you?
0:03:23 > 0:03:25Just pulling it towards you, yeah.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27- Can I have a go?- Definitely.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31How do you know which rush to go for? I mean, are these good ones?
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Yeah, they're good ones. If you just grab a handful and then go...
0:03:34 > 0:03:37- Take your sickle down to the riverbed...- Yeah.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39And bring a swift motion towards you.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42You made that look so easy.
0:03:42 > 0:03:43- There we go.- OK.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48We get a bit of weed, but that's all part of it.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52We post it down and as we bundle, we clear the weed off the rushes.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Use the current to post the rushes to our team.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12After being cut, the rushes are taken away on the punt.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18We've got to drag them more than a mile downstream to be unloaded.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23But the punt is perfectly designed to carry our precious cargo.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34The bulrushes are then left to dry,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37before a team of weavers, using age-old techniques,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40turn them into carpets and baskets.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43The workshop manager is Millie Baxter.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46How ancient a tradition is this?
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Well, we do know that Henry VIII
0:04:49 > 0:04:54was standing on rush carpeting in his houses.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59We had to do a piece for Hampton Court Palace.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03They had a false floor, opened it up and found some rush matting.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07So that meant, yes, it's gone back a lot of years.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15So rush harvesting and weaving
0:05:15 > 0:05:18have been around at least since Tudor times,
0:05:18 > 0:05:22but the punt has been around a lot longer than that.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28I'm just a couple of miles outside of Peterborough, in Cambridgeshire,
0:05:28 > 0:05:32and it was close to this spot that archaeologists
0:05:32 > 0:05:35discovered something extraordinary hidden in the fenland mud.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46In 1999, the remains of a Bronze Age settlement
0:05:46 > 0:05:49were found at a place called Must Farm.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54It gave archaeologists an amazing insight
0:05:54 > 0:05:57into how people lived on the marshy fenland thousands of years ago.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02Ben Robinson is an archaeologist
0:06:02 > 0:06:06with a particular interest in the history of the East Anglian fens.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10We know that people have lived in this landscape
0:06:10 > 0:06:12for thousands and thousands of years.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14And we've found their tools, we've found their weaponry,
0:06:14 > 0:06:16we've found their settlements
0:06:16 > 0:06:18and now we've found their transport, as well.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20- Boats?- Exactly, boats.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24If you're living in the fen and having to move around the fen,
0:06:24 > 0:06:26the punt would be used for everything.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28It was the classic utility vehicle.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31So if you're foraging, fishing,
0:06:31 > 0:06:34if you're trading with neighbouring groups, if you're bringing goods in.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37And the oldest of these boats that we've found recently
0:06:37 > 0:06:39is over 3,500 years old.
0:06:39 > 0:06:40That's extraordinary, Ben.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44It's an incredible insight into how these people moved around.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48It gives another dimension to what we know about the past.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53The boats are being kept in this specially-constructed building
0:06:53 > 0:06:56and they're being conserved in this chamber here.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58This is normally as close as you can get to see them,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01but Ben has arranged for us to take special precautions
0:07:01 > 0:07:04and go inside with them. Let's go, Ben.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09One size fits all.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12SHE CHUCKLES Yeah. Or no size fits all!
0:07:12 > 0:07:15The reason we're putting on all this special gear
0:07:15 > 0:07:17is because the boats are being preserved
0:07:17 > 0:07:21in a sort of chemical wax solution.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23- What does it do, Ben? - Ethylene glycol.
0:07:23 > 0:07:28Yeah. I mean, the wood content has largely gone from these boats,
0:07:28 > 0:07:32believe it or not, and it's been replaced by water when it's in the ground.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36As that water dries out, something has to replace the water,
0:07:36 > 0:07:38otherwise the boats just shrink away and crack up.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42It's the same technique that they used on the Mary Rose?
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Precisely. Yes. Yeah.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47How long does the whole process take?
0:07:47 > 0:07:48Months. Years.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50You've got to make sure that every little cell,
0:07:50 > 0:07:54every little bit of the structure has got this wax in it,
0:07:54 > 0:07:57or it just ends up shrinking, cracking and disappearing.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02The facemasks and suits will protect us from chemicals in the air.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08Look at this! Log boat heaven!
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Wow! This is amazing, Ben!
0:08:14 > 0:08:17Watch your footing. It's a little bit slippery in here.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25- Look at this.- How old is this?
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Oh, it's 3,000 years old.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31I mean...just astounding.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36And, look, every grain, every little tool mark.
0:08:36 > 0:08:37It's just extraordinary.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39And look at how well it's been made.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42There's the slot for the transom board at the end there.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44And these ribs, look.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48And that just gives it structure and strength
0:08:48 > 0:08:52across the base of this... very punt-like boat, isn't it?
0:08:52 > 0:08:57It's very punt-like. Flat bottomed, quite wide at the bottom.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00Just an incredible piece of workmanship.
0:09:00 > 0:09:05And when you think about it, this is made out of one solid lump of tree.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09You've got to select a tree that's capable of producing a boat.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14You've got to shape it, work away at it maybe for weeks, months
0:09:14 > 0:09:16to get it to this beautiful state,
0:09:16 > 0:09:19a great, functioning, beautiful boat.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27What an absolute privilege
0:09:27 > 0:09:30to get so close to such an archaeological treasure!
0:09:30 > 0:09:33Not only does it help us understand British pre-history,
0:09:33 > 0:09:37it also helps me understand the incredible legacy of the punt.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46The working fenland punt continued to be a common sight
0:09:46 > 0:09:48until relatively recently.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50This film from 70 years ago
0:09:50 > 0:09:53shows how the punt was still an essential workhorse
0:09:53 > 0:09:55for those living in such a waterlogged area.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01- TV BROADCAST:- Long, steady thrusts, a turn and twist of the wrist
0:10:01 > 0:10:03and the little boat moves exactly as required
0:10:03 > 0:10:05in the narrow and restricted water.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12The punt was an ideal tool for laying special traps to catch eels,
0:10:12 > 0:10:14for which the fens are famous.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19Over time, the working punt was adapted for many different uses.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26One of the most extraordinary was dreamed up around 200 years ago.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30Now, the exact origins are lost in the mists of time,
0:10:30 > 0:10:34but someone came up with the bright idea of combining an enormous gun
0:10:34 > 0:10:37with a punt, creating a vessel that looked more at home on a battlefield
0:10:37 > 0:10:39than it ever did on an English river.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46This 1947 film shows a fenman
0:10:46 > 0:10:50taking to the water in a strange-looking craft.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52This is a gun punt.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57The enormous gun was able to shoot many birds at a time.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00The punt's flat bottom meant it could get close to the birds,
0:11:00 > 0:11:02making them easier to hit.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06GUNSHOT
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Wildfowling was a professional occupation
0:11:12 > 0:11:14until around the 1950s.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17The birds would be sent to the meat markets in London.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26There are still a few enthusiasts around today who use gun punts.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29John Welham is one of them.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31He owns several of these unusual boats.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33- Hello, there.- Hello.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35Wow, look at this! It's extraordinary!
0:11:35 > 0:11:39I mean, the first details that strike me
0:11:39 > 0:11:41are, A - its strange colouring,
0:11:41 > 0:11:43- it looks like a navy warship... - Yeah.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45- ..and just the shape of it. - That's right.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48Well, most punts in this area are painted battleship-grey.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52We wouldn't shoot on a day like this, we would shoot on a dull day
0:11:52 > 0:11:55and this would take on the same colour as the water.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58Oh! So the birds that you're trying to shoot...
0:11:58 > 0:12:00They can't see. They won't see us, no.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03- And the reason that's pointed at both ends...- Yeah?
0:12:03 > 0:12:06..is that it makes it very easy to row.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08Most of the time, when you think about a punt,
0:12:08 > 0:12:13you think about a flat-bottomed boat that's totally open,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16but this is almost covered over. It's sort of like...
0:12:16 > 0:12:18- Yeah, this is a different... - ..a canoe or a dinghy.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22That's right. It's a totally different concept, say, to a Cambridge punt.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24What does this deck give you?
0:12:24 > 0:12:27What the deck does, that keeps the seawater out.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29I've seen old photos, but to see it,
0:12:29 > 0:12:33just the size of the gun compared to the size of the punt,
0:12:33 > 0:12:35it's extraordinary!
0:12:35 > 0:12:37- Yeah.- It's massive!- Yeah, it is.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41This particular gun fires 14oz of shot.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45A normal 12-bore would fire 1oz of shot, a proper game gun.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47So that fires 14 times as much.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00John goes out wildfowling with his friend, David Conway.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04They've invited me along to see their fearsome-looking gun in action.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11We're going to be firing blanks today,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13rather than shooting at any birds.
0:13:15 > 0:13:16LOW CHATTER
0:13:16 > 0:13:20But I've been warned it's still going to be very loud.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27You had one person on the gun and one person pushing or paddling.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29And you just push up onto your birds.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33When you get within 70 yards, you give them the full treatment.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36And you're not rowing because that's too noisy?
0:13:36 > 0:13:39No, you don't row, you push with the pusher.
0:13:39 > 0:13:40Show me.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45Ah, what's this? So, it's like a modified punting pole?
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Yeah. We've got all different sizes.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51- So if you're in shallow water, you use that one.- Yeah.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54If you're in deep water, you use a longer one.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Whoever's pushing in the punt lies flat down.
0:13:57 > 0:13:58I'm lying flat down.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02Whoever's on the gun, you push up to your birds.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04- Silent as you like? - Silent as you possibly can.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20- Say when.- Yeah. When.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23GUNSHOT
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Blooming heck!
0:14:26 > 0:14:28- Like that?- That was loud.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32Legend has it, the punt gun is capable of killing
0:14:32 > 0:14:35more than 100 birds with a single shot.
0:14:36 > 0:14:41There was a character called Lord Orford who travelled the Fens in 1774.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46He wrote in his journal of a gun being fired at a flock of snipe,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49with the shot killing 36-dozen birds.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55Is it true that gun can take 100 birds out of the sky in one shot?
0:14:55 > 0:14:57No. That's a real myth.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01The biggest we ever do is 15, 20, John?
0:15:01 > 0:15:04- 15, I'd say. - If I get 20, I've hit a good shot.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08- Wow! OK.- And that's after a lifetime of being on this water.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Yeah. Why do you do this?
0:15:10 > 0:15:13Well, just to keep tradition alive.
0:15:13 > 0:15:14There's no youngsters doing it any more.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16They couldn't afford to, to be honest.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20I don't know what a rig would cost now. Buy a new gun.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22A lot of money, I should imagine.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25We've just got to keep it going. We just like to go.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30You can't let it die. It's been going on for years, generations.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32Right, firing!
0:15:32 > 0:15:34GUNSHOT
0:15:34 > 0:15:36Whoa!
0:15:36 > 0:15:38The gun punt made hunting more efficient,
0:15:38 > 0:15:42but over in Norfolk, wildfowlers came up with another modification
0:15:42 > 0:15:45to give themselves the competitive edge.
0:15:45 > 0:15:46This time, rather quieter.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02This is Barton Broad in North Norfolk,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05and these are sailing punts.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11One of the boats' owners is David Adler.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13David, this looks vaguely like a gun punt.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17It's pointy at both ends, but it's infinitely more complex.
0:16:17 > 0:16:18How did this evolve?
0:16:18 > 0:16:21It evolved because it was noticed
0:16:21 > 0:16:24that if you put a sail onto the old gun punts,
0:16:24 > 0:16:29they were quieter because when you rowed it with rowlocks,
0:16:29 > 0:16:31you made quite a lot of noise.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34When it had a sail, it made no noise whatsoever,
0:16:34 > 0:16:36so you got closer to your duck,
0:16:36 > 0:16:38you shot and you got far more duck.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41Also, having collected your ducks,
0:16:41 > 0:16:43you could take them to market quickly
0:16:43 > 0:16:46because under sail, you go so much faster.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49And then, from that, people began saying,
0:16:49 > 0:16:51"These are rather fast sailing boats,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53"let's race one against another".
0:16:53 > 0:16:57The thing about a punt, though, it's got such shallow draught.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59In principle, it can be flat because it's wide,
0:16:59 > 0:17:03but as soon as you put a sail on it, how does it not tip over?
0:17:03 > 0:17:08It doesn't tip over because you rely on the human body to keep it flat.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12- Right.- In other words, you're sailing it and you get in it.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16- Yeah.- And you take this trapeze, like this,
0:17:16 > 0:17:18and you lean out like that
0:17:18 > 0:17:21and the wind is blowing that way
0:17:21 > 0:17:26and you are preventing it capsizing, hopefully.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28- Not always. - SHE LAUGHS
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Well, that all sounds fairly straightforward,
0:17:32 > 0:17:34so I thought I'd give it a go.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45There are 30 sailing punts in this club and races are held most weeks.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06I'm still dry-ish.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18This is absolutely amazing!
0:18:18 > 0:18:22You think punts are all genteel, bobbing about with a pole.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25This is like punt on steroids.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28This is punting for adrenaline junkies.
0:18:32 > 0:18:33But it was another kind of punt
0:18:33 > 0:18:36that the Edwardians were to transform into the leisure craze
0:18:36 > 0:18:38that's still with us today.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45BIRDSONG
0:18:46 > 0:18:50The punt would become THE way for visitors to enjoy a trip
0:18:50 > 0:18:52through some of our most beautiful cities.
0:18:54 > 0:18:55This is Cambridge.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12The beginning of the 20th century was a period of great social change.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16Leisure pursuits were no longer the sole domain of the upper classes.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23A growing middle class found itself with more time and money.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26New roads and railways made it easier to travel around,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29and historic places, like Cambridge and Oxford
0:19:29 > 0:19:31became a magnet for the new tourists.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41I'm joining punt historian Adrian Barlow for a trip along the river.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49How did punting take off as a leisure pursuit?
0:19:49 > 0:19:52Well, it derived from the old punts,
0:19:52 > 0:19:54which were working punt,
0:19:54 > 0:19:57and people used to use them for ferrying cattle even.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00A wide punt like this could be used to take animals,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03or indeed, to take people across rivers when there were no bridges.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06And how do we go from those working boats
0:20:06 > 0:20:09to the leisure pursuit of people lounging around, being punted
0:20:09 > 0:20:13or punting each other off for a picnic or a pub lunch?
0:20:13 > 0:20:17Well, I think it actually derived largely from the idea of fishing.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25You can see lots of images of people fishing in punts on the Thames,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28where they've simply taken chairs out of their kitchen
0:20:28 > 0:20:29and put them in the middle of the punt.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32And they sit there all afternoon, enjoying the river.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36From that derives the idea of taking people on the river
0:20:36 > 0:20:38for pleasure, for a picnic.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42And you then get the new arrangement of what's called the saloon,
0:20:42 > 0:20:44whereas here, you have cushions placed
0:20:44 > 0:20:46so that people face each other
0:20:46 > 0:20:49as they are being punted down the river.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00The new leisure craze quickly swept across the country.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05I've got some photos here from the turn of the century,
0:21:05 > 0:21:08I'm guessing, from the look of the ladies' hats. Look at that.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11Thousands of people punting. You can't move for punts.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13No, and that's at Henley Regatta.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16And if you'd taken a photograph of that same scene in 1890,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19there would have been plenty of rowing boats, skiffs and canoes,
0:21:19 > 0:21:21not a punt to be seen.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24It just shows you how rapidly the craze for punting took off.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35A Cambridge entrepreneur saw what was going on on the Thames
0:21:35 > 0:21:37and spotted a business opportunity.
0:21:37 > 0:21:42Jack Scudamore started hiring out the first punts on the River Cam
0:21:42 > 0:21:43more than 100 years go.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51And his company is still thriving.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55I'm getting a tour of the boatshed with general manager, Rod Ingersent.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58Jack Scudamore fought in the Boer War
0:21:58 > 0:22:01at around the turn of the 20th century.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05He was back in Cambridge by about 1903, looking for a job.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08He'd been an apprentice boat-builder when he was younger,
0:22:08 > 0:22:10so he decided to go into boat hire.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14And originally, he started off with canoes and also motor launches.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18And later on, he moved into punts as they started to become popular,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21we guess at around 1905-1907.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27Today, the company has the largest fleet on the river.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Each year, we have to bring them up to our workshop here
0:22:37 > 0:22:39and do maintenance works on them,
0:22:39 > 0:22:42which ranges from doing running repairs,
0:22:42 > 0:22:44splits in the side, patching.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48And then, what you see here, which is re-varnishing.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Stripping them back to bare wood, re-varnishing and re-painting them.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Keep them looking beautiful.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Because the boats take quite a lot of bashing during the year.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58There's lots of boats in the water and buildings,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01and people who haven't punted very much find it hard to go in a straight line,
0:23:01 > 0:23:04so they tend to zigzag around a bit.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06I can totally understand that. SHE LAUGHS
0:23:06 > 0:23:10- They feel like historic craft. - Absolutely.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13To most people, the design has changed,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16or the appearance has changed very little in over 100 years.
0:23:16 > 0:23:21So what you see today, Mr Scudamore would certainly recognise as being a punt.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28In the early years, there was a strict dress code on the river.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30Some of the university colleges had their own punts
0:23:30 > 0:23:34and required students to punt well and dress well.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Mostly, punting was a rather civilised affair,
0:23:47 > 0:23:50but on occasion, things did get a little out of hand.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58This is from a local newspaper written in 1908.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00And the excerpt says,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03"Considerable annoyance has been caused to the dons of Trinity
0:24:03 > 0:24:06"and St John's by gramophone concerts
0:24:06 > 0:24:09"given by undergraduate punting parties.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11"As the Cam is technically a highway,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14"the police were asked to put a stop to the nuisance
0:24:14 > 0:24:17"and a constable patrolled the river in a tub."
0:24:19 > 0:24:22More than 100 years later, and punting's still not always
0:24:22 > 0:24:25the most quiet and refined mode of transportation.
0:24:27 > 0:24:28SCREECHING
0:24:31 > 0:24:33SHE LAUGHS She just punted herself into a tree!
0:24:39 > 0:24:41LAUGHTER
0:24:41 > 0:24:45So I actually went to university at Cambridge,
0:24:45 > 0:24:47so I have punted a couple of times before,
0:24:47 > 0:24:50but to be honest, I was never very good, even then.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54Now, at Cambridge, you stand here, on this back platform,
0:24:54 > 0:24:57which is called the till, and you punt from here.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00In the Thames, you actually tend to stand in the middle
0:25:00 > 0:25:01because you get a lot more stability.
0:25:01 > 0:25:06And at Oxford...they punt from this end, going that way.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10But either way, the bottom line is, you're pushing a flat-bottomed boat
0:25:10 > 0:25:12along with a 16-foot pole.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16Well, I suppose it's time to have a punt myself.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19SHE LAUGHS Sorry. Terribly sorry.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25- Oh...- BLEEP! BLEEP!
0:25:25 > 0:25:26SHE LAUGHS Sorry!
0:25:28 > 0:25:30Nice!
0:25:30 > 0:25:35I reckon I'd be all right at, like, um...punting dodgems.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38I'm really sorry! That was entirely my fault!
0:25:40 > 0:25:42Oh, no dramas! SHE LAUGHS
0:25:46 > 0:25:48SHE LAUGHS So bad!
0:25:48 > 0:25:50Clearly, I'm a little rusty.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54There's a lot more to this punting lark than meets the eye.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04But after a while, I get the hang of things.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14With more than 200 punts keeping visitors happy,
0:26:14 > 0:26:17they're an important part of the economy of Cambridgeshire.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27I wonder how many people here today realise
0:26:27 > 0:26:31they're riding in boats which owe their origins to our Bronze Age
0:26:31 > 0:26:33ancestors' quest for survival?
0:26:49 > 0:26:51It's hard to imagine Cambridge without punts,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54and so it's fitting that these lovely boats
0:26:54 > 0:26:55play such an important part
0:26:55 > 0:26:59in one of the highlights of the social season,
0:26:59 > 0:27:03the glamorous May balls, that round off every university year.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09If you can't get a ticket to the ball,
0:27:09 > 0:27:11the next best thing is watching from a punt.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15The River Cam is still a public highway,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17so anyone can spectate from the water.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21It's the busiest day of the year for the punt companies.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36The event is so popular, the river gets completely blocked
0:27:36 > 0:27:38with punts from one side to the other.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44It's a spectacular setting for a remarkable little boat.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47FIREWORKS CRACKLE AND FIZZ
0:28:02 > 0:28:06There are few boats that can boast such a varied and long history.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09From fishing, shooting and sailing
0:28:09 > 0:28:12to giving us the perfect excuse to slow down
0:28:12 > 0:28:15and enjoy the simple pleasure of being on the river.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25CHEERING AND APPLAUSE