Punting to Grantchester

You can punt from Cambridge to Grantchester, about an hour and a half each way upstream from Granta Moorings or Mill Lane through Sheep’s Green and the meadows, so plan on three hours or more with a stop at the Orchard tea garden. It is the quieter, greener alternative to the Backs, done on self-hire or on a chauffeured Grantchester trip.

Check self-hire times

The route

Upstream of the Mill Pond the Cam leaves the colleges behind and runs through Sheep’s Green and the Paradise Nature Reserve into open meadows, with willows, cows and swimmers in summer. Scudamore’s own timings put Sheep’s Green about 15 minutes of punting from its boatyard and Paradise about 35; Grantchester lies further on, at about an hour and a half by a walkers’ estimate. The river here is quieter and the riverbed muddier than on the Backs, which makes the punting slower but the steering easier.

What to hire

An hour is not enough. Granta Moorings’ self-hire is listed by the hour from US$51 for up to six, with extra time charged pro rata, and it goes towards Grantchester Meadows. Scudamore’s hires punts for Grantchester for 90 minutes, three hours or a whole day, and a three-hour hire is the safer choice for the round trip with a stop. Bring an ID for the deposit, and life jackets come with the hire.

The Orchard

At Grantchester the Orchard tea garden is open all year: deckchairs under apple trees, tea and cake. It is the traditional reason for the trip, and the menu leans to cakes and light bites rather than lunch. Then the current carries you back downstream a little faster than you came.

Easier ways to Grantchester

If no one in the group wants to punt for three hours, walk the meadows path from the Mill Pond, about 45 minutes to an hour on foot, and take a chauffeured tour of the Backs instead. Rutherford’s shared punt is from US$22 a person for 50 minutes. Self-hire or chauffeured? weighs up the two.

Check times and book