Punting on the Isis

I thought I would start by hiring a punt from Oxford's famous Folly Bridge. Parking in the area wasn't easy but, after a short walk I soon found myself standing on the pavement atop Folly Bridge.

I choose to hire my punt from the Folly Bridge Punting Company, rather than Salters Boatyard on the opposite side of the road, because this firm was running a special offer of £10 per hour for any vessel, be that a six-person punt, a rowing boat, a pedalo, or a Canadian-style kayak canoe.

The person who operates this one man nautical enterprise carefully fitted me out with a free lifejacket and explained a few safety issues before casting me off to start my adventure. The best advice I got all day was from that kind man, when he suggested that I should start off by punting upstream against the flow, that way when I got tired I could always drift back down the river without too much effort - wise words indeed.

After my adventure punting upstream from Folly Bridge and back, I decided to have a well earned rest and cruise downstream and back to Iffley lock by Public River Steamer' as operated by Salter Brothers, located on the opposite side of Folly Bridge (www.salterssteamers.co.uk)

Their sign on the pavement gave the daily sailing times and stated a very fair price of £6 for adults and £3 for children. It sounded like great fun and indeed it was. It gave me a rare chance to sit back and watch the beautiful countryside slide past at a leisurely four miles per hour, as I sipped gently on a pint of beer that I had bought from the bar on the lower deck.

For an hour or more, I just sat back, relaxed and listened to a first class commentary from the crew, as I watched the abundant, riverside wildlife with fascination and enjoyed clean, fresh, country air. Just Perfect! To give Salters Steamers a call on 01865 243421.

My next stop was Bossoms Boatyard at Port Meadow, where they have a long tradition of building custom boats to order. These days they are busy building very environmentally-friendly river cruisers that run on near silent electric motors.

Costing in the region of £80,000 or more, these stylish river craft are excellent for a party of up to 12 friends who fancy a day out on the river perhaps stopping off for a picnic lunch, or a leisurely drink at a Riverside Pub.

If you haven't got the odd £80,000 to spare today, don't despair as they are also available for hire via Oxford River Cruises (www.oxfordrivercruises.com) from various local departure points. For more information call 0845 226 9396.

While I was at Bossoms Boatyard, I tried out a very much less expensive craft also available for hire via Oxford River Cruises, namely an excruciatingly embarrassing bright yellow plastic pedalo, great fun for the young at heart but hardly discreet, or romantic! It also requires lots of hard work to operate.

Fly fishing

Day two saw me some seven, or eight miles to the west of the city. I was in the tranquil Oxfordshire countryside where I was to meet John Barnes, game fisherman extraordinaire, who was going to teach me the rudiments of fly fishing for both brown and rainbow trout. I enjoyed an excellent morning on and around the beautifully manicured, five-star Barnes Lake Fisheries at Standlake, Oxfordshire.

I rowed a bit, I learnt a lot, I laughed even more at John's funny stories and I took home a fresh trout for my supper. For information contact John Barnes on 01865 300343.

Powerboats and jet-ski

Having spent a relaxing morning fishing I drove just a mile up the road to Hardwick Park, Standlake, where I was able to put my old skills as a jet skier to the test.

At Hardwick Park (www.hardwickparks.co.uk) you can hire a jet-ski (seats two) for £35 per half hour. You can also learn to waterski and wakeboard, as well as, wind permitting, trying your hand at sail boarding, at their well equipped and fully staffed watersports centre which is open seven-days-a-week throughout the summer.

Call Jane, or Paul to make your enquiries on 01865 300841.

Sailing and windsurfing

So much to do and so little time to do it in - or so it seemed as I made my way to The Oxford Sailing Club at Farmoor Reservoir, Farmoor, Oxon. just about four miles west of Oxford City.

With easy parking at this venue too, I was soon walking excitedly up the inclined path towards the clubhouse. A vast expanse of water greeted me as I topped the rise; it was a truly stunning sight, almost an inland sea! "it is so big they say you can see it from space" I was later told.

I had come to enquire about being taught the basics of sailing as laid down in the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) syllabus as taught by Richard Beardsley (Principal) and his team. Also available are windsurfing and powerboating courses.

For more information call Richard Beardsley on 01865 863201 or see the Oxford Sailing Club web site (www.oxfordsailingclub.com)