There's something wonderfully impractical about punting. You collect a long pole, a flat-bottomed boat, and whatever's left of your dignity, then push off from Magdalen Bridge into the green quiet of the Cherwell. Within minutes the city falls away, and you're gliding beneath willows with nothing to do but steer (loosely) and talk (lazily).
The hire station at Magdalen Bridge is the one you want. It sits right at the edge of the Botanic Garden, and from there the river curves south through Christ Church Meadow and the University Parks, all of it impossibly pretty and almost comically English. You don't need to book ahead for a self-hire punt; just turn up, pay for an hour, and let the current do most of the thinking. If you'd rather someone else handle the pole (no shame in that), chauffered punts are available too, and the guides tend to be students with a good line in college gossip.
A few practical notes. Bring a blanket to sit on, something cold to drink, and a willingness to get slightly wet. The pole sticks in the riverbed more often than anyone admits, and the trick is to let go rather than be pulled in after it. Late afternoon is the best time: the light on the stone bridges is beautiful, the crowds thin out, and you can drift until the boatyard calls you back. Afterwards, walk up to the Covered Market for ice cream or cross into Jericho for supper. The whole thing takes about half an hour from the cottage by car, and it's the sort of afternoon that stays with you long after the holiday ends.
“We take everyone who visits for a punt. Half the fun is watching someone lose the pole for the first time. Pack a bottle of something nice and give yourselves the whole afternoon.”
All of this on the doorstep, and your own thatched cottage to come home to. Sleeps seven, less than a mile from Soho Farmhouse.