Punting alive and well at Wigtown
THINK of punts and thoughts turn to images of the River Cam at Cambridge, but in many reedstrewn areas of Britain, punts or, more specifically, duck punts are a familiar sight.
The River Bladnoch at Wigtown harbour in Dumfries and Galloway is a traditional home to punts, one being displayed, complete with fowling piece, in the town’s museum. But these small, sleek skiffs are far from museum pieces and are to be seen in plenty during the wildfowl season, when permits have to be obtained for shooting within strict limits.
Outside of the season, punts are used to inspect the nature reserve, and it’s not uncommon to see a warden using an environmentally friendly, electric-powered punt to inspect nesting birds and to ensure that all is well.
One of the traditional areas where punts are used in Scotland, punting shows no signs of diminishing in this conservation area of outstanding beauty, despite commercial shipping traffic, which was once heavy, having faded away completely.