Join Nigel Foster for a double shot at adventure on the French canals and rivers. Taken in tandem, two kayaking adventures each in a two-seater kayak. The first, crosses France from north to south in the winter rains and snows of 1979: a crazy spur of the moment adventure. It sets the stage for the main story, crossing France from sea to sea once again, this time from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.
Foster draws from the humor of his earlier trip, weaving facets of that adventure into the narrative of his more recent journey. There was much that differed between the two adventures. For starters, the cold incessant rain and extensive flooding of the first trip contrast the balmy, September, sunshine of the second.
Even though the first route penetrates the heart of Champagne country, there is little tempting about sampling Champagne while camping on a flooded winter canal bank. But in late summer, in balmy weather, beside canals that traverse the biggest wine-producing areas of France, well, that offers a better incentive to forage for wine.
The dream.
Imagine drifting along a canal, shaded from the September sunshine by an avenue of plane trees that arch overhead. The breeze-tickled-leaves, and the pale dappled bark flicker in reflections from the water. Here is a waterside café for coffee and croissants. Nearby, an open market for fresh produce. Beside the canal all along are vineyards and wineries, and chateaux offering wine tasting. Cafes and restaurants serve local cassoulets and flans. There is time to stop for French cheeses and fresh-baked baguettes. Each night, there is a cosy camping spot somewhere beside the water as the sun sets between the trees. The warm creamy sandstone of the canal architecture glows in the evening light. Owls call from the trees as a fat moon rises.
There are cities on the way too: medieval fortified towns like Carcassonne, the rose city of Toulouse, and the pearl of Aquitaine, Bordeaux. The Canal du Midi, built in the 1660s, follows an ancient overland route, later paved by the Romans as the Via Domitia and the Via Aquitaine. The area is steeped in history, from Phoenician to Roman, the Mediaeval crusade against the Cathars, and the punitive chevauchées of the English Black Prince.
The reality.
On Foster's first trip, he and his friend Tim Franklin negotiated 220 locks with relative ease. With Kristin Nelson on the second trip, he soon discovered it would not be so easy on the Canal du Midi.
But canals channel everyone along the same route, and all at about the same pace. It is easy to forge friendships between fellow travelers, adding color and depth to the trip, and much appreciated help. Cyclists ply the towpaths, and hikers follow the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela.
Join Nigel Foster and Kristin Nelson as they make their way uphill from the Mediterranean to the parting of the waters, and back downhill again to the Atlantic in an adventure you could make for yourself, by canoe or kayak, boat or bicycle.