STJ 5.4
ADVENTURE
SPECIAL EDITION
SPRING 2019
BARGING THROUGH FRANCE
RICHARD HOLMES ROUNDS UP THE FAMILY AND SETS SAIL IN SEARCH OF A LITTLE JOIE DE VIVRE
From left: The perks of a self-drive boating holiday, a leisurely pace and lunch à la carte.
“
Using
easy-to-operate boats
and barges, these
DIY adventures have
boomed in popularity
over the past decade,
offering a unique,
affordable way to
travel Europe
“
“Believe me, my young friend, there is
nothing – absolutely nothing – half so
much worth doing as simply messing about
in boats.”
Rather than Mole and Rat pottering
about on an English stream, Kenneth
Grahame could just as well have been
dangling his toes in the Charente River
of central France when he wrote these
words in his famous book The Wind in the
Willows. I mused this smugly to myself
while doing much the same as the French
countryside passed us by.
We were on a self-drive boating holiday,
far from the crowded pavements of Paris
or the thronging beaches of the Cote
d’Azur. Using easy-to-operate boats and
barges, these DIY adventures have boomed
in popularity over the past decade, offering
ample opportunity for “messing about in
boats” and creating a unique, affordable
way to travel Europe.
Self-drive allows you to set the pace
– ticking off the sights, slowing down
to reconnect with family and friends or
simply taking it all in. Shop in local markets,
wander through charming towns and
discover idyllic country scenery from a
vantage point few travellers experience.
What’s not to love about that?
There are navigable rivers and canals
from Scotland to Italy to Germany, but it’s
France that will have you falling in love with
holidays afloat, as I found out.
While the historic Canal du Midi in the
south of the country draws most first-time
boaters, we’d chosen the lesser-known
Charente River for its off-the-track charms
and superb scenery.
It’s an easy three-hour train ride from
Paris to the headquarters of Le Boat, the
leading boat-hire company, in the quiet
town of Jarnac. Here, after registration,
an introduction to the river and a tutorial
on piloting our spacious 13-metre-long
Mystique-class boat, we – three
generations of family – were faced with
a simple choice: upstream through the
quiet upper reaches of the Charente to
the medieval hilltop town of Angoulême?
Or downstream, past grand chateaux and
scenic vineyards through the heartland of
the Cognac region? Downstream we went.
The Charente starts its life close to
Spain and flows for 380kms through
pastoral scenery of farmlands, vineyards
and tiny villages. It is also one of the
cleanest rivers in France, making it perfect
for mid-summer swimming.
Perhaps more importantly, these
rivers were once the arteries of French
commerce. For centuries, boats on the
Charente have taken fresh produce and
barrels of cognac to the Atlantic port at
Rochefort, returning with salt from the
coast; the river flows through the very
heart of the towns and villages en route.
So instead of searching for a distant car
park, we could tie up at a city centre
mooring – free of charge – and wander
off to explore for a few hours.
In Cognac, that meant a meander
along cobbled streets, discovering the
world-famous cognac houses that define
the city. My advice? Skip the big-name
brands and opt for an atmospheric tour of
the 10th-century Château de Cognac. With
a bottle secured for the evening, we set
off downstream again.
Stopping in the village of Chaniers –
don’t miss the Sunday morning oyster
market – we enjoyed a short walk
upstream to admire the seven arches of a
restored 17th-century mill house.
In Saintes, our overnight mooring was
MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE // 45