Drifting Through France

Barging in FRANCE is an AFFORDABLE way for SOUTH AFRICANS to experience one of the most beautiful corners of EUROPE. Justin Fox joins three friends for a LE BOAT HOLIDAY on the CANAL DU MIDI

Wending its way through south-western France from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, the Canal du Midi is a 17th century water superhighway. Today, pleasure boats use it to explore this picturesque region bordering Spain. You putter along at a leisurely speed, under bridges, over aqueducts and through tunnels beside endless vineyards and orchards. It’s a delightful, slow-paced holiday in your very own caravan on water.

I flew from Cape Town to Paris to meet up with three friends – former ballerinas Allison Foat and Janet Lindup, and radio-talk show host John Maytham. We boarded a train and sped south to Trèbes, where we signed in at the town’s Le Boat harbour. Our boat had four cabins and a central saloon with a kitchen and living area. Bicycles were loaded onto our stern for daily excursions.

First up, we were given a crash course on cruising, docking and how to negotiate the many locks we’d be passing through. Bilges, bow thrusters, water tanks, fenders: got it? Um, yes, sort of. I was, alas, nominated skipper. In truth, motoring slowly down a placid canal is as easy as falling off a bicycle. No previous sailing experience is necessary. That evening, we sat at an al fresco restaurant on the quayside eating dorado, drinking fine local wine and plotting our course over a map of the canal.

We set sail early the next day, heading east towards the Mediterranean. The morning was a thing of mirrors, feathered pinks and tree spires casting crooked reflections. In no time, we slipped into the rhythm of laid-back cruising through a rural landscape. Around each bend there’d be another castle, chateaux or quaint, blue-shuttered village to divert us. Much of the time, we found ourselves sailing down endless avenues of plane trees. It’s estimated that, over the centuries, nearly 50 000 have been planted along the banks. Although many are now succumbing to disease, they make for a picturesque tableau.