a camper van drivers holiday .
Its getting late in France for a canal boat trip but we are booked and ready to go .Having done these trips before we are prepared .But what a learnig curve it was even with years of camper van and motorhome experience . Actually the same or some of these tips could apply to camper van travel in Europe for first timers .Oh so differant .
[ make sure that your travel insurance policy covers river and canal boat travel ]
Rule one always plan your trip to go up stream /river on the first day , canals in France sometimes are more like rivers for example check out the river on google maps which goes through Lyon the second largest city in France . Swift large and intimidating for the first time canal/river boat traveller .The French are great at giving first time hirers tuition which is equizalent to five minutes in the middle of some quick flowing river then stating you are good in French of course . So pick an up stream journey first pushing the boat against the current is much easier .With the rivers flowing behind the boat and the canal boat heading down stream the French just stand on the river bank and laugh at the out of control boat .Down stream is fine after a few days practise .
Rule two many of the canal hire boat wharves are located in small very samll country towns ,when booking the host always says there is plenty of accomodation available near by don't worry . So on my first trip I went unbooked the only place availabel was Chateau Belle Crowe and it was very expensive ,I would have slept under a tree if I was by myself .
to be continued after tonites meeting in Kingsland