Messing about on the River

A boat trip on the Dordogne

The weather was uncertain – overcast but warm. The clouds were heavy, but then the sun shone, which matched the mood of the boat crews who didn’t seem to know if they were coming or going! With two on board who had never been in a canoe in their lives and weather which could have gone either way, a boat trip on the Dordogne was always going to be a gamble! Even the decision as to who would go in each boat was a challenge!

The Boat Race it was not. Two boats. One with two people in it – lighter but with less rowing power. The other holding three. So, heavier but one with an injured shoulder. Who would you bet on?

Going with the flow

Kayaking or canoeing on the Dordogne River is a fantastic experience. We started out at Le Boussin du Cadouin with a small company www.canoe-river.com

We had a hundred questions – how deep was the river? What do you do with your phone? Can we stop off on the way? Will we fall in!!! But we were in rural France, and the irony of the expression ‘go with the flow’ was not lost on us.

That was what we had to do, before the day and on the day! So, if this is something you are making up your mind on —whether to do or not —we think you really should try it out. Here are a few answers.

Your questions answered

1. It is very unlikely you will fall in. The boats are very stable and the river is very shallow. So shallow we all grounded at least once. It is almost impossible to fall in – and believe me, we unwittingly tried!
2. Take what you want with you. You are given a plastic tub with a lid that is waterproof. You can pop your phone in this, but to be honest, you will want it to take lots of pictures. The scenery is stunning and you are not going to fall in!
3. It is easy to moor up and get out of the boat, so take a picnic (if you choose a better day than we did) and moor up on the side for lunch.
4. You will be given a life jacket to wear, and you need to wear shoes with toes covered (ideally, that you don’t mind getting wet, but only because you are likely to splash yourself with water when you paddle!) That’s all there is by way of health and safety!
5. You’ll be given a meeting place that may not be easy to find. Make sure you have a telephone number to call to confirm where you expect to meet when you think you are where you should be, but are not! At le Bousin de Cadouin, we stopped just before the bridge crossing the river, and took the turn on the left, which looked like a no-entry sign. There’s a car park on the left. Look for a van with a trailer with canoes on the back. You will be taken in the van to your departure point further up the river.
6. Book by email about 3 days before you want to go. You don’t pay until you leave, so there is no cancellation fee if you change your mind. But you are expected to pay in cash.
7. You’ll be dropped off and left to head down the river in your canoe until you arrive back at your original meeting point. When you do arrive back, you simply leave your equipment and canoe by the hut and go. We sent a text to say we had got it because we thought that was polite!

Beautiful and special

Hopefully, we’ve answered all our questions, and now the rest is down to the amazing experience. It’s not hard, it’s not scary, it might be a bit wet as you get used to dipping the paddle in and out of the water, so if you get wet you’ve only yourself to blame! What it is is tranquil, peaceful, beautiful and very special.

Watching herons, kingfishers and egrets fishing on the banks of the river, enjoying the changing landscape, and depending on the route you take, taking in some of the beautiful villages and chateaux of the Dordogne.

The winners!

And of course, if your party take out more than one boat, there’s always going to be a bit of competition, and a lot of laughter. Try to pick a sunny day, but don’t be too put off by a couple of showers. We went in mid-September and the forecast was showery. It rained a little, but the upside was that there was no other boat on the river. Just us.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, the boat with only two in it was quicker! Much quicker!