This young man can't wait to get aboard!
One of Lesley and myself's favourite pastimes at this time of year is to get a canoe out on the river. So while temperatures remain consistently high we decided to canoe a lovely stretch between the picturesque hameau of Creyssac and Lisle. Part of the fun of an afternoon on the river is to pack a picnic so fresh ham and mustard baguette rolls were made up along with half a bottle of chilled rosé and packed into the coldbox.
A twenty minute drive from Ribérac, on the Perigueux road, will take you in the direction of Lisle. On the outskirts of Lisle you will find 'Apach Canoe' run by a really nice young couple, Romain and Marine. We parked under the shade of a tree and unpacked our lunch onto a nearby conveniently placed picnic table. Whilst we chatted amongst the chatting cicadas, Romain and his family lunched just outside their acceuil. Mutual 'Bon Appetit's " were exchanged and then the serious business of lunching began.
Forty minutes or so later we were ready for the river whose level looked suprisingly promising. After a quick health and safety check run through we were handed paddles and life jackets. Romain and I loaded an appropriate canoe onto the trailer and we were ready to be vanned up to Creyssac. Here, Romain deposited us at the side of the river and after a few calls of 'Bon Courage', Romain launched us into the river.
Despite being the 'Fete National', the first thing that struck us, as the canoe cut through the water, was the utter silence of the river. There is nothing quite like it. If you don't like peace and quiet then this is not the place for you. We find it incredibly relaxing and it really is a great way to get in touch with nature. The water was absolutely crystal clear and in certain places quite deep. There were yellow lilies everywhere, nodding their heads in the current and we minded not at all the constant attention of the myriad of beautiful turquoise blue dragonflies that accompanied us throughout our journey.
It was Lesley's cry of "Look, snake on the left!" that started it. As we turned in unison and leant over to the left of the craft to get a better view of the swimming serpent, we realised quite quickly that we were in trouble. Over she went in the blink of an eye coming down on Lesley's and my heads. Whilst understanding we weren't exactly lost up the Orinoco it was slightly disturbing to think of the snake getting up close to us in the water, even as we madly splashed about laughing out loudly. The problem that followed taxed us somewhat more. We had to work out how best to empty our canoe of all its river water and the only solution was to drag the thing over to the river bank and roll the unwieldy object over on its back. Soon we were back on the river, the bit between our teeth so to speak, cutting our way past relaxed solitary fisherman working the river and the odd river swimmer.
We think this stretch between Creyssac and Lisle is particularly beautiful with five barrages (weirs) to negotiate. When one comes across one's first barrage it is a little disconcerting. You can't actually see it but you can sure hear it. The instructions received from Romain at the outset about the way to tackle each barrage disappear as you plunge over the edge, but oh, what fun as you pop up at the bottom and continue your journey.
If you are organised enough I would recommend taking a coldbox in the canoe with you, but try not to capsize as that won't help your ham sandwiches. There are some stunning spots to be found on the riverbanks. On some runs one can find small isles to hop onto for a leisurely lunch. We have been lucky enough to have seen spotted otters in the water and if you don't see a kingfisher flashing about the riverbank consider yourself unlucky. River canoeing really is a great way of seeing nature raw in tooth and claw.
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