Wednesday 25th October 2017
Our campsite, La Beaume, is about 2 kms from the village of Esparron-de-Verdon.
The village is situated on the Lac d’Esparron-de-Verdon, one of the four lakes which the River Verdon runs into.
On our many visits to the village, it was difficult not to notice the variety of water sports on offer and today’s weather conditions seemed ideal to take to the water.
For those of you that are not aware, I am not the best sailor in the world. So, for me this was a big deal.
We cycled down to the village, after lunch. As you know, the 2 hour lunch break in France definitely exists and is generally adhered to religiously, so we had to wait till after 2 pm to be sure that the boating center would be open.
This time of year, a few of the establishments were ‘fermé’, although being half term holidays here, we managed to find one which was open.
The kind lady showed us the ‘terms and conditions’. One of which was our 2 bikes as security. €15 for 2 hours seemed a fair price and would allow us time to explore part of the gorge, as well as the lake.
She kitted us out with our life jackets and handed us a single bladed paddle each.
Apprehensively I made my way into the front of the canoe and sat on the low seat. Ray pushed the boat out and then got seated and off we set.
We were both novices when it came to paddling, so it was quite a surprise that we took to it so easily. (Like ducks to water).
We headed out across the lake and then continued into opening of the steep sided gorge.
The colour of the water changed dramatically as we moved in and out of the shade.
So peaceful in the gorge and like a mill pond.
Pardon the photography skills 🙂
A gentle paddle back to base, with no hitches and both of us hooked with our new experience. We’ll certainly be trying this again.
Loving hearing about your adventures, plus your writing skills Kim. You’ve certainly taken to this blogging m’larky
You are too kind. Not sure I could make a living out of writing but enjoy keeping a diary to look back on.
Love to you and Don x x x