Now that the girls are growing up a bit more its getting easier to try new things with them. They all love being outdoors and are quite adventurous too, so jumped at the chance to go canoeing with us in France this Summer. We were staying in the Dordogne and it was definitely the thing to do there.
We quickly realised we weren’t all going to fit in one canoe so divided up into two. I think Husband was more worried about this than anyone but I soon showed him that I was more than capable, in fact Rosie and I happily zipped along quite nicely.
There were lots of routes to choose from varying from an hour to all day. We knew the girls wouldn’t last all day but wanted to be out for a while. We were advised with Daisy(aged 3) to take a 2 hour route. It actually took us closer to 3 hours to complete but she was absolutely fine. In fact we could not believe that her little bottom stayed perfectly still on her seat and she didn’t wiggle or moan once. She happily sat there paddling along.
The water was very clean and in most places quite shallow. There were areas where we had to manoeuvre around rocks and I might have even had to get out once or twice to pull the canoe back into deeper water. We didn’t take our swimming things but would do next time. It would have been lovely to get out and have a little swim when you found a nice place but as this was our first time we weren’t sure about the safety of it with young ones.
Where the two rivers joined it was much deeper and there was more of a current too. We managed perfectly well though. In fact I was actually quite good by the end. It really was a wonderful way to admire the views and enjoy the sunshine.
It really was the highlight of our holiday and something we would definitely like to try again as a family.
Just a few tips though. I wouldn’t wear denim, you end up soaked and they don’t dry like other fabrics. Flip flops aren’t good either, I wish I had brought some jelly shoes for me. Make sure you take hats, suncream, snacks and drinks – it gets pretty hot out there and finally just enjoy yourselves. We did!
Here’s a little video of us all in action:
Coming Soon
Karen x
Wander Mum
September 19, 2015 at 10:08 pm (9 years ago)That looks like so much fun. I wasn’t sure whether something canoeing would be suitable for my three year old but you have shown it’s doable. Thanks for sharing. Great pics too! #countrykids xx
Would Like to Be
September 20, 2015 at 8:01 pm (9 years ago)She was a super star and is a bit of a monkey usually 🙂 i’d say try it x
Sara | mumturnedmom
September 20, 2015 at 1:38 pm (9 years ago)Brilliant! My husband just bought a canoe (that we call all fit in!) as we live close to loads of lakes and rivers where you’re able to take your own boats. The kids love it, and hopefully we’ll get good use out of it. Looks like you had a wonderful day, and I would second all your tips. We actually all have water shoes as we spend a lot of time at lakes here and they are handy for protecting toes from sharp stones 🙂 #countrykids
Would Like to Be
September 20, 2015 at 7:59 pm (9 years ago)Cant wait to see your future posts, lots of fun. Great tip about water shoes, flip flops definitely weren’t good x
Coombe Mill
September 21, 2015 at 10:36 am (9 years ago)Snap! this is clearly a popular activity in France, we had been before and knew to swear swim things, hoping in and out and beaching up is half the fun. Lovely looking scenery you passed through and how wonderful that the girls are now at the age to be able to do these great adventures. Sensible advice on the denim. Hope the whole holiday was as good as this day. Thank you for sharing with me on Country Kids.
Loving life with little ones
September 21, 2015 at 8:27 pm (9 years ago)Looks like great fun x
Louise (Little Hearts, Big Love)
September 23, 2015 at 6:50 pm (9 years ago)What a gorgeous way to spend a couple of hours, particularly in such beautiful weather. So impressed that your 3 year old stayed so still and enjoyed it so much too! 🙂