Canoeing on the Nantes to Brest canal

Experience

©MaryseCojean

Can you think of anything better to do than an outdoor activity with your friends?

On this sunny September day, we decided to go canoeing on the Nantes to Brest canal.

We agreed to meet late morning at the water activity centre, Base nautique de Créhaher in Glomel. A quick rundown of the safety instructions, we paired up and off we went for a trip along the waterways in the heart of Brittany.

We started off with a quiet paddle, heading for Nantes, just to give us all time to get used to this mode of transport, a first for some of us.

After paddling for about an hour time came for a picnic to rebuild our strength and above all, to give our arms a break. Some of the group even took time out to fish.

After this short respite, the canoes were pushed back in the water and we headed back from where we had come from before rushing down a series of ten slides, bypassing the locks.

The first part of the outing was easy enough, a doddle, the next part was more challenging. Each  of us had their own way of going down the slides: forwards, backwards, with or without the paddle! However we made it, in the end it did not matter how as we all got soaked anyway !

After this great day, which turned out to be a mixture of relaxation and thrills, we were more than a little happy to set foot on dry land again. Back to the activity centre, Base Nautique de Créhaher, to return the canoes and have a very welcome, much-deserved snack.