Of all the entrances on the Belgian coast, I think the easiest is at Nieuwpoort. Access from the sea is not difficult and there are several large marinas with 400 visitor berths and all facilities. If entering here it is well to enquire regarding refuelling as, besides England, Belgium is the only continental country selling tax free diesel to pleasure boats. Last time I was there I was filled up by tanker which came to the quayside. To enter the canal system you must travel up the river until you are faced with three locks, one to the left, one to the right and one straight ahead. To head for France take the right hand one. A good long blast on the horn is necessary to awaken the dozing lock-keepers. Access is only available between 1 hr before HW to 1 hr after HW. For you coming from the Wash or the Trent, Nieuwpoort has many advantages with easy access, mooring facilities and the advantage of cheap diesel to fill your boat to the gunnells. The only downside is that for this part of Belgium there is now a licence of £20.00 and you will probably use it for only a couple of days. The canal leads from Nieuwpoort to Dunkirk following behind the dunes but you visit the ancient town of Fumes where there is a small barge port and here you can lie free of charge to visit the town.

North again the next entrance is via Ostend harbour but for the French system this and Zeebrugge are too far north although are good for a passage stop.

I have described these access ports in some detail as to transfer from a maritime environment to an inland waterway one can be time consuming probably because when the canals were the domain of the barge they only went to the docks and similarly the ships only went there as well to off load into barges.If I were coming from the East Coast I would seriously look at Nieuwpoort or Dunkerque as access points. Of course you can always call on Jacko if crossing to Belgium as it is not far from Blankenberge to Nieuwpoort (23 miles) or Dunkerque (38 miles)! His local knowledge of Nieuwpoort could be of help so it may be worth a phone call to him on any query you have

EQUIPMENT

Calor Gas is unobtainable on the Continent so you have either to take sufficient with you which, if you use a lot, is impracticable, or you must buy the French equivalent. As I have a calorifier on Darius I usually have enough hot water on tap and I always take my own Calor bottles. I make sure that when I leave England I have three full bottles on board and that is enough to see me through my holidays. Whenever I can I hook up to a shore supply but remember some of the electricity supply will do little more than provide electricity for a battery charger or electric lights as, for example at Dunkirk the YCNM has a max of 500w. The voltage is 230v. Usually inland, where electricity is supplied, there is more power available.

You will need plenty of rendering. I have two 5ft long inflatable fenders which I sling amidships on both sides with 2 fat fenders for the stern and good sized sausage fenders for elsewhere keeping one as a roving fender. I set my fenders up as I arrive in the port and leave them in situ for the extent of my inland cruising. I know this is not aesthetically pleasing but it is practical.

English food is amongst the most expensive in Europe so nowadays I take little food with me with the exception of tea and coffee. In France you will find fresh milk hard to get except in supermarkets, so you will have to make do with long-life of which there is a ready supply. shopping in supermarkets is easy as it requires no knowledge of French and everything is clearly labelled.

Plenty of rope should be on board (a) to tie up to varying heights of quay wall but also for lock working. I carry nylon rope for mooring and multiplait for lock work as it is softer on the hands and is less likely to tangle thereby easier to lasso a lock bollard. Equally I carry two inland waterway mooring spikes and a lump hammer for "Wild" mooring.

Diesel is dear in France compared with England and is about 4Fr per litre (around 40p) so fill up well before entering.

Guides and charts. You will need guides of the French canal system which are in book form. I have found the best is the Navicarte series obtainable from Imrays. Ask for the Carte Guide de Navigation Fluviale and for you numbers 14 (Nord Pas de Calais); 24 (Picardie);

1 & 2 ( 2 volumes) La Seine; 18 (Canaux du Centre); 10 ( La Saone) and 16 ( L Rhone). This will take you in detail from the N. France ports to the Mediterranean. These are not cheap at about £14.00 each. Beside these overall planning charts No's 21 for France and 23 for Belgium are worth having. However I am using ones I bought 10 years ago without having a problem. These guides are written in English as well as French. For a good general guide to all French Waterways I suggest "Cruising French Waterways" by Hugh McKnight and published by Stamford Maritime.

Insurance. Ensure you have your boat insurance policy with you. It is mandatory that you carry it aboard. Regarding health insurance obtain an EI11 from the Post office so that if you have to have medical treatment you can get receipts and reclaim them when back in England. the booklet which comes with the form will explain the procedure. Of course in addition you can take out travel & health Insurance and an annual policy may be worthwhile. As I think all Insurance Companies are rip-off merchants (Have you ever seen a small central Insurance office?) I don't bother and so far I have been lucky. The only time I have had to pay was for Karen when we were in E. Germany and then the doctor only charged us a quarter of the proper price for the treatment.

Passports are essential as is your SSR or Pt 1 registration document and you will need some RYA certificate of competence. For French inland & coastal cruising the minimum requirement is the ICC (International Cruising Certificate) and you should contact the RYA well in advance to arrange it. If you have a Coastal Skipper or Yachtmaster this will cover all continental waterways including Netherlands. DON'T BE BLASÉ ABOUT THIS AS I HAVE BEEN ASKED FOR MINE AND IF YOU HAVEN'T GOT ONE YOU CAN BE FINED HEAVILY.

Until quite recently when barge traffic was much more extensive, pleasure boats were allowed onto the system free of charge but nowadays it is necessary to get a licence and these can be obtained at the VNF offices in Calais, or Dunkerque (ask at Ecluse de Mardyck) but if coming from Nieuwpoort, as well as the Belgian licence mentioned above you, will need a French one when in Dunkerque. This can be obtained at the Ecluse Jeu-de-Mall.

I know all this paperwork sounds a drag but the French are very bureaucratic and we are vulnerable when in their country, but if you have the right paperwork there is little they can do. An optional but very useful piece of equipment is a couple of bikes to cycle to the shops which can be at a little distance from the waterway.

Inland route to the Med via Paris.

If coming from Le Havre at the mouth of the Seine you just go upstream and sooner or later arrive in Paris. More complicated and perhaps slower, unless bad weather hinders you, is the route from Calais, Nieuwpoort or Calais. Assuming you go from Dunkerque you pass along a large barge route called the Grand Gabarit and on this canal you may well encounter barge traffic. The rule of the rivers and canals is the same as at sea - pass port to port but if a commercial boat is showing a blue board from beside its wheel house, usually with a flashing light set in it then it means that he wishes to pass Starboard to Starboard. Look out for "Halte Nautiques" as you can moor to these. They are free and are shown in the Carte Guides. These guides also show where provisions can be obtained so are invaluable. En route you will come to a place called St Omer. Here there was until the early sixties a boat lift built on the same principle as that on the R. Weaver. It has been preserved as an ancient monument and is well worth a visit. You can moor near the lift and there is no charge for a wander round. The lift has been replaced by a big, deep lock, Fontinettes, which rises 43ft and looks quite daunting as you enter. Have no fear! there are floating bollards set in the lock wall to which you should moor. I usually use an amidships rope and sometimes a bow rope as well. The lock fills quickly but there is little disturbance. In fact it is much gentler than the average English lock. You may have to share the lock with a barge or two.

NEVER ENTER A LOCK IN FRONT OF A BARGE.

At Arleux turn right onto the Canal du Nord. Again this is a barge route and you will encounter traffic on it. It is a canal built in the early 60's to relieve the Canal de St Quentin and therefore is rather uninteresting. It has a tunnel which is 2.68 miles long but is lit and governed by traffic lights as a one way system operates. If you feel adventurous instead of turning right at Arleux carry on the Grand Gabarit to Paillencourt and the Bassin Rond then take the Canal de St Quentin via Cambrai. There are more locks and two tunnels to pass but the countryside is more interesting and the ability to stop more likely. The largest tunnel, built by Napoleon 1st, is called the Grand Souterrain and is 3.49 miles long. Furthermore you cannot use your engines but are pulled through by an electric tug which hauls itself through the tunnel by heaving in a chain at the bow and paying it out at the stern. It travels slowly and the passage takes about two hours. The other tunnel you navigate yourself and is a mere 0.66 miles. If you are likely to suffer from claustrophobia don't go this way or if you find that you've little headroom under the bridges as there is little steerage way because of the speed of the tug and the corners of the flybridge could get damaged. However if you do go through it is an experience you won't forget.

You are heading south and will join the R.Oise. At Compeigne it is well worth a stop as in the nearby forest lies the train (actually a reproduction as the original was taken by Hitler) aboard which the Armistice ending the first World War was signed. The L'Oise is a wide river but the flow is gentle and joins the R. Seine at Conflans -St- Honorine. This is one of the barge capitals of France but is now a shadow of its former self Barges lie moored 3 or 4 abreast and many will never move again as barge traffic in France is declining fast. There is a church on one of the barges which, if you can find somewhere to moor is worth a visit.

Heading up the R.Seine you eventually come to Paris. All the best sights can be seen from the river. Continue past the lle de la Cite and you will come to a canal leading off to your left called Canal de St Martin. It is only a few hundred meters above the Ile St Louis and can easily be missed. There is a pontoon here and it is necessary to pull in against the pontoon and use the telephone there which connects direct to the harbourmaster who is also the lockkeeper. Tell him you wish to enter and want to stay for a few days. He will tell you if there are any vacancies and how long to the next opening - it isn't usually very long. You pass through the lock and emerge in the Arsenal yacht basin. For a centre of a capital location it is not expensive and all facilities (except fuel) are available. It is close to the metro so it is easy to explore Paris from here if you wish.

Return to the R. Seine and continue upstream until you reach the R. Marne by K164. Here turn righthand continue up the R.Marne until you reach St Mammes where you come off the river and join the Canal du Loing. This in turns runs into the Canal de Briare, then the Canal Lateral a La Loire followed by the Canal du Centre. These canals are collectively known as the Canals of the Centre. Throughout these canals you are in what is generally known as "France Profond" or Deep France. It is very rural and pleasant. The aqueduct on the Canal Lateral a La Loire is the outstanding waterway feature. This aqueduct was built by the same company which erected the Eiffel Tower. It is 600m long and is lit at night. A steep lock on the eastern end of the Canal du Centre drops you down to the R.Saone, at Chalon Sur Saone where the inventor of photography was born. This large river is very gentle and relaxing. You are now heading south in a warm climate where the first signs of the Mediterranean can be seen in the roof tiles of the houses. On these canals you will come across automatic locks. These have no lock-keepers and you work them yourself. The operating cycle starts when you break a radar beam across the canal. That alerts the lock that a boat is arriving. Note if the flashing light on the lock starts winking as that means that your presence is known. to ensure a high degree of success it is necessary to go VERY SLOWLY through the beam. Designed for barges a GRP boat often falls to operate the beam. If this is the case you should back up and pass through the beam again.The Navicartes describe fully the sequence of operation.

Worthy of a detour is a short trip up the R.Seille. This small tributary joins the R. Saone at Km 106. It is only 39kms long with 4 locks but is a very peaceful meandering river to the town of Louhans where fuel can be delivered by lorry or from a garage at the junction of the D12 and D471.

Back on the Saone Macon, famous for wine is well worth a visit. Moor in the Port du Plaisance where there are all facilities but it is a little way from the town centre. Fuel can be obtained here in the Port.

Eventually you will come to the outskirts of France's second city - Lyons. When I was last there there was a small marina and a quay but things may have changed by now. The Saone ends here and you join the mighty R.Rhone on your last leg to the Med. Locks on the river are deep, wide and all have floating bollards. Commercial traffic is light, but there are marinas to stop. Wild mooring is difficult but possible near the locks where the lock cut goes on way and the river another. Below the lock at Vienne, at a place called Les Roches-de-Condrieu there is a marina. It is worth a stop here and a short train ride back to the Roman town of Vienne where legend has it that Pontious Pilate committed suicide by throwing himself into the river. There is a Roman amphitheatre here and the old town is worth a wander round. There is a marina at Tournon and another at Valence which has the added attraction of a large hypermarket only a few hundred yards away.

Below the Ecluse de Chateauneuf is a town on the right bank called Viviers where there is a small marina. the town is very old and is perched on a hilltop. The view from the top is well worth the climb. A long canalised stretch takes you to the Ecluse de Bollene which is notable for two features. Firstly the lock rise or fall is 75 ft. but although it fills or drains very rapidly there is little turbulence. It is the deepest lock in France, and for that matter Europe and is awe-inspiring. again it has floating bollards. The second and more harrowing feature was that about a year ago one of the steel top gates collapsed with the resultant waters of the river cascading like a mighty waterfall onto a barge 23 metres below. The barge was swamped and the family aboard killed. All the locks on the river have now been checked to ensure a similar tragedy never happens again.

Avignon Avignon is well worth a visit if only to see the bridge - or the part which remains - built in the middle ages and from which the famous French nursery song, which I had to learn when taking French at school, is derived. The Popes, deposed from Rome held their court there before returning to the Vatican and the the many restaurants, mummers, and the carnival atmosphere make it a nice place to spend a couple of days. There is a marina here where you can safely moor the boat but there is a charge The.final leg takes you to Arles famous for Roman influence and Van Goch. You can see the actual bascule bridge made famous in one of his paintings on a now disused canal. At St Louis you must leave the R.Rhone by a lock on the port side and enter the