Through Burgundy by Boat Foreword
Reading Through Burgundy by Boat is a treasure to the boat owner as a glass of Pinot Noir is to the discerning wine lover.
While cruising the world’s waterways can be said to be just ‘nibbling at the edges’ of each area you visit, this guide offers you a feast of culture, history, adventure and cuisine which goes way beyond the edges of the canals you are cruising along.
Taking you through hundreds of kilometres of the canals of Burgundy, you are led to beautiful chateaux of the region, to the art and treasures of centuries gone by and also to modernisation to make your journey much easier. The Cap Canal, for instance, an ancient tunnel once feared by those venturing through its 30-minute transit, is now computerised, allowing the lock keeper to monitor your progress. And you have the bonus of a VHF loaned to you for the journey.
Burgundy is known for its exquisite wines and this book takes you to the cellars dating back to Medieval times – St Bris-le-Vineux, for example – a town 5km away from the canal. There is advice on buses, cycle trips and beautiful walks to take you beyond the area you can reach by boat. It opens up the countryside and architecture easy to miss if you stay close to the canal.
Rich in history and culture, this central region of France needs time to explore. It is not simply an area to be traversed to head south to the Mediterranean or north to Paris. And without this book it would be easy to miss the history dating from Caesar’s Gallic wars to Middle Ages’ architecture and to modern times. For example, the gates on the staircase of locks on the Canal du Nivernais, are all different because of destruction in World War Two by the Resistance to prevent the German Army from using it as a supply line.
The town of Gien – 80% destroyed by the Germans in 1940 and the Allies in 1944, - has been harmoniously restored using traditional brick patterning of trellises and chevrons.
It is this sort of information which makes this book not only different from other canal routes’ guides but also a unique taste of France – just a sip of the flavours of beautiful Burgundy.