During the summer I like to make the most of the good weather and entertain my children with new adventures. For two years I have talked about canoeing down the Somme but my husband had always pooh poohed it- claiming that as we have lived in the Ardèche, canoeing here would be boring on a flat, spiritless river.
I finally got my way in August 2010 and booked a session via the Canoe Cappy website. I sent my request by email and was told to ring a mobile number to finalise arrangements. I chose to set off from the jetty near the public campsite in Bray sur Somme at 11 am to be able to stop and picnic by the river and row to Méricourt sur Somme where we would be picked up at 3pm.
There were four adults in our group, two teenagers and three children. Rowing was tougher for those who had children in their canoes - as they tended to enjoy the view rather than get stuck into the physical task required of moving the canoe forward. I enjoyed the experience immensely, getting a superb view of the river's course from my craft. The rowing was physical and tiring but it felt good. The Canoe Cappy Company owner, a man from the Dordogne, told me that he preferred having his business here because the river is gentle and presents very few risks. (Dordogne is of course the most British part of France where canoeing is a popular activity with tourists).
Having said that, I must point out the dangers that DO exist. If you try to stop en route to picnic, as we did, it is difficult to find an ideal spot to moor, and we had to be somewhat acrobatic in tieing our canoes up and getting ourselves out onto terra firma.
There are also two dangers en route: one is the fishermen whose lines reach right across the river. Some fishermen consider that the river is theirs alone and can be quite rude and unfriendly as you splash along. The other danger is the whirlpool zone where there is a possibility of being sucked in. Keep well away from it.
The final danger occurs not en route but at the very end of your journey - at the lock at Méricourt sur Somme. Here we were astounded to see a lethargic lock-keeper (working for the French DDE - who are fonctionnaires) open the lock while we were close by. One of our canoes nearly got sucked into the lock. The aforementioned lock-keeper then stood by mutely and apathetically while we struggled to moor our canoes, keep ourselves tied together and climb a one and a half metre high wall, before scrambling down the bank to drag our canoes out of the water. During this tricky operation one of our group, an eight year old boy, fell in the river. The lock-keeper did absolutely nothing (helping people isn't in his contract of course).
So, what I would say to tourists visiting the area is this: I can recommend this activity but I would warn you to keep an equal ratio of adults to children and you should only arrive at the lock at your pick-up time. We were early (such talented rowers are we) that the Canoe Cappy people were not there to help us. I would also advise you to encourage the authorities to arrange for a safe arrival zone with a jetty in Méricourt sur Somme.
By Paula Flanagan
