Advent Book 11 – Boating in France

Day eleven of my bookish Advent Calendar (which was yesterday)  brings me another travel book. Small Boat in the Midi by Roger Pilkington is about travelling around the waterways of Southern France in his converted barge. It’s the twentieth of this series by the author of books reflecting his love for boating and the countryside around the waterways which he travels. He started in the UK but has taken his boat to other countries and this book is the twentieth of the series.

I have heard of these books. I have a friend who has a narrow boat who sometimes references them and I believe that they are well thought of by the boating fraternity. I like to read books by people who know what they are doing and who reveal a different life to me and I think that I shall enjoy this. The author also makes a point to talk about the history of the places through which he travels and that interest me. Personally, I have absolutely no desire to go anywhere by boat but since my Swallows and Amazons days I have always enjoyed reading about them.

The edition I have been sent appears to have been produced by a very small press, or possibly by the author himself. It’s not a standard size and the whole presentation, especially the front cover, doesn’t have that gloss which the books produced by established publishers have. It does, however, have some clear photos and is in good condition for a book that was published about thirty years ago.

This is a book I might well have picked up had I seen it in a charity shop and I think, from leafing through it, that I will enjoy reading it.