Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION
Getting there & around
Paddleboarding: the basics
Kayaking & canoeing: the basics
What to take
Safety
Responsible paddling
Using this guide
Visiting France: the basics

BRITTANY
1. The Celtic coastline
2. To the lighthouse
3. The Robinson Crusoe paddle
4. The little sea

NORMANDY
5. A paddle pilgrimage
6. Paddling with painters
7. The watery highway

HAUTS-DE-FRANCE
8. Seals in the Somme
9. Allotment antics
10. Starry eyed
CHAMPAGNE (GRAND EST)
11. The great migration

BOURGOGNE-FRANCHE-COMTÉ
12. Chasing waterfalls

LOIRE VALLEY (CENTRE-VAL DE LOIRE)
13. Castles in the sky
14. A royal paddle
15. A tale of two rivers

NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE
16. Through the salt marshes
17. Mountains made of sand
18. Paddling without borders

LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON & MID-PYRÉNÉES (OCCITANIE)
19. A lot of limestone
20. Dilly-dallying along the Dordogne
21. Catalan Collioure
22. The Herculean way
23. The natural history museum
24. A galaxy far, far away
25. Paddles & pearls
26. Roman relic

AUVERGNE-RHÔNE-ALPES
27. The saints' way
28. Curative waters
29. Bridging the gap
30. Coming round the mountains
31. An urban SUP-fari
32. The mountain jewel
33. Alpine adventure

PROVENCE-ALPES-CÔTE D'AZUR
34. Nature's playground
35. The French grand canyon
36. Flooded villages
37. Lifestyles of the rich & famous
38. Riviera gardens

CORSICA
39. Between cliff s & caves
40. Island idyll

FRENCH PADDLING VOCABULARY & GLOSSARY
Paddling vocabulary
Glossary

INDEX

About the Author

Anna Richards (annahrichards.com) began paddleboarding in Cornwall, where she grew up. During lunch breaks from her office job, she would grab a board and set off on jaunts across the Penryn River. These soon turned into multi-day trips, often camping and participating in river- or sea-cleans. To hone her skills, she joined a Stand-up Paddleboard (SUP) club, where she learnt about all the other possibilities that SUP opens up (SUP yoga, SUP surfing, racing and touring). In 2021, Richards moved to France to become a full-time writer about travel and the outdoors, and started keenly exploring as much of the country as possible. She established her base in Lyon, a landlocked city with two waterways, and was pleased to find that living inland didn't mean giving up SUP. Far from it: it has helped her explore the country through a fresh, unique perspective. Bradt's Paddling France is her first book.