EUROPE NORTHERN FRANCE DESTINATIONS RIGHT:


Inside Natalia FAR RIGHT:


Natalie on the banks of the River Somme


A typical day on a Backwaters tour


ASK THE EXPERT


Andrew Iwasyszyn, head of river and third-party ocean cruising, Saga Holidays “Backwaters Cruising offers a convenient way to get to the heart of a region. We know that many of our guests have been on the main rivers, but there is a huge network of smaller rivers and canals that aren’t accessible by larger river ships. Our customers love the slower pace of life on these smaller waterways, as well as the fact that you are so close to the banks you can see the region you are cruising through, as well as the locks, water bridges and viaducts.”


consists of a morning or afternoon onboard, and a half-day excursion to a local attraction or place of interest. Guests are transported by coach company Buzzlines across the Channel, to and from the boat, the accommodation and the attractions each day. Lunch is taken onboard, but guests eat dinner at local restaurants. “We are bringing jobs and business


into the local economies we visit rather than capturing it and keeping it all ourselves,” says Woods. “That makes us very different and it makes us much more welcome in these communities that we work with.”


 STAYING SUSTAINABLE Sitting inside, watching the countryside float by, the boat is almost


Natalia creates little noise and pollution, and can travel for up to six hours on electric propulsion


completely silent. Natalia runs on hybrid electric engines, creating little noise and pollution, and can travel for up to six hours on electric propulsion alone. Having been awarded Best


European Tourism Project by the British Guild of Travel Writers last year, Backwaters places sustainability and responsible tourism at the forefront of


its strategy. The boat’s design means it produces hardly any wash, so that it doesn’t contribute to the erosion of the riverbanks, and the company is committed to recycling and avoiding disposable plastics onboard. “It’s against our personal philosophy and against our business interests to do anything else,” says Woods. With two more boats on order,


Backwaters will have a three-strong fleet touring the lesser-cruised waterways of France in 2020. Book it: A seven-night Rivers of Wine itinerary on the River Yonne costs from £1,199 per person, departing July 27, including six half-day cruises and excursions, seven nights in a hotel, all meals, coach travel from Folkestone and transfers. travel.saga.co.uk


9 May 2019travelweekly.co.uk47


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