Motor Boat & Yachting – May 2018

T

he last time Jane
and I cruised far
up a European river,
we were delivering
a shiny new Dutch
Linssen 40.9 to her
charter base in Burgundy. The final
stretch of this trip led us along the
beautiful upper reaches of the river
Seine beyond Paris.
It takes a while to clear the
famous sights and then the
sprawling suburbs of the capital,
though when you’re travelling
by river, you always get to see
the gentler sides of any city. We
spent two nights at a delightful
marina called Port aux Cerises,
on the fringes of the Parisian
commuter belt. Thereafter, we
ran into more open country with
occasional small towns and sleepy
quays softened by Monet’s sedate
weeping willows.
A luxury of exploring grand rivers
is how incognito you suddenly feel. As
you drift through a foreign land in a comfortable
motor boat, the sensation of independence and
escape from routine is astonishing, especially
if you let your phones go flat and shut them in
a locker. After that, I never really want this kind
of jaunt to end. Can’t we just keep going, I muse,
day after soothing day, seeing what turns up
round the next bend?

At the ancient port of Melun, we found a visitor quay

with electricity and water. Originally built as

a castle on an island, the town has magnificently

preserved stronghold walls and many impressive

old buildings. It is also renowned as the original

and finest producer of brie cheese.

From Melun, we pushed on in glorious weather,

sliding without fuss through a cavernous lock

and then passing sleepy Samois-sur-Seine. The

legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt retired to

live on a barge here and Samois still holds an annual

jazz festival in his honour.

A few kilometres further on, we moored at a leafy

haven on the west bank at Avon-Fontainebleau.

Jane chose this berth because you can easily walk

from here to the fantastic Palace of Fontainebleau,

one of the largest and most opulent of the French

royal châteaux. You arrive along a path skirting

a large looming wood in the estate. Even by

French aristocratic standards, the 1,500-room

palace is vast, its grounds extending over 230

acres. On this warm sunny day, we contented

ourselves with strolling around the formal Grand

Parterre gardens, admiring the sheer extravagance

of this domain of kings.

Back on board our compact yet well-appointed

little ship, we wondered what on earth it would

have been like to find your way to Room 1,389

in the east wing, dress for dinner and trek back

to the banqueting hall in time for apéritifs.

It takes a while to clear the famous sights and

sprawling suburbs of Paris, though travelling by

river, you always see the gentler sides of any city

PETER CUMBERLIDGE: Cruising the majestic upper reaches of the River Seine is a magical escape

from the babble of modern life, and you can also visit one of France’s most spectacular royal palaces

CUMBERLIDGE

ON CRUISING

COLUMNS

A restful river mooring

within walking distance

of Fontainebleau

Even by the standards of

most palaces, the Château de

Fontainebleau is immense