USING A CANOE

Evening Star, Issue 21935, 23 January 1935, Page 11

USING A CANOE

JOURNEY OVER EUROPE A TOUR TO DALMATIA It is a rare piece of luck to “discover ” two first-class canoeing areas in one season, as 1 did this year (writes Major R. Raven-Hart in iSo ‘ Manchester Guardian ’). One area is that round Bordeaux, the other is Dalmatia, which, owing to its sheltered “fiords” and its perfect climate, is probably the only sea coast really suitable for canoers. Before the Bordeaux trips came, however, we repeated the tour of the Loire from Sully to Saumur, with that astounding procession of chateaux which alone would make this river worth doing. After Bordeaux we traversed, among other parts, the harmless Lake of Zurich; the Rhine above the Lake of Constance —bitterly _ cold and fast and full of aggressive wild swans; Lake Constance itself, along the Swiss shore for a change; then more of the Rhine, down to its fall at Schaffhausen; then the Danube, with less water in it than I have ever seen, from Dim. to Regensburg; and then that gloomy lake near Munich where Ludwig was drowned—murdered, as many there believe. The Danube seems to get into my programme every year. This time we took the Salzack from below Salzburg, and so canoed down the River Inn to Passau, with the best of the Danube from there to Vienna. It is hardly necessary to repeat hero the praises of the Danube; even in England it is at last becoming known, _ and I found with joy a whole string of British signatures in the visitors’ book at one of the little “canoers’ inns” that are so pleasant a feature along its banks. But to end a canoeing trip at Vienna would be a great mistake. The parts from Vienna to Bratislava and from Esztergom to Budapest are definitely fine, and the curious, willow-haunted area between them appeals to mo more every time I see it. (Read Blackwood’s ‘ The Willows ’ for this section, but not before the trip if you propose to camp, for it would spoil the sleep even of a cauoer.) To see Budapest itself is worth going the additional distance. Towards Paks the river is pleasant com-' pany, if somewhat placid. Then Lake Balaton gave me three days of steady rain; the scenery is poor, hut the bathing should he superb, and in any case to canoe along Lake Balaton is an economical way of travelling towards Dalmatia. Another pleasant side-trip on the day is to canoe along the Dravo from Maribor to Gvekenves; above Maribor this river is difficult, but quite easy from there onwards, and it has agreeable scenery along its banks, with castles and_ old wooden bridges and jolly towns, while the multiplicity of sandbanks simplifies bathing if it complicates navigation. On one sandbank we came across people washing for gold, unexpected people to see in Europe. And so by rail via Zagreb to Susak, beside Fiume on the Adriatic. Nearly all the coast near Fiume is so sheltered by the islands lying off it that one could spend months wandering about it, canoeing all the way, and falling back on the frequent and cheap steamers only in bad weather. Rah (Arbe on older maps) was my first stay, an island trying hard to be “ smart ” and spoiling itself in the pitiful attempt; a better island from the cancer’s point of view would be Pag, and as yet Pag is far less spoilt. Next came the area from, Obrovac* in Dalmatia to Starigrad, superb and cjuite unknown. We took the steamer in to Obrovac, and returned by canoe after exploring further up the river where large craft cannot go. First, from Obrovac down the river, there is a gorge six miles long and about fifty yards wide, between sheer naked limestone cliffs five hundred feet high and more. Then comes a group of inland arms of the sea, with deserted chapels and sandy beaches and forgotten villages—which, however, can produce clean beds and surprisingly good, simple food; average prices were Is 6d for a room for two, and about the same for two huge suppers. After these little sea lakes another gorge brought us to the gulf proper, sheltered and fine, with ruined castles on every headland. Here we took ship again. The towns one must visit in Dalmatia are Sibenik, Split (Spalato) with its crazy patchwork of streets in the shell of Diocletian’s palace, the picturesque if rather “ touristy ” Dubrovnik (Ragusa), and Kotor (Cattaro). By excellent luck there is a canocable sheltered area near each town. Thus, behind Sibenik is the mouth of the Krka River, with no current to prevent one from canoeing right up to the terrace falls. From Dubrovnik there are seven trips available, in all but the worst weather; up the currentless Ombla River to a place where it bubbles up eerily into a huge calm pool after miles underground; or to Cavtat, with Mcstrovic’s arresting mausoleum. And, finally, the whole inner gulf of Kotor, with its dying towns and justly famous islands, is so shielded by the mountains of Montenegro that we canoed happily here when it was too stormy outside for the steamers to run.

It is difficult to do justice to the harsh greandeur of the scenery. The people, who wear their traditional peasant costumes, are charming; prices are really low; there is any amount of sunshine; and the water along which one canoes is clear and disconcertingly warm. My only regret is that I arrived too late in the season to make a longer stay.