French Waterways CEO Rosie Mansfield reveals how luxury hotel barges turn France's canals into intimate journeys through villages, vineyards and regional food.

What if the best way to see France is not from a large river ship, but from a luxury hotel barge travelling slowly through its canals, vineyards and villages?

In this episode of Destination Unlocked, Daniel Edward is joined by Rosie Mansfield, Chief Executive of French Waterways, to explore the intimate world of luxury barge cruising in France.

These elegant vessels may carry as few as two guests, with a private chef, dedicated crew and carefully planned excursions. Their low profile allows them to pass beneath small bridges and travel through waterways that larger river ships cannot reach.

Rosie takes us aboard Grand Victoria for her first barge cruise through Burgundy. From Champagne on arrival and four-course dinners to visits to the Hospices de Beaune, Clos de Vougeot and the vineyards of Romanée-Conti, she reveals what life aboard a luxury hotel barge is really like.

You’ll discover:

• The difference between a hotel barge and a conventional river cruise

• What a typical day aboard a luxury barge looks like

• How guests can walk or cycle beside the barge along the towpath

• Why the small-group experience changes both the cruising and the excursions

• How private chefs use ingredients and wines from the regions visited

• The best French waterways and regions for a barge holiday

• How to choose the right vessel, itinerary and crew

• Why Burgundy, Champagne, Bordeaux, Alsace and the Canal du Midi offer very different experiences

Rosie also explains how French Waterways matches travellers with more than 55 hotel barges across France. Cabin size, accessibility, bicycles, family requirements, food, wine and special interests can all help determine which barge and region will suit you best.

For travellers attracted to excellent food, personal service and a gentler way of exploring France, luxury barge cruising offers something genuinely distinctive.

ABOUT ROSIE MANSFIELD

Rosie Mansfield is Chief Executive of French Waterways, an independent specialist in hotel-barge cruises, river cruises and self-drive boating holidays across France. She travels extensively on the waterways, visits vessels and meets their owners and crews, giving her first-hand knowledge of the experiences she recommends.

USEFUL LINKS

French Waterways: https://www.french-waterways.com/

Meet Rosie Mansfield: https://www.french-waterways.com/about-fw/rosie-mansfield/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frenchwaterways/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/french-waterways-com

Explore France with Destination Unlocked: https://destinationunlocked.com/destinations/

ABOUT DESTINATION UNLOCKED

Destination Unlocked is the travel podcast that is as useful as a guidebook and as easy as a chat with a friend. Each episode brings you practical advice, local expertise and the stories that help you get more from your travels.

Presented by Daniel Edward.

Follow Destination Unlocked and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

This is destination unlocked with me, Daniel Edward.

2

Hello, welcome back to

Destination Unlocked.

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My name is Daniel Edward and

we are heading to France today,

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which for people like me, from

the UK is only just next door.

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And it is, by the way, the

number one destination in the

6

world for international tourism.

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I found this out recently, and

I don't know why, but it, it

8

sort of really surprised me.

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But France is the top country in the

world for international visitor numbers.

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And this, what we are talking

about today is a very unusual

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way of seeing the country.

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I think you're gonna really like it

because we're going river cruising,

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but we're doing it in a very different

way from what just came to mind because

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we are going on a barge, a luxury

private barge for just you and your

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friends or your guests, your family.

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And our guest today is Rosie Mansfield,

who's the CEO of French Waterways.

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And nobody knows these waters

better than they do enjoy.

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And so Rosie, what are you

unlocking for us today?

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Rosie Mansfield: Daniel, I'm unlocking

France's best kept secret, inland

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cruises on luxury French barges.

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Daniel Edward: This is river cruising

like people don't realise exists,

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which is what I love so much about it.

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I've spent a lot of time at sea.

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I've done 12 years or

so of ocean cruising.

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I have not yet done a river cruise.

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I'm so tempted to do one, and this has

thrown a curve ball into my planning.

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when we talk about, a river cruise,

that isn't quite what people are

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thinking, what does it look like?

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Rosie Mansfield: Well if we start by

establishing a river cruise as being a

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small ship that accommodates between 80

to 200 passengers and will travel along

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a river for say, a six night cruise.

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And you'll visit different cities and

sometimes within Europe, different

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countries, even within that cruise.

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a luxury French barge canal cruise

is a smaller vessel that usually

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accommodates between two and 12 guests.

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Although we do have a handful that

will take up to 22 guests on board and

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they can travel The waterways of fronts

that are just inaccessible to anything

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larger than about 30 to 40 metres.

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And so when you are travelling on a

barge, you can go right into the heart

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of villages, you can really go where

there are no other boats and feel

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like, a complete VIP on the waterway.

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And from a kind of giggy

perspective, we're talking about,

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waterway that might only have 1.5

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metres of depth.

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it's a really special type of vessel.

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Daniel Edward: we're gonna talk about

a cruise that you did, when you joined

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the company, your first experience

on board as the CEO of the team.

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I wanna hear about your whole experience

where did you go first of all?

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Rosie Mansfield: I went to the heart

of Burgundy, and, as somebody who had

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limited wine knowledge before, taking

over French waterways, I quickly

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became aware that I was going to

a very special place, in terms of,

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history, culture and wine production.

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I boarded the Grand Victoria in Ozon

We're on the sewn river, and we're

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right in the heart of Burgundy.

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I boarded for a six night cruise.

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It would take me along the sewn river

and give me an experience that I've,

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never had before in so many ways.

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And I know you're gonna ask me

a hundred questions about it.

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But, the first thing I would say is

I've never felt more taken care of in my

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whole life probably since I was a child.

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And I think this is one of the

epitome of the experience that you

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get people hear the word cruise and

they think, yeah, yeah, I know cruise.

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I know what it means, but actually

this is so much more than a cruise.

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It's not just about going from A to B.

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It is an experience over six

nights that I'm not sure can be

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replicated in any other vacation,

any other holiday, that is out there.

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it, really, was probably the best

start to my, career in French waterways

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because it gave me personal insight

to what our clients experience

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when they're on this holiday.

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Daniel Edward: So start from the

beginning, getting on board, which you

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are doing just along the riverbank.

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Rosie Mansfield: Yeah, so imagine

the scene, you've come through

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this French town and on approach

to a bridge over the river.

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You see this gorgeous barge, pristine,

absolutely sitting like a new pin.

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And the sun is twinkling on the

river and you drive over and your

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crew is waiting outside to greet

you, on a row with beaming smiles.

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And you don't have to

take care of your luggage.

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That all gets done behind the scenes.

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You disembark your, chauffeur driven

transfer, and you're welcome adopt the

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pass rail up the gang plank, to an

instant champagne reception and a warm

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welcome that is so if you've gone back

to your best friend's house everything is

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luxurious, the furnishings are luxurious.

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there are, appetisers that look

like they've taken all day to

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make because they're so miniature

and so perfect and so colourful.

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and so it's that first minute

where you, your shoulders drop and

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you sink into a comfortable chair

with a glass of the finest vintage

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champagne, and you realise that for

the next six days, you don't, don't.

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Daniel Edward: That's

hard for some people.

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Rosie Mansfield: That's true

actually for my children.

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That is a very tough task.

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But, um, it's just, instantly

you get this sense of relaxation.

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and on the first night, which

is a Sunday, almost all barges,

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depart their crews on a Sunday.

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So around about five, 6:00 PM

you have this champion reception,

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and then you've got a chance to

freshen up before dinner is served.

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And dinner is typically a

minimum of four courses.

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there's always cheese.

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Don't forget you're in France.

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and there are something like over

what I say, over 300 separate

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types of cheese in France.

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in an average barge trip,

you'll probably try 20 different

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cheeses, all with a story to them.

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you'll come up for dinner.

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if you like, if you're ready a little

bit earlier, you can come up and you,

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you can have an aro and, talk to your

friends, and then sit down for dinner.

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And dinner is prepared by your

own personal private chef.

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They are there simply to create

masterpieces of cuisine, gourmet,

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local, exceptionally artistic

cuisine for you for the whole trip.

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and that meal is, just

the tip of the iceberg.

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It's, where you realise that,

every single course is going to

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be an assault on your senses.

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you're gonna be taking photographs of it

because it's so artistic on the plate.

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and it just becomes the most wonderful

part of the day where as each day

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goes on at dinner, you tell the

stories from that day and you reveal

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the funny parts and the, favourite

things that you've seen that day.

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And then you sink into bed for

a deep relaxing night's sleep.

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And in most cases, your bed will have

been turned down for you before you go.

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And if you're lucky, there might

even be a chocolate on your pillow.

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Daniel Edward: what are the rooms like?

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do we call them cabins,

suite rooms, state rooms?

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what are they called onboard?

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Uh, a luxury barge.

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Rosie Mansfield: We represent just over

55 different barges throughout France.

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some are referred to state rooms,

others simply call them cabins.

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some of the, very generous

ones are called suites.

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size ranges, between quite a cosy,

room that is, enough for your

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double bed or a twin arrangement.

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you'll have an en suite and space for,

a dressing table and getting ready.

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Those are the cosiest style cabins.

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but they go right up to extremely generous

cabin sizes that would be much, much

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larger than a classic Paris hotel room.

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and a lot of the time with barges,

the cabin size can determine what

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price scale it's on ' although what

I would say is say in the canal, do

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midi, because of the size of the locks,

both size are restricted in that area.

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And they're typically closer to

30 metres rather than being, some

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of the extended ones, 30 at 39.

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But we would always say that you spend

the least amount of time in your cabin,

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it is the place, to sleep, to nap, to

read a book if you want some quiet time.

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But other than that, most of your time

will be spent on the sun deck or the salon

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out on excursion at the dining table.

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so we tell people not to worry too

much about the cabin size, but it

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is a good point as a variance to

say river cruise because there is

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a sort of a standard idea of what

a river cruise cabin would be like.

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Daniel Edward: So what about the other

spaces on board The lounge areas.

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Rosie Mansfield: They are typically

really well appointed living rooms.

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you will have a large dining table,

and you will also have either some

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comfy arm chairs or, sofas arranged

around a table where you can sit and

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chat and, and each barge is different.

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This is the wonderful thing about it.

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Each has its own character, its

own personality, its own story.

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You know, these vessels are some 100

years old in many cases, and they've

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had umpteen lives before they became

a boutique luxury floating residence.

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some of the larger boats will have an

alfresco dining area on the sun deck,

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and then we'll also have a large, large

dining space inside, and then separate

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living area in some of our more cosy

barges in the smaller ones who have

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very clever arrangements where the

salon can be set up in this living room

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style during the day, and they have

a very clever table arrangement that

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comes out for lunch and breakfast that

actually changes the space very quickly.

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it's quite versatile the use of

space is ingenious on barges.

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It feels very spacious even

on the smaller vessels.

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Daniel Edward: this sun deck intrigues me.

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Is it on the roof?

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Rosie Mansfield: No.

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you may have two or three levels, in your

barge, but they're not full steps down.

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you might have between three and

six steps and the lowest would

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obviously be where your cabins are.

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And then you may come up to essentially

what is sort of a split, space where

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you come up from the cabins, into the

salon area, and then you may have some

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more steps up onto a front sun deck.

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it's not on the roof per se, in

what somebody might typically think.

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it is usually to the front

and the rear of the cabin.

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And you may have two sun decks

and some barges will have an open,

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area for the pilot to cruise.

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So they may have essentially no

structural shade from the sun,

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they will put up something like

a bimini to give them sun shade.

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However, because of the height

of, bridges it affects how much

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height they can add to the barge.

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And often on a sun deck you will

have, facilities such as, an

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outdoor dining area, lounging

sofas and outdoor furniture.

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in a lot of cases there's also

a plunge spa pool as well.

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Daniel Edward: Oh, that's nice.

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Rosie Mansfield: Yeah, it's lovely.

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some of the barges that we've

been on even have what feels

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more like a small swimming pool.

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So you have the, the jacuzzi style

plunge spa pool, that can go from say,

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four to eight people, but then on some

of the most luxurious boats there is,

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a pool that you can sort of do Well.

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I'm small.

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I'm only five.

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Daniel Edward: If you hold on to one

side, you can, keep going forever.

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It like the rivers themselves

provide the constraints size-wise,

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within which the boats must work.

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it makes obvious sense, but

it's worth calling that out.

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And this is why in order to get to the

most intriguing, the most local feeling

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spots of waterway in the continent,

you've gotta leave those main rivers

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where those larger river cruises are

stuck because they can't get under that

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bridge or, through that narrow, lock,

which the barges are designed for.

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Because yeah, let's face it,

originally they were trading up and

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down rivers , and connecting us, to

whatever coal or whatever else , was

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being passed around the continent.

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Let's go through the itinerary

that you went on, and visit some of

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these places that, let's be honest,

people might not have heard of.

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Rosie Mansfield: Absolutely.

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To think about the trip that I took on

Grand Victoria, we did travel on the

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river for quite a bit of the cruise,

but we also travelled on the canal.

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And it was great for me at that

time to see the difference, in one

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week to understand the difference.

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We did have a river ship

pass us during that time.

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And even though those ships, if

you saw them on a dock, you'd

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think they looked quite small.

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But when it passes you on, you're

on a barge, you're like, wow,

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this is a monstrosity of a ship.

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so what I would say is that travelling

on a river allows you to go, further

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faster, and you can get from one

iconic town to another quite quickly.

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and we did that with the Grand

Victoria burgundy itinerary.

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There's some really heavy

hitting musty places , on that.

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But when you travel on the canal de

Bogo through that area, it is suddenly.

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Quite quiet.

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you have treeline sections and then

you have open sections with a shadow

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on the hillside, and you think that you

might actually be in a Disney movie.

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And the variety of wildlife

intensifies quite often.

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you can sit on deck with your

favourite tipple and just sit

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and listen to the bird song.

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And for anyone who is a Keen Bird

watcher, the Merlin app, a free

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app you can put on your phone.

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And when you hear the bird

song, you can turn it on.

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It'll tell you in live time what

bird is singing at that moment.

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and then the next minute you might see

a blue heron dip down into the canal and

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fish out a little bit of lunch for itself.

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So whilst you have the benefit on

the river of being able to connect

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two towns quite quickly, being able

to also travel along the canal,

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takes you like almost behind scenes.

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I describe it as being a participatory

holiday, where you're not just

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looking, you're not just a

tourist looking at things go by.

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You're travelling into the heart

of very small destinations.

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You're meeting makers, growers, producers,

not just of food and wine, but of,

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local projects that's created in a, in

an area, whether it's a certain type

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of furniture or something like that.

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it helps to connect you to that

place in a way that most other

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holidays couldn't attempt to.

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I was lucky enough to take my children

on another cruise, and apart from the

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fact that they still ask when can they

go and stay with Chef Johnny Iggy?

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And, they experienced lobster

cooked in a way that I could never

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have dreamed of doing for them.

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And it's something that becomes

a talking point at many meals.

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They said, do you remember, mommy?

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Do you remember we had the lobster?

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Daniel Edward: That

must make you feel good.

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You've just served up Spag Bowl

or whatever, and they're reminding

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you of what, what they could

have had for dinner instead.

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Rosie Mansfield: I know.

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Yes.

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we can't all be perfect, going on the

canal versus, a river cruise, means

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that you will arrive at your destination

for the mooring for that evening.

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And you might not have seen

another boat for a number of hours.

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It feels like a private waterway.

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And you mo up somewhere

that can be quite quiet.

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You might not necessarily be connected

to a village directly, but there is

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a small little road where your, um,

chauffeur vehicle is parked and then

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that takes you into either the local

village or the most local town, for your

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exploration, for and whether that be a

private wine tasting, whether you go and

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meet a chocolate maker there's lots and

lots of different things that you do not

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the typical tourist sightseeing things.

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Daniel Edward: So in terms of

getting out into we'll call it a

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port, doesn't necessarily mean that

there is a port there, but, into

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a, a place where you're gonna stop.

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Is there always a

chauffeur waiting for you?

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Do you have to tell the skipper

your plans for the day or have they

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already worked out the day's plans?

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How does that side of the experience work?

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Rosie Mansfield: Everything is

curated almost within a minute.

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the crew know that, but you as the

guest on board are completely oblivious

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to all of this going on around you.

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It just seems to unfold naturally.

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and it seems like everything

is just, falling into place.

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But there's a lot of work that goes

on behind the scenes make that happen.

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A typical day on board, a barge cruise

will consist of two main sections.

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One will be your cruise, and

that is typically a two to

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three hour cruising duration.

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Now you can stay on board and

enjoy the cruise, or you can step

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off board to either walk or cycle

on the tow path alongside it.

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And that is really quite a magical

thing to step off and to, accompany

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your vessel along the canal.

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You get a different view

there's no waves on the canal.

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She just glides along at

about four kilometres an hour.

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if you think about that, in a

normal walking piece, most people

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will stride, faster than that.

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So you end up walking ahead of the

barge and then you wait for her to come

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and meet you at the designated lock.

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and all locks have numbers.

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So when you disembark to either cycle or

walk, your captain or your pilot will tell

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you, we're going to lock number 22 today.

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So if you explore the local area, before

we get there, you just come back and

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that's where we will be waiting for you.

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And, they might then more up just

beyond that lock for the evening.

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the other part of your

day then is an excursion.

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Everything is pre-planned, but I'd

say the better word is curated.

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, Each day is excursion is planned so

that you are not in the transfer vehicle

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for any longer than 30 or 40 minutes

because this is not about being, in a

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transfer vehicle and going long distances.

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This is about maximising your

time on the barge and then

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also in the local community.

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And so each trip is carefully planned.

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Your shadow visit, or your walking tour of

Dijon or whatever that may be, it'll all

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be planned to take place at a time where

you're closest from the morning point.

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And the drive time is the minimal.

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although it feels very, very natural

and very, gentle, the crew will be

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talking to each other at all times.

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Daniel Edward: What was your

favourite experience of the week

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that you did that first one?

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Rosie Mansfield: that's

such a tough question.

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I think that going to a place called

the Hospice Deone was my favourite.

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experience be, oh, there's not,

yeah, no, I'm gonna stick with it.

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Okay.

315

I've said it first and I've been

three times since and I still love it.

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the Hospice Bone was born out

of, a love of helping people

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that were less fortunate, and I

think it really struck a chord.

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So it's essentially a charity hospital

that was started by a husband and

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wife, to look after people who,

were, very sick or very poor.

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We're talking hundreds and hundreds of

years ago, since then, this lives on

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today to modern time and is so connected.

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It's in the Town of Bone.

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but so connected to the wine

production also because each year

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there is a charity auction in the hot

space, of wine produced in the area.

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And so there is that goodwill

that was started by two people,

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has transcended centuries.

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that's a very special thing that I was

so glad to get to go to and to go again.

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And if you said to me tomorrow, Daniel,

do you wanna go to the Hospice to Bone?

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I go, yep, let's go.

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It's not just the history, uh,

but it is the architecture that's

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associated with the building too.

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So in Burgundy, they have these

very typical, decorated roof

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tiles, in Burgundian colour.

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So the deep burgundy colour obviously.

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And then these golds and their

whole roof of the house base is a

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perfect example of a Burgundian roof.

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inside where they had the

beds for the sick people.

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And then they have a chapel behind that.

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the floor tiles are painted and

they're decorated and they also have a

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motif of the couple, that started it.

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It's deeply rich in history and

culture, but it's still tied

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to modern day life in bone.

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I love that time.

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I would go back time and time again 'cause

there's always something different to see.

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When I went with Grand Victoria,

Edward, he's an incredible guide, so

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knowledgeable about Burgundian wine.

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I actually owe a lot of my

knowledge, of the wine to what

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he taught me during that week.

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It was fantastically educational

and you just wanted him to

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keep talking and tell you more.

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He also took us to a

negotiation, called, Patri.

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The windiest thing that we did

there was absolutely phenomenal.

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And the sommelier that helped us

to understand the wines that we

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were drinking and tasting was so

fascinating and so educational.

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And if you love wine, it's a real

bucket list thing to tick off.

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Daniel Edward: Yeah,

burgundy and Bordeaux.

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The two bees in battle.

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Rosie Mansfield: absolutely.

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Don't get me started on Bordeaux.

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Now we've got fantastic

experiences there too.

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Daniel Edward: I just love the fact that

hidden in these smaller rivers that people

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probably haven't heard of are these gems

that are so significant in both telling

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a local story, but also a very story.

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This is a love story that, ended up being

something so philanthropic and has given

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in health terms, but also in inspiration

terms to generations, centuries of people.

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And yet it's so humble in that

you could live your entire

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life and not know it's that.

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Rosie Mansfield: Yeah.

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And on top of that, even if you found

out that it was there, then to find

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out about the kilometres and kilometres

of cellars underneath your feet when

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you're walking around, there are

millions of bottles of wine stored under

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the roads and, and, streets of bone.

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And that's why I say I love

this time because it has got

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so many different facets.

375

And even in my purse, I have a little

ticket from the hospice to bone.

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This is a tip for you.

377

if you go to the hospice to bone, the

entrance ticket that you have, if you flip

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it round on the reverse, there will be

what looks like, a graphic printed on it.

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And actually what that is, is if you

take that ticket into the very final

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room, which has all of the tapestries

displayed, a challenge is to find

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where your ticket matches, because

they're all little samples from the

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tapestries that are displayed there.

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Daniel Edward: That is such a good idea.

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Rosie Mansfield: I know

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it's

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Daniel Edward: wow.

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that is feeding the inner geek, isn't it?

388

that's fantastic.

389

there was a second one

that you wanted to say

390

Rosie Mansfield: Yeah.

391

And even between that, I, I'm gonna

talk about both of them because they're

392

just so fantastic . Each excursion

sort of strikes another chord, in

393

what becomes a magical holiday.

394

the clue of a jo is an exceptional shadow.

395

and a clue in France just means

that there is a wall around it.

396

That's what a clue is.

397

So if you go to a shadow with a vineyard,

and it has a wall, going around to

398

protect it, that's a clo soda something.

399

so at the cloud it's really, where wine

production started, my historian might

400

really correct me on this, but this is

Rosie's abridged version of history.

401

it's the beginning of French,

Burgundian wine production in that area.

402

and it's going back to the sister monks.

403

How these guys put just wine in

these incredible presses by hand.

404

Daniel Edward: Elise, by foot.

405

Rosie Mansfield: Well, actually

there was feet in there too.

406

know, hands twisting and feet, crunching.

407

but to, be there in person and see

the scale of these presses and to

408

see the timber that is many hundreds

of years old, I find it fascinating.

409

And a little tip also for the code visual

is probably only about two kilometres

410

away from that chateau you'll come

to a very small sort of tea junction.

411

In that space there marks a

very small, very modest little

412

sign that says, demand Dete.

413

And you are facing a small plot

that runs up a small bank, and you

414

are looking at grown crew grapes

of Romani Conte, probably the

415

most expensive wine in the world.

416

this is wine that we produced and it will

rarely pass the lips of you and I, Daniel.

417

This is for, state

dinners , the government galas.

418

this is wine that really is, served at

the most exclusive events in the world.

419

there's no fences to keep people out.

420

This is an incredible, respectful space.

421

There's nobody tramping up and down

terroir, people will go there and there's

422

often a car to take a photograph and just

stand in the presence of great grapes.

423

And I loved it.

424

So look, it's another little tip of being

completely immersed, not as a tourist, but

425

as somebody who's connected to the place.

426

You might see a bottle, in a cage, in

a cellar, , and you're talking maybe

427

15 or even 20,000 euro for that bottle,

428

Daniel Edward: For one bottle.

429

Rosie Mansfield: one bottle.

430

And I think that's quite good value.

431

Daniel Edward: Oh my gosh.

432

I'd be scared to drink it.

433

I'd be scared to hold it.

434

Rosie Mansfield: Now.

435

Daniel Edward: Wow.

436

In terms of, these, guided experiences,

at each place that you go, you are

437

meeting a guide from that area.

438

Rosie Mansfield: It can be a mix of both.

439

you have a full dedicated

personal crew on your cruise and

440

that will include, your pilot.

441

It can sometimes be

different to the captain.

442

It depends on large your, barges,

whether they're separate roles.

443

we've captain slash pilot, you

also have a hostess who will take

444

care of, serving and also take

care of, some of the housekeeping.

445

And you'll have your private chef.

446

You'll have in some cases a mat load.

447

So deck hand, and a guide.

448

Those are the main roles

that come, on a barge.

449

And you will have a guide that, will

drive you in the barges vehicle.

450

So each barge has its own, vehicle for

chauffeuring you to your pickup drop

451

off and then all of your excursions.

452

And then depending on the type of

excursion you're doing, you may

453

meet a local who is a particular

expert, a subject matter expert,

454

and they will give the guide.

455

So say for example, when I was in

the canal and I went to the fortified

456

city of Coon, our barge had arranged

for an official regulated licenced

457

person, to give us the tour 'cause

they had such in-depth knowledge of

458

Caron and all the history of that

and the Cathars and everything.

459

Sometimes you'll have a mix of both.

460

And that's fabulous too because it's

nice to get, stories from other people.

461

Daniel Edward: Tell us a little bit

more about the company itself and

462

what French Waterways does for guests

who are looking to visit France

463

and go on these barred holidays.

464

Rosie Mansfield: the first thing

to know about French waterways

465

is that we're independent.

466

So we don't own boats.

467

We don't operate boats.

468

we are your single source of

information if you want to take any

469

kind of inland cruise in France.

470

if you want to hire a boat and be

your own captain, you can come to our

471

website and find fleet information

about who you can hire a boat from

472

if you want to take a river cruise.

473

Then we have all of that information

too, as well as departure

474

dates availability and pricing.

475

It's all there.

476

and then what we take care of more

so ourselves, is the barge side

477

of things, because often you're

working with owner operated, vessels.

478

And so there is more of a

personal relationship there.

479

And what we have, as our, uh, flag,

that we fly is firsthand knowledge.

480

when we recommend a barge to you to your

group or to your family, we will have done

481

so having listened to everything that you

want to get out of your holiday, and then

482

personally matched you to a boat that

fits a boat and an itinerary and a crew.

483

Because all these things sort

of blend together to make, the

484

ambience, make the experience.

485

I'll give you an example.

486

Sometimes people ask us, they

say we are cycling fanatics.

487

So straight away you go to roots

where you know that there's

488

very good service to paths.

489

A boat I was on recently,

the Elegance, in the Garran.

490

they have e-bikes, a standard,

but they're lightweight e-bikes.

491

And so if people say that they really

want to explore further than the

492

canal, then we might think okay,

that's a lean towards that boat.

493

So it's not just about which barge has

availability and when the person wants

494

to travel and what the price point is.

495

Because actually sometimes, one of our

toughest parts of our job is to go back

496

and say, I know you think you want this,

but actually we know you need this.

497

and sort of steering people, in a

direction that we know will deliver them

498

the experience that they're looking for.

499

A lot of people have heard of Canal C.

500

They've heard of Bordeaux, they've

heard of Burgundy, but, they haven't

501

necessarily heard of cruises in.

502

Might not be familiar, the volume of

cruises available in the champagne region.

503

And also that you don't have to be a c

lover to cruise in the champagne region.

504

And that just because you take

a barge trip in Bordeaux doesn't

505

mean that every single day you

must drink something from Bordeaux.

506

Have a rone red, have a provenance rose.

507

, The cellars on board are well

stocked and showcase a full flavour.

508

France, and also we ask you what your

preferences are and all that becomes

509

reflected in what we communicate to

the barges so that everything is as

510

you would want it when you embark.

511

Daniel Edward: You mentioned before

this conversation about, working

512

towards a, concierge feeling service.

513

where would somebody most feel that?

514

Rosie Mansfield: When you reserve

A hotel barge, you're often

515

doing it 12 months in advance.

516

So your trip isn't gonna happen for a

full year, and yet you're in contact

517

with us the whole run up to that.

518

for want of a better word we are

handholding the whole way from

519

the time that you make an inquiry

with us to select the barge.

520

and then in preparation for that,

there is assistance with, understanding

521

how to get to where your barge

pickup will be, recommendations for

522

everything from like what to pack

to, personalising the itinerary.

523

If you're chartering the boat with

your friends or your family and the

524

itinerary has something on it that

either you've seen before or you don't

525

love, then we are the middle person

that you tell us that, and then we

526

go and see what we can make possible.

527

we take all of the heavy load outta the

run up to this trip and for our clients,

528

that peace of mind to know that there's

somebody always available at the end of

529

the phone or by email, it's reassuring.

530

We'll be in contact during your

cruise to see how it's going.

531

, And then afterwards we

want to hear your feedback.

532

We want to hear your suggestions.

533

so it's a quite a holistic thing , we're

not a booking agent, you know, it's,

534

it, you don't just ring us and, and we

tell you what's available on what day.

535

It's much more of a personalised service.

536

And you can see that in

our Trustpilot reviews.

537

If you read some of the stories on

there of how people, articulate their

538

experience with French waterways,

they say it better than I could.

539

Daniel Edward: And where

are they coming from?

540

Who are your main customers?

541

Rosie Mansfield: I'd say could

even be 80 to 90% of our clients

542

are coming from North America.

543

And then we will have some from the

uk, the rest of Europe, Australia.

544

Lots of friends refer friends, they

come back from their crews and then

545

they have lunch with their girlfriends

546

or they might play a round of golf and

the next thing the phone will ring.

547

We'll say, my friend has just come back

from a cruise and she said it was the most

548

relaxing holiday that she's ever been on.

549

Tell me more about it.

550

I said near the beginning.

551

A barge cruise gives you an experience

where you feel so deeply cared for.

552

You cannot say that you felt that,

since you were probably a young child.

553

And so this is for everyone.

554

This is the Ultimate Girls trip, where

typically, again, Females are most often

555

the caregivers who looks after them, come

on a girls trip, come on a barge cruise,

556

it's such a restorative experience.

557

It's unbelievable.

558

But also big birthdays,

but it can be a four 40th.

559

It doesn't have to be for

a 60th birthday or a 70th.

560

We've also had 90th birthdays on board,

but there's nothing wrong with 40 and 50.

561

Come on.

562

people talk a lot about multi-gen

holidays, and We do get quite a

563

lot of, family groups that would

go through three generations and

564

even children as well on board.

565

Some barges, Are more suited to it than

others and more flexible than others.

566

So that's again, the benefit of

talking to us to pick the right barge.

567

And then itineraries can be changed

to be more geared towards family.

568

So less wine tasting, more adventures

and caves or horse riding or picnics.

569

Do CV cars over the rolling

countryside, drive some vintage

570

vehicles with your family.

571

Lots and lots to be done on scene.

572

So I have a bit of a mission, Daniel.

573

I have a, a bee in my bonnet to sort

of disrupt the status quo that barging

574

might be seen as something for people

who are more looking at retirement trips.

575

this is just not the case.

576

Daniel Edward: No, it sounds fantastic

and I'm nowhere near retirement.

577

if people want to find out more,

where can they find you online?

578

Rosie Mansfield: the easiest

place is at our website,

579

which is french waterways.com,

580

though it's the little

dash across the middle.

581

Daniel Edward: and it

is a fantastic website.

582

Lots of information on there, and of

course then your contact details for

583

starting those personal conversations.

584

Rosie Mansfield: Absolutely ring

us or send an inquiry through.

585

we are so responsive.

586

you will hear back from us very quickly

because we take, every inquiry as if

587

it was us planning our own holidays

for our own family, and we enjoy it.

588

Daniel Edward: What would you say

is the top thing to see or do on

589

a barge holiday through France?

590

Rosie Mansfield: That's such

a difficult question, Daniel.

591

I would say that the top thing to

see or do on a barge holiday in

592

France is to sit on top deck when you

are approaching a very low bridge.

593

Have your favourite tipple in hand.

594

Be sitting beside either your best

friend or your husband and wife.

595

Duck as you go under the bridge

and put your hand up and touch

596

the bridge as you're going along.

597

Daniel Edward: Well, I hope

you've remember to duck.

598

Wow.

599

I'm Not recommending this by the way,

but when I was at university, we, had a

600

river that ran through the city and, uh,

you go, on, on punts along the river,

601

and there was a common, well, it wasn't

that common, it was common amongst

602

some of the students to punt your punt

along and then jump onto the bridge,

603

run across the bridge, and then jump

back down onto your punt and continue.

604

and you'd see people falling in because

they misplaced the jump back down, or

605

indeed they didn't get onto the bridge,

but the boat's gone from underneath

606

them, and so they've got no other choice.

607

so whenever I see low hanging

bridges, I always see the opportunity.

608

But I think my days of, bridge

jumping are, probably behind me.

609

Rosie Mansfield: I could have

told you one of 20 things that

610

are iconic things to do in France.

611

tasting a, freshly opened oyster, a ban

market or, a very special wine tasting

612

at Ilion that you have on the St.

613

Louis itinerary.

614

There's a hundred things that I could say.

615

I think, choosing the bridge,

it's a moment where you kind of

616

revert to being a child for a

moment, and it's just a lot of fun.

617

It's having that freedom to be so

relaxed with your favourite people.

618

Daniel Edward: What would you

say is a tourist trap or a common

619

mistake that you can avoid?

620

Rosie Mansfield: Okay.

621

I'll give you an example and I'll

use the Grand Victoria for this.

622

When you are on a barge cruise, there

is , of privacy and there is a sense

623

of, exclusivity that comes with that.

624

And so your excursions are planned

very carefully around that.

625

And there was, a time when, we were

moored quite close to a river ship

626

and our pilot captain and guide knew.

627

that that ship would be visiting

the hospice deone on that day.

628

And so the way that he plans his

itinerary is that we get there for 9 15,

629

9 30, which means we walk straight in.

630

There are no cues and you feel like

it's almost a private experience.

631

and yet, when we finished our tour

and we came out and I looked, there

632

was a line all the way along the

block of people waiting to get in.

633

And I said, what, what's happening here?

634

And he said, oh, that's rivership.

635

They've disembarked and they've come

and coaches and they're here for

636

like 1230 or something like that.

637

So they're queuing in the midday song I

knew in that moment that, we went there

638

at the time that we did a little bit

early, but it was all about avoiding

639

that tourist trap of going at a busy

time, having to queue and just feeling

640

like it wasn't a luxury experience.

641

So there's an example where, two

sets of cruise guests went to the

642

same excursion on the same day, but

had two very different experiences.

643

Daniel Edward: What's your favourite time

of year to be out on the rivers of France?

644

Rosie Mansfield: As an Irish person,

I love going to France in the summer

645

months because we rarely get really

hot weather, but the most, popular

646

times of year are May and September.

647

So the temperatures are a

little bit cooler than having

648

the July and August heat.

649

it's very pleasant.

650

The sun is warm on your face, but

you're not running inside, to the

651

climate controlled salon, to cool off.

652

It's not as sticky.

653

so may and September weeks will

sell out a good year in advance.

654

Daniel Edward: What would you say is

a book or a film that people could

655

seek out if they're interested in

finding out more or, or just connecting

656

to the essence of the region?

657

Rosie Mansfield: I watched

a fantastic episode.

658

Now it's not book or film, it's

technically tv, but I watched an e

659

excellent, e episode, with Rick Steves

on a burgundy, cruise that he did on

660

Papillon, and that was probably, I think

I saw that on YouTube around November

661

time, so it would be easily accessible

and he really did a brilliant job

662

at articulating the essence and the

magic of what a canal cruise is like.

663

I think it's about 20 minutes.

664

If you wanna get a good insight,

then that's a great thing to watch.

665

Daniel Edward: How about food or drink?

666

What should we definitely

try when we're in town?

667

Rosie Mansfield: Champagne,

vintage champagne followed by Aki

668

Royale, which is still champagne.

669

Um, I think try as much fish as you can.

670

Try the oysters, with

champagne, obviously.

671

France has such a world renowned gourmet

cuisine that even if you think that

672

you don't like it in your home country,

I'd almost guarantee that if you try

673

it in France, you're gonna love it.

674

Daniel Edward: Final question.

675

I'm heading out to France on a barge

cruise, and I want to take something

676

home that's gonna remind me of my time.

677

A little memento, and I'm not

looking for a fridge magnet that

678

was probably made somewhere else.

679

So what should I keep an eye

out for as a nice souvenir?

680

Rosie Mansfield: I can think of, a

whole host of things that I brought

681

back from the Grand Victoria since

we were talking about it already.

682

so three things that come top of mind.

683

one is some gorgeous chef

and sommelier glasses.

684

They are French made

glasses for your wine.

685

You will see them in so many different

locations that if you use them on

686

your barge if you then buy a set for

home, every time you hold that in

687

your hand with your favourite wine,

it will remind you of your barge trip.

688

Another wonderful thing that Cindy,

Cindy dresses all the tables and

689

she had these wonderful knife

rests that matched her tableware.

690

And so when we did day trip and the market

trip, I think it was Dijon, she showed

691

me the cutlery shop that she got them in.

692

And I got some knife rests

for my own home table.

693

And granted, I only use them for dinner

parties and Christmas and things like

694

that, but they remind me of my trip.

695

And I think the last thing is, if

you're in the hospice to bone, there

696

is a little gift shop on the way out.

697

I think you're allowed

a touristy souvenir.

698

they have what's called a drip stop.

699

you fold it into a coil and you put it

into the top of your bottle of wine.

700

And it's designed to stop

when you finish pouring.

701

It's designed to stop

little drops happening.

702

And they come with the burgundi and

roof tile design for about 10 euros.

703

I think you're allowed that

one as a, let's say that

704

that's like a typical thing.

705

I did also buy other inserts for the wine.

706

There's a great one that, Edward showed

me that's your red wine, which means

707

that you don't have to let it sit for

quite as long before it's ready to taste.

708

And the last thing is Burgundian

is what they call a testin.

709

So in Burgundy you have a little

silver cup with a little tiny,

710

section to hold where your thumb goes.

711

And it's used for tasting the wine testin.

712

And that is so Burgundian and

something that you could bring back

713

as, it's really just from that region.

714

Daniel Edward: Intriguing.

715

Well, Rosie Mansfield, chief

Executive of French Waterways,

716

thank you so much for unlocking

luxury French Barge cruises for us.

717

Rosie Mansfield: Thank you, Daniel.

718

It's been my pleasure.

719

Daniel Edward: Thank you again

to Rosie Mansfield, the chief

720

executive of French Waterways.

721

What a great way to see France.

722

It's something that always amazes me.

723

France is a huge, huge country, and

so to be able to get into the heart

724

of it through the little channels and

waterways that really make the foundations

725

of a country, it's the best way.

726

And well, it sounds sort of

luxurious as well, doesn't it?

727

If you go on one, do let me know.

728

It's always really nice to hear from

you, and you can get in touch via the

729

website, destination unlocked.com.

730

If this is your first time listening

to the Destination Unlocked Podcast,

731

give us a follow wherever you're

currently listening, and that way

732

you'll be able to find us again nice

and easily the next time you want to go

733

armchair travelling somewhere wonderful.

734

Until then, thanks for listening.

735

Bye-bye.