Late spring and early summer paddling in Southern France is all about gently flowing rivers, and warm, friendly white water at a moderate grade, paddling beneath the limestone walls of the many steep-sided valleys that cut through the southern flanks of the Massif Central. Except this year, that is, when the rains of spring had been non-stop, and the rivers of France were full or flooding. It was therefore with a bit of a sense of trepidation that I headed on the long road so