Narrow Dog to Carcassonne - Terry Darlington > Reviews

Advantages: Funny and well written
Disadvantages: Too much of a good thing

...Phyllis May, a narrowboat so narrow "that you have to live sideways", buffeting across the high seas and one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, completely dwarfed by container ships and tankers, and with swamping a very real possibility. Further on, they have to negotiate the Bollène lock on the Rhône, the second deepest in Europe. I have never been through a canal lock. If I thought about them at all, it was in an Art of Coarse Sailing kind ... Read review

Advantages: Makes you want to do the trip yourself
Disadvantages: Puts you off ever doing the trip yourself

...of pensioners to navigate a narrow boat from Stoke in Staffordshire through the canals of France to the Carcassonne region. It would have probably have been safer and less eventful if either the author or his wife had any idea of what they were doing, but it is all too apparent that they had not. Fortunately their whippet Jim, who can be viewed in a disgusting pose on Terry's web site, seems to have some sense of self preservation and, despite his ... Read review

Advantages: A great story, very well told
Disadvantages: It ended!

This is the tale of Jim, who is a whippet. And his two companions (the humans who mistakenly believe that they own him) Terry and Monica Darlington. And their "brave" decision, on retiring, to take a canal narrowboat the Phyllis May, all the way from Staffordshire to Carcassonne in Southern France. Everyone told them that they were mad, or brave, or stupid or brave in a madly, stupid way. The upshot of this advice was that they were more intent ... Read review

Advantages: Humour that 'll make you wet your pants!
Disadvantages: More laundrey...

...in Florida, again on their narrow boat, The Phylis May. Back to the book in hand though... Narrow dog to Carcassone is to date one of the funniest reads this year. Terry is a retired (but never retiring) reluctant adventure-seeker. After a rash decision to take the Phylis May across the channel, Terry is filled with a mixture of fear, regret and obligation. He has told people of his plans, who in turn have told more people... a.s.o.! Their adventure ... Read review