An Inland Voyage

An Inland Voyage is an account of a canoeing trip through Belgium and northern France undertaken in 1876, when the author was 36 years old. Stevenson and his companion, Sir Walter Grindlay Simpson each had a "kayak" style wooden canoe, with a deck and rigged with a sail. Starting in Belgium, then travelling down river in France from Mauberge (near Mons) to Pontoise on the outskirts of Paris, the book paints a charming picture of western Europe in a more innocent age.

Robert Louis Stevenson was not only a gifted writer, he was also an indefatigable traveller. His thirst for adventure was formed by his boyhood visits to remote Scottish lighthouses, and he spent most of his life fleeing the rigours of cold climes and social orthodoxy. Along the way he travelled through France, Belgium, America, and the South Pacific.