An Inland Voyage is a travelogue about a canoeing trip through France and Belgium in 1876. It
is Stevenson's earliest book and of the earliest works of outdoor literature. The voyage was
started with Stevenson's Scottish friend Sir Walter Grindlay Simpson mainly along the Oise
River from Belgium through France in the Fall of 1876. Stevenson was named Arethusa in the
book and Simpson was called Cigarette. They both had a wooden canoe comparable in style to a
modern kayak. They were narrow decked and paddled with double-bladed paddles a technique
that had recently become famous in England France and neighboring countries. Outdoor travel
for leisure was uncommon during that time because of which the two Scotsmen were often mistaken
for traveling salesmen but the uniqueness of their canoes would bring entire villages out and
wave at them. Much of the travelogue describes the two men's adventures during the trip.
Stevenson also depicts many intriguing people he and Simpson met. These included the Royal
Sport Nautique members and a family that lived on a barge.
