A RETIRED couple are selling their £300,000 home and setting sail on a 500-mile voyage across France.

Barry and Kath Dickens, from Darlington, plan to take their time journeying along the Canal du Midi, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.

At a rate of four-miles-an-hour and with plenty of stops along the way, the couple expect to take years, rather than months, to reach their destination.

Mr Dickens, 63, has already completed a course with the Royal Yachting Association to gain his helmsman's certificate.

Now the couple, who have three grown-up sons, only need to find a suitable boat and a buyer for their home in Westbrook, in order to fulfil their dream.

Mrs Dickens, 57, said: "The whole idea is adventure and to downsize. We are going to sell up, sell our furniture and go.

"There is no rush, so we can meander. We are thinking maybe we will spend the next five years doing this. There is nothing set in stone. While we can, we will."

Mr and Mrs Dickens got the idea for their trip, from Agde to Bordeaux, 20 years ago when they first visited France.

"Neither of us wants to sit down and do nothing in our retirement," said Mr Dickens, who was works manager for Supreme Care Homes.

"This is a dream but it is do-able. We are looking at buying an ex-hire boat or a barge and I am planning to convert it myself to live in."

The couple have the blessing of their family and say the only factor that might lure them home is the arrival of grandchildren.

"I got our three sons' webcams for Christmas and one for us, so we can still see one another," said Mrs Dickens. "Barry's captain and I'm crew and there will just be us two, a mobile phone and a laptop.

"We'll miss the family, but it's not that far away.