@Ernest Bywater
I find most Acadian / Cajun / French accents easier to follow than some British accents like Yorkshire or the stronger Scottish accents.
The real challenge comes when regional slang is included. You can understand what sounds someone is trying to make, but if it doesn't form a word you are familiar with you'll try to interpret the sounds as something else that you may recognize.
On the subject of accents tho...
Once, I got to know a bartender who was from Wales. His accent was pure stereotypical Aussie. I mentioned this to him, and he reported that any number of females had asked him if he was from Oz. Then he admitted he'd told them the truth. Poor bugger didn't realize - nobody girl is going to pick a Welsh guy preferentially over anyone else, but Aussies get a significant edge in the dating biz. (He later admitted his results improved dramatically when he started lying to them at my advice.)