RIVER SEINE

Honfleur
River approach has strong ebb and flow currents, lock is large and we found it intimidating after a long day's passage. Through the lock is an entry basin where one can tie up against the approach wall to the lift bridge (which raises at prescribed times). Through the lift bridge is the central harbour, fairly small and surrounded by tall historic buildings. Also (separately) beyond the entry basin and through two swing bridges is a boatyard that will raise and lower masts (but you have to do all the preparation and finishing off).

Seine (to Rouen)
The river is large, with strong currents, carries sizeable vessels (ships) and can be subject to thick fog at the seaward (Honfleur-LeHavre) end. The passage to/from Rouen must normally be done in one tide (bank sides are of high sloping concrete- there are only two possible intermediate moorings and they can be highly uncomfortable). The wake effect from passing vessels can be significant and disconcerting when newly 'mast-less'. Do not underestimate the weight of the mast (including a furled mainsail?), the supports necessary, and the fore-aft and side-side lashing down necessary. (We did) (Unpleasant)

Rouen
Good municipal Port de Plaisance on pontoons by the island (where is also a chandlery and the VNF office). Quiet-ish (for a major town, but nearby bridges provide fairly constant background buzz) and safe with a helpful Capitain and reasonable showers (the light does not come on until you've closed the door!). Beware substantial logs floating downstream on the ebb. Good fuel barge upstream of PdP.

Poses
Very quiet mooring (no facilities, except rings) close by the first/last lock, in a backwater. A nice spot.

Les Andelys (Chateau)
The 'harbour' there is very shallow indeed. Entrance <1m depth, at least in the place where we grounded.

Vernon(net)
Small town Halte (water+elect) by water-activities centre - entertaining. There are shallows off, so take the correct approach line. May not suit craft drawing >1.5m.

Port L'Ilon
Marina located in lake off the river with good facilities including boatyard. Quiet and rural, or isolated? Nearest village (shops) is an easy cycle ride away, or a slightly more significant, walk.

Meulan
Lots of navigable backwaters (parallel-waters) in this neck of the woods. Moor up close to the centre of an attractive small town. One small pontoon with water+elect, or bankside rings.

Rueil-Malmaison
Smart (quiet + safe) pontoon by smart modern modern development, but no water or electr. [Bougival halte downstream looks ok, Chatou halte pontoon opposite R-M is damaged and the location not recommended].

Paris (Arsenal)
Deservedly popular - for a capital-city-centre location it is safe and 'reasonably' quiet. Good facilities and a helpful Capitainerie. Some folk book months in advance. The upstream passage through central Paris is magical but beware the bateaux mouches, which are fast and street-wise, and take care to take the correct sequence of bridges/channels through the Isles. The Arsenal basin is approached via a lock that seems small but is not (sliding bollards). <top>

Meaux
Hopefully, by the time you read this the good new pontoon facilities will be finished (they were being constructed when we showed up, Oct 2003). An excellent small town (shops and Brie) and a nice location.

La Ferte sous Jouarre
Shallow-ish approach to two Halte pontoons in a side-water (leave the way you came in, not by continuing upstream). Water + electr. A typical small town that straddles the river, with a good variety of shops.

Chateau Thierry
A larger town (good large supermarket near mooring, heading out of town). Moor against bankside wall (rings) or fixed pontoon (water+electr) with a grille deck.

Epernay
On the Marne itself, a navigable river spur leading to the town, immediately by the first/last lock on the Canal Lateral a la Marne. Alongside moorings with good facilities (including a bar) at the Club Nautique (big brick Castellane tower landmark). Fairly pricey but good quality and a nice location. Trains do rumble by (we hardly noticed) and the town is a 10 minute walk away. Champagne is the major attraction (it was for us!) - we recommend the Domi Moreau vineyard tour as excellent - better than all the 'big' houses'. Details at the tourist office. <top>

Conde sur Marne
A village 'bankside' halte (water+electr) in a pleasant rural location. Peniches in evidence - this is where the Aisne a la Marne canal joins the Marne Lateral. The river Marne itself runs alongside the canal for 50km from Epernay to Vitry.

Chalons en Champagne (sur Marne)
A really delightful town, worth stopping to see, although no water or electricity. Moor upstream of the lock by a safe pleasant park - bankside with rings. Downstream of the lock the extreme south (left) side of the canal is rocky and shallow - this is where you might naturally tend to go on seeing a peniche exiting the lock. (As we did). Opposite there, there is a (shallowish) side channel that leads to a town centre quayside/pontoon (probably not good overnight). Beyond that, by dinghy or small tour boat, one can circuit the entire historic town centre partly underground and partly in pretty cuttings. Unforgettable!

Vitry-le-François
Junction of the Marne Lateral, the Marne au Rhin and the Marne a la Saone. The town has been largely rebuilt following WW2 but the central square is attractive enough and the town has a good range of shops, supermarkets and bricolage (DIY) stores. It also has a peniche boatyard (quiet, no problems), opposite the Halte de Plaisance. The HdP itself is on pontoons in a small 'harbour', which is fairly confined and shallowish. If you can do without water+electricity for a while, the canal quayside corner outside the HdP entrance is preferable. <top>

Orconte
A village bankside Halte, smart and clean and with good facilities. The location is also very pleasant (we spent 3 days there) although it is decidedly rural and the village itself is small.

St Dizier
A fairly big town, the VNF have an office right next to the town lock, but (in November 2003) the Porte de Plaisance 'harbour' looked tatty and unused. We couldn't raise anyone, and we were keen to buy some fuel.

Bayard
A small village Halte (no water or electr.) but with a modest supermarket close by. Quite pleasant, we also didn't mind the nearby railway line, rumbling in the night.

Froncles
In some delightful wooded and hilly countryside, a hamlet albeit with a small supermarket, boulangerie, etc. The VNF Halte (wooden pontoon) has water and electricity. Recommended.

Chaumont
A fairly big town with an 'alongside' Port de Plaisance (all facilities). Big supermarket and other stores 'up the hill' above the canal, towards town.

Rolampont
A nice old, medium-sized, village. The Halte has water+electr. and 'ablutions' that (unlike the Halte itself) were somewhat unpleasant. North-west out of the village (towards Villiers) we thoroughly recommend cycling to see the petrified pools of "la Tuffiere", set in ancient woodlands. Don't confuse it with the motel of the same name at the other end of the village. (We did).

Langres
We didn't stop and now wish we did. Looks like a reasonable HdP for this spectacular looking old town, perched like a citadel on a craggy hilltop.
We continued right on past, through the 5km long one-way Balmesnes Tunnel. Entrance is controlled by your eclusier and/or traffic lights and the tunnel is lit. Quite easy once one get into 'the groove' of position relative to the wall on one side and the narrow pathway on the other. Whichever way you come through, you'll find the countryside feels 'different' on the other side. The Saone side of the canal features a closely spaced flight of 15 'automatic' ecluses.

Dommarien
A very small - pretty - rural Halte. Wooden pontoon but no facilities otherwise.

Champagne sur Vingeanne
Nothing more than a concrete quay by a granary, but it was very welcome at the end of a long day. <top>

Pontailler
Halte pontoons with water and electricity, close to the village centre. Go under a small bridge (it has been raised in recent years, so no headroom problem) and moor on the left (there are some shallowish areas, but not unduly so). Or possibly the associated marina further on. Or possibly the river quayside (stepped concrete, with mooring rings and also modern ablutions) below the road bridge. Large village, good facilities.

St Jean de Losne (pron. "Lone")
There are two marinas, H2O and Blanquart, both in the large basin - the Gare d'Eau - reached through the bridge next to the Canal de Bourgogne entrance lock. H2O (to the right) is very well known and their marina includes a chandlery and a boatyard (with a poor reputation). Their ablutions are courtesy of the town and are therefore public. Blanquart (to left) is slightly smaller, less polished/commercial but has its own chandlery and facilities. In addition, through the Canal de Bourgogne lock there is a basin with further boatyards and moorings, suited to peniches and large river vessels. There is also a boatyard - CPV - on the river itself just upstream. Also a fuel barge (near the canal entrance) and a group of liveaboard peniches at the Old Lock a couple of kilometres downstream.
St Jean is thus a major river centre, both for commercial and pleasure craft. It is a small, almost cosmopolitan, place and it does have a good range of shops, supermarkets and stores. St Jean is a fairly popular place to overwinter - to read in detail about 'how it was for us', read Ruth's Journals.

Seurre
A charming old village, with good facilities on riverside pontoons or in a small harbour (just below the lock). The capitanerie's showers are the best on the river, possibly the best on the waterway network!

Verdun-sur-le-Doubs
Another venerable old place, the Port de Plaisance is off the Saône, 2km or so up the River Doubs which descends from the mountains, sometimes ferociously. Pontoons with water+electricity, close by the town square. Possible bows-to/stern-to mooring in season.

Chalons-sur-Saône
A very pleasant big town / small city. Good pontoons and associated facilities 'behind' the island and near a hypermarket and a big brico (DIY) store. The location is secure and reasonably quiet (there was a motor racing constructors tradeshow nearby when we were there, but even that wasn't too bad). We wouldn't exactly choose to moor underneath the footbridge . . but on the other hand neither was there any problem that we could see either. Recommended.

Tournus
A long length of avenued riverside pontoon, with water (usually - there was a temporary problem during our stay) and electricity. The river is wide here and passing vessels (some are big) can cause some disturbance - warp up carefully. Nevertheless, a good and safe spot and a lovely old town - visit the Monastery.

Mâcon
The river flows through the town, under an historic many-arched bridge. Which is possibly the reason why there is also a modern by-pass canal. The town is worth stopping and seeing, and there are two options. A modern marina-harbour upstream, which is also slightly remote from the town itself. Or a pontoon (water+electr) by St Lawrence island, quiet and an easy walk across the old bridge into town. Recommended. However . . do take care approaching the pontoon. There are areas of very shallow sandbanks just upstream of it (they are marked on the Navicarte) (We forgot to look).

Montmerle-sur-Saône
Completely delightful, in our book. Village pontoon alongside the river (warp carefully) with water and electricity. Adjacent a treed avenue, the village square and a small perfectly formed supermarket. Nice village and a good view from the old brick tower and church on the hill above. We should have stayed longer . .

Trevoux
Another historically important small town, once a proud and independent state capital with its own coinage. Narrow streets climbing uphill. Old buildings. Once very important old buildings. Panoramic views from hilltop belvederes. As ever, make the Tourist Office your first port of call. Good pontoon mooring (water+electr) by the camping ground and outdoor Lido.

Lyon
France's second city has been important in the European context since pre-Roman times. There is a great deal to see and do there - highly recommended. What is more difficult, is finding somewhere suitable to berth for any length of time. True, there are kilometres of public quayside, including a plaisancier quai - but just a bit too exposed for us. There is a large Port Fluvial 'Port Rimbaud' downstream at the confluence of the two rivers, but it looked to us to be determinedly commercial in character. There is also a very small slightly down-at-heel Port de Plaisance between the city and the Port Fluvial - completely full both times we passed by. We visited by car and stayed in a hotel, and then moored up for lunch en-passage. <top>

Les Roches de Condrieu
A competent, slightly boring, marina just off the main river and thus safe. Pontoons, usual facilities, boatyard and fuel. Rather featureless village, but a good and much appreciated stopover nonetheless.

Tournon
A 'harbour' by the large town square (many plane trees). Concrete breakwater and pontoons inside - has seen better days, shallow in places especially further in and constricted for larger craft. Water and electricity (we were not asked for payment). Nevertheless, this is a fascinating once-fortified town with an ancient chateau-castle on the rock (do the 'visit') and overlooking watchtowers. Good shops, markets, etc.

La Roche de Glun
A new pontoon (that's all) on the river spur leading to La Roche barrage. Plenty of depth. A very nice peaceful spot, by La Roche village's park and with the village itself nearby. A few shops and boulangeries. The immediately neighbouring hamlet of Glun (15-20mins walk across the barrage) is highly picturesque. One of those once-active places that 'improvement' of and removal from, the river, has now sent to sleep.

Valence
A fair-sized town. Modern, safe, professional marina just out of town (downstream) with all facilities including fuel and a boatyard with a travelift. A trip to the nearby large supermarket does involve walking along a dual carriageway road for a while.

Viviers
For us, one of the best things in France. A tiny unspoilt medieval hilltop town, it has a cathedral (is it a city?) which is France's smallest, bishop's palace, town mansions, narrow winding streets, intact Roman bridge (an easy walk out of town), avenue of plane trees, etc. It is, in short, gorgeous. We seriously talked about renting an apartment and staying. By the time you read this, the Port de Plaisance (pontoons, water, electricity, etc) will have been refurbished since this was going one when we anchored there in April 2004. Moor up there (inside the breakwater), not on the adjacent quayside (mooring piles) which is where the big river cruise boats stop. We should hasten to add, this is not a 'tourist trap' town.

L'Ardoise
A no-frills Port de Plaisance at the end of an upstream river branch now by-passed, locked and barraged. The place has its simple charms if you're that way inclined although they're rather isolated and industrial in character. The village is a bit of a walk away and the PdP is next to a sand and gravel processing plant, but it's also rural, with some pleasant walks along the river. Quiet and noisy at the same time, there are many indications that this was once quite a thriving place when the 'river went by'. Almost the very definition of a Backwater.

Avignon
If you pass by, you'll have to stop. Good moorings close by the town itself, against the quayside (water + electricity in most places, good showers in the capitanerie peniche) or on the Port de Plaisance pontoons once they get round to reinstating them after the river (or rather, a tree being carried down the river) destroyed them in winter 2003. The river current here and often the winds too, can be strong and must be taken account of when manoeuvring and mooring. Mooring close by the town, the famous Pont St Benezet, the town walls, Pope's palace, etc. It may be well-known but it's still completely stunning. As is Villeneuve across the river (where the Pont went to) which has hilltop cardinal's palaces, castle, King's tower, etc.

Arles
We didn't make Arles, alas. The limited pontoon space there was fully occupied.

Petit Rhône
Lush, modest and shallow in places. <top>

Sainte-Gilles
Fore-aft moorings onto the town's quay, water and electricity, ablutions in the capitanerie. Very much a quiet small-scale river place (on the canal's dead-end branch) compared with the scale and strength of the Rhône. The town is yet another formerly important place (of pilgrimage and trade) left behind by the ravages of history. We liked its authentic, unpretentious charm. Nîmes is a half hour bus ride away, and also well worth the visit.

Aigues-Mortes
Moor up in the town's plaisancier basin by the town walls. Alongside or fore-aft berths, water and electricity. Can be pricey. Modern ablutions in the capitanerie on the western side. A C13th 'new town' built by St Louis to serve as his Mediterranean crusade port. Castle walls, streets and houses largely intact from that time, although now 'cared for' and this is a popular visitor destination. Undeniably very attractive.
Out of A-M, there are two rural-location single-boat wooden pontoons, one each side of the Vidourle junction.

la Maguelonne
Good timber pontoons east of the footbridge - but you need to draw <1m. West of the bridge, a long concrete quayside with (some) bollards. Water from a tap behind the bridgekeeper's kiosk. We liked this spot, the adjacent beach and the nearby village of Villeneuve-l-M.

Sète
Slightly complicated . . Firstly there are a number of bridges that need to be open for access to the various basins. In very general terms they open, all at the same time for only about 5-10 minutes, at 10:00 and 19:00. [check!] It also appears they will open - or will only open - upon request with 1hr notice. Every printed piece of information we saw was different, and all appeared to be wrong. Recommend telephoning the Societe Nautique (SN) port de plaisance. Secondly, moorings. There is a smallish pontooned/serviced area ahead and to port as one comes through the first pair of bridges from the Etang de Thau. There are also berths at the PdP in the Vieux Basin, which is close by the (seaward) harbour entrance - 5 bridges to get there from the EdT. Both are SN. There are also many hundreds of metres of quayside, with rings, but subject to serious wash from passing - speeding - small craft. <top>

The Midi
The Midi (one part of the Canal Entre des Mers and a World Heritage site) is generally winding and narrow, pretty and shallow, and is replete with hire boats. How shallow depends on who you talk to - our 'safe' depth sounder indicated around the 1m-1.2m mark at times but the VNF office in Carcassonne was adamant that the VNF guarantees 1.5m in the centre. They also say that where depths appear shallow this is due to 'soft' leaves, mud, etc. Our own experience is that this is not exactly true. Some reaches are very shallow (between Onglous and Carcassone seemed to be the worse half) and there are sunken logs in places. Below ecluses there are shallow stretches and immediately out of an ecluse (on the lower side) one encounters first a deep pool (where the outgoing water scours) and then a shallow bank (where it deposits). Locks are curved-sided and can be a tough ride going up. It is unfortunate that the many hire boats (which require no test of competence) go far too fast - around bends, when passing and when locking - and are worryingly erratically piloted. It is fairly rare to meet a hire boat beyond Castelnaudry. The canal has a reputation for theft (even from 'middle of nowhere' moorings) - lock everything securely at all appropriate times.

les Onglous
Quiet isolated spot just off the Etang de Thau, primarily a Glenans sailing base with a section of visitors quayside. No facilities except water, but peaceful.

Villeneuve-les-Beziers
Moorings just before the lock. Water 100litres for 1€ by purchasing a 'jeton' from the campsite office (laverie there), the 'Cave des vins' or the Tabac. Quite a nice village with most facilities.
For about 3km around PK225, the famous Libron crossing, the canal is very shallow - we guess from the silt the river introduces.

Beziers
We were warned that the PdP between the 2 locks was noisy. Didn't look too bad when we passed through.

Foncerannces staircase
Boats go up or down the flight in programmed batches - times in the Navicarte and the Beziers eclusier will tell you. Going up is an hour's trial, with spectators, but enjoyably survivable. It is the initial 5min surge of water in each lock that is difficult. Also actually tying up. Our recommendations: (a) try to keep calm and take things slightly slower than you will be encouraged to (b) one person ashore, takes bow line including 'leading' the boat from one chamber to the next (c) bow is tied or held pro-tem, then stern line thrown from boat received, round bollard, back to boat (d) helm holds stern strongly to counteract tendency for bow to collide, also controls boat with engine if necessary (e) landsman controls bow.
The canal is generally very shallow above Foncerannes, and very narrow for a significant 2km reach before Colombiers.

Colombiers
Not recommended. The facilities - and welcome - advertised on the signboard are not there. Noisy and unfriendly.

Passed-through . .
Poilhes - small pretty village, bankside moorings (wish we'd gone there, not Colombiers)
Argeliers - ditto (we stopped for lunch - v.pleasant)
Port la Robine (Porte Minervoise) - looked cute although limited mooring space
le Somail - very pretty, looked good facilities
Ventenac - old 'wine' village, new bankside moorings (not much shade) and 'under the trees'.
Parazas and Roubia - similar

Argens-Minervois
Once again the 'new' all-facilities hireboat harbour was unwelcoming. Bankside moorings (some bollards) past the bridge are probably nicer, quieter, less grockely (we thought so). Nice place.
L'Aiguille
Pretty ecluse and nice reaches just before and after to moor up (bank-side posts)
Marseillette
Good mooorings above the ecluse on the edge of a small village (some shops).
Villedubert
Pretty ecluse and nice reaches just before and after to moor up (bank-side posts) - downstream gets quite shallow.

Carcassonne
Great place, good facilities, nice PdP, but popular. Moor up either just below the ecluse or in the basin above it - both have water+electr, the basin is closer to the showers, with more boats. Although close to the station, the PdP is in fact fairly quiet. Just occasional shouts from hire boats and the sound of them revving away trying to get control as they wait for, or enter, the ecluse.

Villepinte
A really lovely grassy bank mooring (no facilities) just above the lock (not by the bridge further on). Nice village a short bike ride away. One of our favourite places.

Castelnaudry
Flight of locks and then into the famed basin - mainly hire boat moorings, but some others. Through the bridge there are quayside moorings on both sides, gendarmerie overlooks. Water by lifting a green cover. We paid for and used the hire base showers - excellent. A good straightforward medium-sized town - excellent cyber cafe 'Netland' by the war memorial.

Océan
A very good lunch or overnight stop by the highest ecluse on the canal. Very pleasant parkland surroundings and Riquet's obelisk is (desevedly) a required visit. Near l'Océan, le Segala is a popular village stop and in the other direction Port Lauragais is a PdP that is part of a motorway service area (it did look nicer than that sounds).
Montgiscard
Quayside mooring just by the ecluse but also close to a road.

Toulouse
Ramonville PdP 8km south of the city centre in pleasant surroundings. However, Port Saint-Sauveur is close by the centre and although (a bit) noisy is exceptionally well run (by Madame Sylvianne), very clean and very secure. As a result, booking in advance can be necessary. Fuel. <top>

Garonne Lateral
Close to Toulouse it is (compared with the Midi) somewhat featureless. Within 20km or so the canal, although straight, becomes very pleasantly green, wide, good depth and altogether very relaxing. Towards Montech villages become pretty and towards Castelsarrasin, very pretty. This canal grew on us, fast - a very nice place indeed and not crowded. Locks are straight-sided and straight-forward.

Montech
The PdP is fine and fairly cheap. We moored bankside (shallow close-in) for free just near the first ecluse of the five, the entrance to the famous water slope, and the entrance to the Montauban branch canal. Nice walk along the towpath past the locks.

Castelsarrasin
The guidebook implies a rather nondescript place, but this is not so. Excellent village with good facilities including very good agricultural merchant, bricolage, and big supermarket (just north), very good PdP - and cheap too. And Veronique and Bernard's excellent - friendly and informal - boatyard with a 20 tonne crane and an enthusiastic English-speaking clientele (including us).

Valence d'Agen
PdP a little bit tatty. The large village has seen better days. But quiet, and a worthwhile stop. Just east of Valence, Malause looks to be making a nice PdP (PK 74.5).

Agen
Disappointing. The PdP, in a large basin, is very noisy (traffic) and not very welcoming. The town is . . nothing special. Just east of Agen, Boé is a pleasant well-tended PdP, set in wooded parkland, but there is some industry and a camping ground, in the vicinity. <top>