Canal du Midi, Week 3, 20-26 August
Downhill all the way from Lauragais, caffeine deprivation en route to Ayguesvives, five nights in Toulouse with Digby and Allison… and we reach the end of the 240km-long Canal du Midi!
Canal du Midi, Week 2, 13-19 August
Marseillette; Cathars and cassoulet in Carcassonne; bam-bam-bam on the way to Bram; two nights in Castelnaudary
It was a long, long day from Homps (say “Omp“) – lock, double lock, double lock, stop for lunch before triple lock, and then the final lock at Marseillette, where we stopped for the night.
Canal du Midi: Week 1, 6-13 August
From Marseillan to Villeneuve-des-Beziérs, “wild”-moored at Colombiers, braving the low, low bridge in Capestang, Ventenac-en-Minervois, Homps
From Marseillan port, we set off at 8.30am back into L’Étang de Thau and to the start of the 240km Canal du Midi that will take us all the way to Toulouse.
Three Nights in Marseillan, 3-5 August
Marseillan is by far the biggest, most glamorous port we’ve visited so far, thronged with French and international tourists and lined with bars and restaurants. Best of all, we met up with new friends and made some even newer ones.
Day 1
This feels like the South of France! And yet we almost gave it a miss, turned around and left straight for the Canal du Midi. I’m so glad we didn’t.
Avignon to Frontignan, 31 July – 2 August
Petit Rhône, Canal du Rhône à Sète, L’Étang de Thau:
Fourque-all mooring, screwed at Saint-Gilles, celebration in Carnon, hello l’Etang de Thau
About 13km from Vallabregues, the last lock on the Rhône, we entered the Petit Rhône.
Weekend in Avignon, 29-30 July
You’ll never get a better view of le pont d’Avignon than from the boat, warned Roy, so I snapped away.
Two points to clarify here: (a) it’s actually called Pont Saint Bénézet, and (b) though the people actually danced sous (under) the bridge, the words of the famous song go, “Sur (on) le pont d’Avignon l’on y danse etc.” (Not that we want to be anal about this, or do we, Roy?)
Lyon to Saint-Etienne-des-Sorts, 24-28 July
Rhône River: Condrieu, Saint-Vallier, Valance (l’Epervière), Cruas, Saint-Etienne-des-Sorts
After a quick round of the Carrefour at Confluence Lyon port, off we headed for our first day on the Rhône – two locks (one with a 9m chute, the other 6m), and a total of five hours. Differently from the Sâone, the Rhône has a specific channel that you (meaning Roy) have to watch for and follow. We had the famous mistral wind behind us, and a little bit of current.
