Explore France - The Historic Canal du Midi
French Boating Holiday - Visit Carcasson, Toulouse, Sete, Bezier
Feb 17, 2007
Plans to build a canal which would link the Atlantic and Mediterranean had been debated since Roman times but it took a 17th century Frenchman named Pierre-Paul Riquet to actually do something about it. On May 15th, 1681 a boat carrying a group of local dignitaries moved slowly away from a quay on the outskirts of Toulouse and the Canal du Midi was officially opened. Over three hundred years later the Canal du Midi has been designated a World Heritage Site by Unesco and what was once a crucial trade route is now a major tourist attraction. The canal starts at Toulouse and ends in Sete - a distance of 240 kilometers.
The best way to enjoy the canal is at the helm of your own boat. Unfortunately, most people don't own a luxurious motor cruiser but there are many companies from whom you can hire a self-drive cruiser.
France - The Canal du Midi - Starting the Cruise
The Canal du Midi has been designated a World Heritage Site by Unesco and what was once a crucial trade route is now a major tourist attraction. A cruise through this beautiful region of France is truly a cruise through history. The banks of the Canal du Midi are lined with peaceful villages, great cathedrals, chateaux and palaces. Places like the fortified medieval city of Carcassonne and the ancient city of Bezierlook wonderful at any time but especially lovely when seen from the canal. .
Orderly rows of poplar trees line the banks, poppy-filled fields are glimpsed through their branches, and men sit silently hunched over their fishing lines. It's a view of tranquility that has changed little since artists such as Renoir and Monet were transferring the beauty of rural France onto their canvases.
Th Cruisers are equipped with everything you could possibly need: waterway guides, a fully equippedkitchen, and even a shelf of books and magazines for holiday reading. The Crown Blue Line has seventeen departure bases throughout France.
France - The Canal du Midi - Navigating the Locks
The Canal du Midi is crossed by more than 100 locks, These are the mechanism that allows you to proceed from one level of the canal to another and, like it or not, you must learn how to negotiate your boat through them. It's not quite as complicated as it looks and there's usually a lock-keeper alongside to assist should you get into trouble.
One of the nicest things about a canal cruising holiday is the complete freedomof it all.You are in your own comfortable floating home and you can do exactly as you wish. It's not for people in a hurry. I doubt we did more than five miles an hour (or 'knots' when you are on the water) , which is perfect for observing birds and water fowl. The locks seems to take ages to fill or empty but this is an opportunity to chat to other holiday-makers as you wait your turn to enter the lock. Holidays don't come more relaxing than this.
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