Barone Yachting

Midi - Camargue

The French call the southern part of their country Le Midi. If you know how to evade the major tourist centers you will find a peaceful and wonderful region with a thousand year old history. Fields of sunflowers, corn, and vine will stun the traveller.
Pierre-Paul Ricquet started to build the region’s first waterway in 1667. It connects the city of Toulouse with the Mediterranean Sea. The curved way is marked by old bridges, oval locks and alleys flanked by plane trees. The canal starts at Etang de Thau near the small town Marseillan from where it is only about 13 miles to Agde, an old fishing harbor that used to be located directly on the coast. The lock at Agde with its three gates is worth seeing. You will reach Béziers and from this point on the seven lock long way called Fonserannes lies ahead of you. Once you have passed this area a stretch of about 33 miles without locks guarantees you a free passage. At the end of it lies the boat tunnel of Malpas. From Argens on the canal passes through locks once more but the traveller is finally rewarded with the city of Carcasonne. Carcasonne features an old castle that should be visited in any case. The old city is constantly alive with tumblers and street musicians. Its streets are full of souvenir shops. Castelnaudary lies some 38 miles away from Toulouse.

Le Petit Rhone

From Carnon, St. Gilles, or Beaucaire you can embark on a trip through the wildlife park of the Camargue on Le Petit Rhone. Close to Les Saintes Marie de la Mer the waterway will lead you in immediate proximity of the coast. You can make a stop on your way and make a trip into the countryside of the Camargue with its wild horses and flamingos.

Canal Lateral a la Garonne

The canal that runs between Toulouse and Castes-en-Dorthe concludes the east-west connection that begins with the Canal du Midi in the east. The canal leads from Castets through furtile lands passing Damazan with its strawberry fields, fruit trees and melon plantations. You can buy all kinds of fresh fruits on the markets next to the plantations.
Worth seeing are the harbor Le Mas d’Agenais and the small town of Meilhan as well as La Réole. Above Damazan you will pass Buzet with its famous winegrowers cooperative and the magnificent stone bridge to Agen over the Garonne. Near Moissac you can turn into the river Tarn that leads after a short while downwards to the lake of Saint Nicolas de la Grave. You will surely be welcomed in a warm way at the local yacht club.

Canal du Midi

The oval locks that have to be handled manually on this canal date from the 17th century. Bright fields of sunflowers, old bridges, and 60 manually operated locks on a stretch of about 150 miles are waiting for the traveller.

Rhone and Canal d’Arles a Port de Bouc

If you travel on the Petit Rhone from St. Gilles in the northern direction, you can cross the Rhone and visit Arles. You can pass under the same picturesque drawbridge that was painted by Van Gogh when he spent some time here and you can experience the shallow reeds lakes of this beautiful region.

Canal du Rhone a Sète

The Etang de Thau, a lake of about 75 square miles connecting the Canal du Midi with the Canal du Rhone a Sète, needs some experience on the side of the “captain” when the wind is strong. You will reach the planes of the Camargue and its wild life which is unique due to its protection by the conservation area.

Locks

On the Garonne side canal there are approximately 53 locks that correct a difference of altitude of about 420 feet. The five locks at Montech can be evaded by travelling through a ship lift. Most locks are handled automatically. The passage through them is regulated by lights.

Our houseboat holiday partners:

Nicols: Bellegarde, Le Somail, Bram, Port Lauragais, Aigues-Mortes
Locaboat: Lattes, Argens, Négra
Le Boat: St. Gilles, Port Cassafières, Narbonne, Homps, Trèbes, Castelnaudary
France Passion Plaisance: Carnon, Agde, Colombiers, Homps, Carcassonne