Cruising the French canals

[PierreR]

Marco Flamingo did that rental come with those live aboard clips on the line in the third photo?

 

[Marco Flamingo]

Yes, clothesline and pins were onboard.

 

[Irish Rambler]

We are becoming interested in cruising the French Canals on a self drive boat. We're looking for anyone's experiences and ideas. Any input greatly appreciated. Ideally it would be a week on a boat then more time traveling and exploring on land. So far our home work has turned up

The Canal du Midi and Traditions and Travel threads started by Irish Rambler

A two part blog on cruising the Canal du Rhône-Sète and Canal du Midi
Canal Boating In France I -> Practical Details
Canal Boating In France II -> Lattes To Argens

Cruising Association has guides

And two outfits that can provide boats and some level of support
French Waterways
French River Cruises

Hello, we've cruised around europe and currently moored in Narbonne on the canal de la Robine. I'not plugging my book but if you look on Amazon and search for my book 'Windmills and Wine' by Geoff Woolley it will give you an insight.
Ask me any questions you wish and I will answer you honestly.
Geoff.

 

[Irish Rambler]

Why not go to the Netherlands, Germany and possibly Denmark?

The big problem for a non EU resident/citizen is having to leave every 90 days. I am pretty sure I have read that a US citizen can stay up to 180 days in the NL BUT, at the end of the 180 days, one has to leave to a non Schengen country. I also think a US citizen can get a visa to stay longer in France, but I assume at the end of the visa, one would have to leave to a non Schengen country.

Spending time on the continental waterways is what we would like to do as well. The plan would be to stay on the waterways for as long as allowed via visa or Schengen, then reset the clock by taking the boat to the UK and Ireland. Then return with the clock runs out in Ireland and the UK.

Later,
Dan

I've done the trip from Ireland to France twice in a displacement motor cruiser, if you read my book on Amazon called 'Encore' by Geoff woolley it will give you the full story.

 

[dutch-barge]

Hello, we've cruised around europe and currently moored in Narbonne on the canal de la Robine. I'not plugging my book but if you look on Amazon and search for my book 'Windmills and Wine' by Geoff Woolley it will give you an insight.
Ask me any questions you wish and I will answer you honestly.
Geoff.

Look to the website of the Barge Association there a TON of blog of members who are cruising

 

[Irish Rambler]

If you want to see some more about the French canals go visit the website of LeBoat. That is a company which rents out different sizes of boats (basically bumper cars, can't make any damage) in countries like the UK, Canada, France, Italy and the Netherlands.
They have tons of videos and trip information.
If you really want to spend a lot of time on the water you can also become 'owner' of a boat. You pay a price for the boat and you can use the boat yourself for almost 12 weeks a year. At the end of the contract you will get a fixed price for the boat We did not think it was a good deal for us, but perhaps it is for you.
Unfortunately our boat does is too high for the french canals, but we will still do it one day, simply by renting one. As a tip I would go at the end of the season, in September, when the weather is still great, water is warm and nights are still pleasant.
Like others stated, forget the high season, is too hot, too crowded.

Hi Mambo42. Sorry but I have to have a difference of opinion on Le Boat. They are probably the worst maintained fleet and whatever you do don't touch their boat 'ownership' as thats where they get rid of the lemons. Since Covid the canals are not at all crowded and due to the exceptionally dry weather along the route of the canal du Midi you may have to pass the locks a couple of boats at a time to save water. Hapimag and Locaboat and Nicols are other boat hire companies.

 

[Irish Rambler]

Yes. Germany, Netherlands, Belgium & France.
France was the most recent - and that was 2019 when we took our boat from Sweden to the Med. via Paris. Lovely. I can't recommend it highly enough.


We will soon have to plan our return from the Med, which we'll do most likely in summer of 2025. The following routes are under consideration:
- Roughly the reverse of what we did in 2019 - but we don't look forward to upstream travel on the Rhone and 250+ locks.
- Canal-du-Midi to Atlantic and then around Brittany...but we don't look forward to potential orca encounters.

- Put the boat on a Truck from Slovenia to Lubeck, Germany.


In 2019, we had to rush the end of our journey south in France so as to not get stuck inland for the winter. This was due to impending canal closures due to lack of water. I've read (mostly from Tom Somers) that the water and canal closure situation has become far worse since 2019. The general suggestion is travel before the end of June for optimal water level conditions.


I can also say that after reading many years on Canal-du-Midi, one would do well to avoid peak traffic months (read: hours-long waits for locks). So, April and May would be an excellent off-peak / good weather / sufficient water time to go.

If you considering returning via the Rhone I would monitor the snowfall in the Alps and the general rainfall as it influencest he 'run off'. Early April/May spring before the Alps snow melt or August Sepember. As you will know there's generally no rstriction on the Rhone as a commercial waterway. The trick is to do your research and check out any festivities along your route and plan accordingly, take it easy and don't turn it into a marathon.
The canal du Midi/Lateral Garonne depends on your draft exiting in Bordeaux you'll have no Orca's but you will have a very high tidal range, this will begin to ease off once you get above Dunkirk.

 

[Hippocampus]

What captained boat company do you recommend?

 

[Irish Rambler]

What captained boat company do you recommend?

Hello, as we are boat owners we don't use the hotel barges but from our experience chatting to some of their guests onshore the European Waterways company's barge Anjodi is very popular. there are others but I have no experience of them.
You contacts are sales@europeanwaterways.com or tol free from the states 1-800 394 8630 I hope this is helpful.

 

[Irish Rambler]

I subscribed to one of the links, I think Euro Canal, but could never find out if one can just tie up along a canal? When we visited the NL, not by boat unfortunately, I could see places where it would seem one could tie up along the canal but I wondered if that was correct, and if so, how long could one tie up?

Later,
Dan

You can tie up 'in the wild' for 3 days on the French canals.

 

[dannc]

You can tie up 'in the wild' for 3 days on the French canals.

Thank you for confirming the three day limit. Three days is what I remember being the time limit.

 

[Irish Rambler]

Yes. Germany, Netherlands, Belgium & France.
France was the most recent - and that was 2019 when we took our boat from Sweden to the Med. via Paris. Lovely. I can't recommend it highly enough.


We will soon have to plan our return from the Med, which we'll do most likely in summer of 2025. The following routes are under consideration:
- Roughly the reverse of what we did in 2019 - but we don't look forward to upstream travel on the Rhone and 250+ locks.
- Canal-du-Midi to Atlantic and then around Brittany...but we don't look forward to potential orca encounters.

- Put the boat on a Truck from Slovenia to Lubeck, Germany.


In 2019, we had to rush the end of our journey south in France so as to not get stuck inland for the winter. This was due to impending canal closures due to lack of water. I've read (mostly from Tom Somers) that the water and canal closure situation has become far worse since 2019. The general suggestion is travel before the end of June for optimal water level conditions.


I can also say that after reading many years on Canal-du-Midi, one would do well to avoid peak traffic months (read: hours-long waits for locks). So, April and May would be an excellent off-peak / good weather / sufficient water time to go.

I think that you'll find the level of movements on the canal du Midi much reduced. A combination of Covid, plane trees being cut down and hire boats pricing themselves out of the market you won't have any problems. If you plan to travel up the river Rhone go in March before the snow melt in the Alps and september after a dry summer.