I am hiring a barge out of Port Cassafieres at the end of September for just 5 days. What will be the better trip, heading west or heading east toward the Camargue. East seems more scenic, but has several locks to navigate. Any suggestions?
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You still looking for information?
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Still looking for info on barge trip out of Port Cassafieres. East or West?
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Perhaps the following will help, first with going west:
1. The are many more locks this direction, Beziers alone has a series of 4-6 in a row (I going just on memory, can give better details later). They are not particularly difficult but traffic is restricted one way (up or down) during predetermined periods each day. You will of course need to plan for this.
2. Scenery is beautiful. (Presently I am traveling and do not have my maps available but in several days I can give you a better idea of how far you should be able to go.)
3. There are plenty of towns and restaurants to visit. Which ones of course depend upon how much time you are willing to spend in a day traveling. There are a few wineries along this route accessible from the canal, the rosés are particularly excellent.
4. Carcassonne is of course one of the highlights of this route which you may be able to reach.
East bound is very different, some highlights:
1. Etang de Thau - about 8 miles across with strong afternoon winds (cross it early in the day). If you like oysters, this is one of the largest oyster producing locations in the world. There are several ports on the north side of the lake, all with wonderful restaurants. The principal wine here is a very dry white - Picpoul de Pinet - wonderful with seafood.
2. At the end of the Etang is the city of Sete and Mont St. Claire, worth a visit. This is of course is the Camargue - flat and marshy - full of wild fowl and white horses. You%26#39;ll even see flamingos.
3. You can go quite a ways east and pass through only 1 lock, so with very limited time, you can travel farther this direction.
4. You may be able to reach Palavas les Flots where there is a small boat dock with facilities (there is a small fee for staying the night but they have showers and I believe a washer). I believe that points east of here are just too far.
5. The food available this direction includes: oysters, mussels, rascass (a small reddish , I can%26#39;t recall the name in English), bulots (sea snails), tellines (very small shelled, clam like creatures usually served with a wonderful vinaigrette sauce), and vilolets (these are becomming very rare as they are not commercially grown anywhere, but try them is you get the chance).
I usually recommend that an excellent first voyage is from Castelnaudary to Port Cassafieres with a quick trip to the Etang de Thau but this requires 7-10 days in one direction. As you only have a 5 day out and back, it is difficult to suggest which way is preferable. This depends upon how hard you want to work and what you want to see.
If you get near Castelnaudary, stop here to try the local speciality - cassoulet. I know it%26#39;s available elsewhere (even in Paris) but it%26#39;s noticeable better here. I saw a documentary once on French television about cassoulet and Castelnaudary and the difference in taste appears to be how it is cooked or rather how long it is cooked (among other things). Anyway, try it here if you can.
In summary: east is definately easier.
If you have any specific questions about this area, Mrs. Sarastro and I have traveled the Canal du Midi 3 times and the Canal du Rhone a Sete at least twice. We seem to spend a great deal of time in this area so I shall be happy to help in any way.
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Sarastro -
You are so obviously enthusiastic about boating the inland waterways in France that you%26#39;ve got me thinking about spending a week or so doing just this sometime next year. I%26#39;ve always kind of thought of it as being a bit slow. Perhaps for a relaxing week or so it could be just the ticket though, but I don%26#39;t think it would suit me for a long period.
I%26#39;m very accustomed to handling boats and even dealing with locks, so that part doesn%26#39;t bother me at all. What I think I would be looking for is a trip where there would be enough interesting places with a bit of history to them to explore along the way, even if, perhaps especially if, it meant a few miles on a bicycle. A worthwhile place to eat — which does not at all necessarily mean fancy or expensive — every night would also be pretty much an essential. Great scenery would be the other sine qua non. After all, if I%26#39;m going to be going by it at a relatively slow pace, I want what I am looking at to be interesting enough not to bore me in ten minutes.
So with all your experience where would you suggest to %26quot;get my feet wet%26quot; (you should forgive the expression...)? And any particular rental companies?
I enjoy reading all your posts, but on this topic in particular you are clearly the %26quot;go to%26quot; guy on this board.
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Mr Sarastro,
I thank you kindly for your worthy opinion. My inclination is towards the west for it%26#39;s ambiance and scenery, which correct or not, evokes more of what we expect southern France to be. Unfortunately, I am not confident of our travelling companions%26#39; ability to be of much help navigating the locks. I know that there is a 7-lock %26#39;staircase%26#39; just past Beziers that seems a bit formidable. On the other hand, we are not trying to cover as much distance as possible... we would just like to soak up the local culture, eat some good food and enjoy our cruise. My wife and I are fit and generally capable so we may just give it a go.
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An interesting yet undenyable transformation occures during the course of a 7-10 day canal trip. The first day, one is accustomed to a much faster pace, he becomes a bit restless and inspite of the sense of upcomming adverture, the boat may feel a bit confining. The second day, one gently acknowledges this transformation, becomming more likely to relax and enjoy the slow moving scenery. By the third day, one%26#39;s physic is completely altered. He is content to concern himself with little else other than locating the best restaurants for dinner and the appropiate local wines to accompany his meal. Occasionally one stumbles upon a local market for fresh produce, a winery to meet and discuss the product with the proprietor, and an occasional lock keeper selling everything from handcarved wood statues (canal du midi) to fresh eggs from hens running wildly around the lock%26#39;s edge. One is now completely engulfed in the vacation experience, forgetting the concerns of the office and the problems back home. There are fellow boaters with whom one can exchange travel stories, lock keepers from whom one discovers local history, and fascinating little towns to explore; each a charming reminder of a different era. This is really vacation.
My nautical credentials (French of course) are not limited to canal travel but this is where my interest began many years ago and where I presently have the bulk of my experience; having previously traveled on virtually all of the major French inland waterways.
IrishRovr - knowing you a bit by having read many of your posts, I conclude that you will become every bit as taken with canal travel as I have been, keeping in mind of course it%26#39;s a lot like camping. I suggest a 7-10 day one way voyage from west to east along the Canal du Midi. Leave time at the end to cross the Etang du Thau and see the oyster beds and eat in Meze or Sete. You are already quite informed about the Languedoc Roussillon history and culture but a visit here is always enjoyable.
I have rented from Crown Blue and Nichol%26#39;s along this route. I usually call Crown Blue%26#39;s office in Castelnaudary directly after having checked prices on their French website (in the past, the prices in the French site were cheaper than those in English site paid in pound sterling or dollars). I pay in Euros with a credit card of course. Keep checking the websites as discounts are available to shrewd shoppers. As the dollar is at historical lows, renting is not as cheap a proposition as it once was but what in Europe is?
Here is a list of the most well known rental companies:
http://www.nicols.com/
http://www.locaboat.com/
http://www.crownblueline.com/
http://www.connoisseurafloat.com/
http://www.rive-de-france.com/
I have commonly used Crown Blue but compare prices and services offered by all of the above companies. The best boats in the best locations are rented far in advance so reserve early (this fall/early winter is not too soon for next summer).
Bozoshots - you have chosen well, be mindful of the schedule for the locks in Beziers. I am sure you%26#39;ll have a memorable vacation.
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HI, we have hired boats on the Canal du Midi a number of times and always enjoyed ourselves wherever we go, in fact my parents live not far away from the canal. As you are picking up in Castelnaudary I should head towards Agde/Beziers, if you only have 5 days you won%26#39;t be able to do too much, but as another contributor says don%26#39;t miss Carcassonne (its about 26miles from Castelnaudary), its great fun, touristy but I%26#39;m sure you will love it. Take some anti mossie spray and have a great time. We are travelling through that area at the end of September, heading for Spain with a stop-over at my parents place, we will think of you on the boat. The locks on the Canal du Midi are manned, some are even electric, so the lock-keeper usually just asks for a hand in opening the lock, you get used to most being oval quite quickly. What are you looking at doing? Is it the scenery, the food, the villages, the wine that interests you most?
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Thanks again Sarastro. We are very much looking forward to this adventure.
Lonetravelling... we are in fact picking up the boat at Port Cassafieres. As to your question... Is it the scenery, the food, the villages, the wine that interests you most?... the answer is yes. We are anxious to experience a bit of the local culture in a relaxed manner. That is our focus rather than rushing to %26quot;see%26quot; everything remotely possible. Based on our understanding of the locks, and the limited time, we may not get too far beyond Beziers... maybe to Argeliers or Le Somail, so any suggestions in that proximity would be welcome.
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Hi, I am having a funny 5 minutes! I was thinking (not a good idea!!) of our trip from Agde to Castelnaudary and got all wistful thinking about it and moved Port Cassafieres - duh.
If you go from Agde towards Carcasonne a lot of the waterway is shaded by trees and the views are more limited from the canal, you go through some beautiful countryside, and would get to see a million and one vines. If you go through the round lock at Agde- great fun (I assume your hire boat people let you take the boat on the Etang?) and cross the Etang, Marseillan, Meze etc are good places to visit but there is no shade and a lot of water for quite a way, if it is windy it is not safe to cross the Etang. We love Meze and the harbour, the restaurants there are very good and it is a pretty little town. It has a beach on the etang and the water is usually warm if you want to swim. Marseillan has the Noilly Prat distillery there and you can visit and taste. Agde itself it lovely - the old town that is. Beziers is well worth a visit, a beautiful old town, if you have the time and the transport go inland to Pezenas thats worth a side trip. It depends if you are looking for history or scenery or both. The Camargue has wildlife (including mosquitoes), the white horses, bulls, birds of prey, flamingoes etc etc. Bouzigues is famous for its shellfish and oysters and there are some lovely views of Sete and Mont St Clair. There are wineries everywhere, they do sweet Muscat, dry Rose and some very nice red wines. Aigues-Mortes is a lovely old town and worth seeing and that is probably as far as you would get in 5 days/7 days unless you are on a one way trip? Are you taking or hiring bikes?
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Lovetravelling,
Thanks for your input. We seem to be inclined to head west toward Carcassone, but I don%26#39;t believe we can really make a bad decision. And it seems apparent that a single trip will not be sufficient. But we had really just hoped for a taste of the south in between the weekends we spend in Paris. We will be hiring bicycles for our trip so that we can access the towns more readily.
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