We have at all times dreamed of taking a barge by means of the canals of the South of France. I bear in mind studying a journey e-book once I was younger a couple of couple who barged their approach by means of Europe and I’ve had that on my bucket checklist ever since. When we had the alternative to drive our personal houseboat on the Rideau Canal final summer time in Canada, we made a degree to put Europe on our journey itinerary subsequent. So when Le Boat requested if we needed to self-drive a ship and cruise the Canal du Midi this summer time, our reply was a convincing, sure!
Cruise the Canal du Midi Tips and Advice
Since we had already taken two Le Boat cruises in Canada, we felt like seasoned specialists upon arrival at the Le Boat headquarters in Homps situated 90 minutes south of Toulouse. We whizzed by means of our 40-minute boat introduction and set off for our 6-day cruise down the well-known canal.
You don’t want any boating expertise to drive a Le Boat houseboat. When you arrive at the marina, a consultant will stroll you thru the boat’s controls and present you the way to drive it. There are limiters on the pace so you may solely cruise at a most of 10km per hour and there are loads of bumpers on the boat to hold you from crashing into the canal partitions.
Transfer from Toulouse to Homps
Le Boat’s Canal du Midi headquarters are situated in Homps which is a 90-minute drive from the airport. Le Boat arranges transfers and airport decide-ups to take you from Toulouse to Homps, they usually accomplish that in type.
My brother and sister-in-regulation met us for this journey, so after spending 2 days in Toulouse, we went again to the airport to meet them and our drive to take the switch to our embarkation level.
Homps, France
Homps is the leaping-off level for Le Boat Vacations alongside the canal and it’s right here that we suggest spending a minimum of a day to get every part to ensure that your cruise. There are loads of eating places alongside the canal and there are a number of resorts and condominium leases. Homps has been catering to Canal du Midi barges for years and is the excellent place for eating, looking for provides and enjoyable.
Taking our non-public switch from the Toulouse airport, we arrived at the stunning Jardin d’Homps BnB in the village only a quick stroll from the Canal du Midi. This beautiful property is about in a quiet tree-lined courtyard with a swimming pool, terrace, and scrumptious breakfast.
It was then off to our first evening of eating on this historic waterway at En Bonne Compagnie. This beautiful tavern had a unbelievable environment with wonderful service and meals. What a approach to kick off our journey. We may have spent greater than a day right here enjoyable on this quiet city, As one resident from England who bought property right here mentioned, “It’s like Tuscany without the crowds.” They got here on a canal tour years earlier and cherished it a lot, that they moved right here! But alas, we solely had in the future earlier than our boat journey started.
Preparing for a Canal du Midi Cruise
There is a grocery retailer on the town the place you may top off on meals and drinks. Our guesthouse proprietor warned us that there weren’t quite a bit of choices for meals in the coming days, so we must always get every part we want now.
The BnB proprietor was type sufficient to take our baggage and provides to the Le Boat verify-in workplace, so we discovered a pleasant place in the shade to wait to be checked in and at last get on our approach.
One of the most essential items of recommendation I may give you for purchasing is to buy loads of water. The south of France can see insufferable warmth in the summer time, and through our journey, the temperatures rose to 42 levels Celcius. (107 F). We couldn’t drink sufficient water to keep hydrated. Luckily, our Vision 3 boat had a full-measurement fridge, so we had loads of room to hold issues cool.
We ordered a picnic package deal which gave us a number of necessities to start our journey. This helps with important gadgets like espresso, milk, sugar, butter, bread, salt & pepper, olive oil, a number of bottles of water, juice, coke, and a few native wine and beer. It additionally consists of snacks like chips, peanuts, biscuits, and croissants. I like to recommend ordering this as it can get you thru a day or two in case you forgot something.
Below now we have offered some packing important suggestions for cruising the Canal du Midi.
Our Route on the Canal du Midi
Our route alongside the Canal du Midi took us from Homps to Castlenaudry.
Day one was a brief day of cruising. After checking in, unpacking, and going by means of our boat stroll-by means of and lesson, we cruised for only a couple of hours to attain Puicheric.
When we docked, we have been grateful for having shopped in Homps as the city was a bit of a hike. We had two bikes, however there have been 4 of us, and since we simply received on the boat, we determined to loosen up and make dinner on the deck. Using the barbecue we made dinner and sipped wine from the South of France as we watched the solar go down.
We had a six-day itinerary to get from Homps to Castlenaudry and that was greater than sufficient. Our stops included
Homps PuichericTrebesCarcassonnePrexoriaCastlenaudrey
We recommend spending two nights in Carcassone as that is the largest metropolis with the most points of interest. Castlenaudrey has quite a bit of facilities as nicely and you may catch the prepare again to Toulouse from right here after Le Boat in case you don’t need to spend cash on the switch.
Activities on the Canal du Midi
We had visions of stopping at vineyards and olive groves throughout our time on the Canal however sadly that didn’t occur. We thought we’d be going sightseeing and exploring quite a bit, however we quickly realized that the smaller villages alongside the canal, actually don’t have quite a bit of sightseeing or issues to do. When planning your journey, take the stops into consideration.
Besides the cities of Carcassonne and Castlenaudrey, there wasn’t quite a bit to do. If you need to see points of interest and have excursions, this isn’t the journey for you. The attraction is being on the boat.
For our route, if you need excursions, we propose spending two days in Carcassonne and planning from there. We couldn’t e-book wine excursions, sightseeing, and even taxis from our boat and wished that we spent two nights in Homps and two nights in Carcassonne.
About the Locks and the Canal du Midi
If you learn our Le Boat expertise on the Rideau Canal in Canada, you will notice that cruising the canals in Canada it is vitally enjoyable as Parks Canada works the locks. Cruising the Canal du Midi takes much more work. The Rideau Canal is way more environment friendly with traces inside the locks that transfer up and down with the water so you may merely loop your ropes round them from the boat.
The distinction is when cruising the Canal du Midi locks, one individual should get off the boat at every lock to be there to take the ropes and loop them round the cleats at the prime of the lock. This means you could tie up above the lock and let that individual off earlier than you may undergo. This makes it much more time-consuming in contrast to the Rideau Canal.
Do You Open and Close the Locks on the Canal du Midi?
Before happening the Canal du Midi, we had heard that we would want to hand crank the locks ourselves. This was not the case on our route between Homps and Castlenaudry. For most of the locks, a lockkeeper is there to function the controls for you. The solely factor you want to do is catch the ropes at the prime whereas the captain drives in. And then one individual should be at the entrance and the again of the boat to maintain it regular with the ropes.
However, there was one portion of the canal on the approach into Castlenaudry, the place the passenger had to function the opening and shutting of the locks. The locks are automated, so all you will have to do is press the button and observe the directions.
An essential factor to observe is that on this stretch, the locks are about 1km aside, so it’s a enormous day of going by means of locks. We discovered that, as an alternative of having the captain cease every time to drop one of us off earlier than every lock, the individual conrtolling the locks as an alternative cycled forward to be ready for the boat to enter.
When I noticed the boat approaching, I pushed the inexperienced button to open the doorways. This made the complete expertise very environment friendly.
When the doorways opened, Dave drove the boat in after which Jim and Janice tossed me their ropes so I may loop them round the cleats. I then pushed the button to shut the doorways and fill the locks. They held onto the ropes to hold the boat regular, and as soon as the lock was crammed, the doorways opened robotically. I then rode forward to open the subsequent lock.
So our largest tip for this portion of the journey is to have a bicycle on board.
Bicycle Rentals
If you didn’t lease a bicycle from Le Boat, you’ll both want to stroll forward throughout that portion or have the captain drop you on and off earlier than every lock. We extremely really useful renting a minimum of one bike. Besides, a number of of the mooring areas are situated out of city or the grocery shops are far out of your boat, so having a motorcycle was an enormous bonus.
At instances, you’ll desire a bicycle to purchase some extra meals as shops have been a bit of a hike from the boat. While eating places and bars are situated immediately or inside strolling distance of the docks when in Homps, Trebs, Carcasonne, and Castlenaudry, there are occasions once you’ll be a number of km from the city. Plus, there are biking paths all alongside the Canal du Midi, so in case you get into your dock early, you might have considered trying to get on the bikes to take a look round.
On Board Grocery Pack
As we talked about above, we extremely suggest ordering the grocery package deal to get you began on the boat. You will certainly want to do purchasing, however this permits you for some extras resembling espresso, milk, butter, jam, olive oil, sugar, and salt and pepper.
It additionally consists of native wine, beer, lemonade, coke, water, and snacks resembling croissants, bread, biscuits, and chips. We discovered that we ended up utilizing every part together with the aluminum foil which is nice for cooking on the barbecue. Make positive to order your grocery pack 7 days upfront to have it on board once you arrive.
Shopping List
It is up to you the way a lot you need to buy. There are loads of locations the place you’ll give you the option to dine out however a minimum of for the first evening, you will have your individual meals on board. And we extremely suggest having breakfast, snacks, lunches, and sufficient meals for a pair of dinners on board.
We purchased meals for all of our breakfasts, lunch, and for 2 dinners. The greatest recommendation we may give is to plan your meals forward of time and determine how usually you need to eat on the boat. You can’t take the meals with you, so when you’ve got a transparent concept for every meal, you should purchase meats and cheeses, pastries and dinners for the length of your journey.
Packing Essentials for Le Boat on the Canal du Midi
Cruising the Canal du Midi happens in the summer time months in Southern France, so anticipate scorching climate. Pack the common summer time-particular clothes like shorts and T-shirts, however one Le Boat-specific merchandise we can’t stress sufficient is to pack work gloves to man the locks. The ropes can actually tear up your palms, plus, they’re usually slimy. We used these gloves however I believe waterproof work gloves could be higher. See these on Amazon.
The Canal du Midi is just not clear, boats are allowed (truly inspired) to dump their bathrooms immediately into the canal whereas driving. We can attest that many individuals even dumped their black water whereas docked as the scent wafted into our cabins. Since you’re dealing with ropes which might be frequently falling into the water, put on gloves when tieing up and doing the traces. And wash your palms usually.
Another merchandise we want we had was a solar umbrella. We couldn’t put our boat cover up as a result of each few hundred meters we had to go beneath low bridges. Sun hats are a should. Bathing fits will not be wanted as you can’t swim in the Canal du Midi. This umbrella appears like it might have been excellent to have at the captain’s chair.
Sunglasses and binoculars are a good suggestion as nicely. Le Boat in each Ireland and Canada equipped binoculars however these waterways are on rivers with open lakes and also you want to discover buoys and markers. Binoculars will not be wanted on the Canal du Midi since it’s only a straight slender canal so that you don’t want them to navigate, however it’s good to give you the option to take a more in-depth take a look at the passing surroundings.
Also, I extremely suggest bringing a pair of board video games or playing cards for evenings and it’s a good suggestion to pack moveable audio system in your music.
Portable fan – I’ve a USB-operated fan that’s handheld and that helped me quite a bit once I was overheating. I’ve at all times suffered from a Thyroid dysfunction and Graves illness, so my thermostat has by no means been nice. With the nonetheless scorching air on the Canal du Midi, I used to be struggling. My moveable handheld fan helped me quite a bit when the warmth was too intense.
Choose Your Boat Wisely
Le Boat has a number of totally different types of boats. If your finances permits, we propose reserving the Horizon Lines or Premier boats. They are the latest and run the greatest. We have pushed the Horizon fleet in Canada and Ireland they usually actually are the prime of the line.
On the Canal du Midi, we had a consolation boat Vision 3. It didn’t deal with fairly in addition to the Horizon and you may anticipate a number of issues to go improper on the older boats. For instance, our air con stopped working so they’d to give us a conveyable unit to use. And our battery died, so we had to change out boats half approach by means of our journey.
Le Boat has emergency numbers and sends out technicians shortly, so when one thing does occur they’re on it quick so that you don’t want to fear about being stranded. They will at all times be there to assist.
For inexperienced boaters, The Horizon Line is wonderful and these are the boats we suggest in case your finances permits. Our Horizons 3 and 4 boats turned on a dime and the thrusters have been so highly effective you may cease shortly to keep away from any collisions.
Our Vision 3 boat in France took a whole boat size to cease and the thrusters weren’t as highly effective. This boat took extra talent to maneuver.
This is particularly true with the winds on the Canal du Midi. We had fairly a bit of expertise by this time, however we noticed folks going into locks sideways, hitting different boats, and being blown away whereas docking. With the newer fashions, that is much less seemingly. So, in case you don’t have quite a bit of boating expertise, we propose sticking with the new and better-finish fashions.
Extremely Low Bridges on the Canal
Also beware, that there are quite a bit of low and slender bridges all alongside the Canal du Midi. We booked a big three-bed room boat and it felt virtually too massive. If you aren’t snug driving by means of slender passages, we propose renting a smaller boat. Le Boat has boat sizes that match any consolation degree they usually can go as small as simply having two passengers.
Going by means of the low bridges generally is a thrill, but it surely additionally grew to become tiresome. We may by no means put our cover up to get aid from the scorching solar, we had to duck every time we went beneath a bridge in order not to hit our heads. (this may be actually critical, so we have been frequently reminded one another to duck when approaching), and it was at all times a bit nerve-racking that we’d hit the sides.
About Barging the Canal du Midi
Cruising the Canal du Midi is on many individuals’s bucket lists. We loved it however felt that Canada’s Rideau Canal was extra our pace. In Canada (and Ireland – extra on that cruise coming quickly) we loved the vast open waters and fewer locks in contrast to the fixed slender channels and abundance of locks on the Canal du Midi.
That mentioned, my sister-in-regulation cherished going by means of the locks and mentioned that her favourite half was having the expertise of going by means of the locks.
As the captain, Dave discovered that having to pull over frequently to let folks was a bit nerve-racking and I discovered that having to get off the boat a number of instances a day was a bit of a chore. I might have most well-liked to keep on the boat to loosen up and luxuriate in the surroundings. But, in case you love to work and have a process throughout your travels, you’ll love the Canal du Midi.
Going on the Canal du Midi is a good way to discover the extra off-the-crushed-path locations of France. It takes you again in time to journey at a slower tempo by yourself time. As one individual mentioned to us “The Canal du Midi is the perfect place to think more and hurry less.” I like that.