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Messing about on the canal |
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Wednesday, 28 February 2007 |
Unwind and enjoy a different view of life, from the waterside, with its flora and fauna.
The Canal des Deux Mers is in fact two canals, the well-known Canal du Midi and its other branch, the Canal latéral à la Garonne, which as its name indicates runs parallel to the Garonne river.
Finally finished in 1856, the Canal latéral provided the missing link between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic ocean. Ironically, the railway line from Bordeaux-Sète was finished at the same time and was to cause the rapid decline of the canal for commercial purposes.
Today, the waterways are used by tourists and the riverbanks are once again coming to life. From its beginning in the Gironde, at Castet-en-Dorthe, the canal follows the Garonne river through the Lot-et- Garonne as far as Valence d’Agen where it enters the Tarn-et-Garonne and passes the splendid 12thcentury abbey at Moissac and on to Toulouse.
All along the canal, you'll find signposts for the ‘Halte Nautique’, often with a restaurant or bar as well as a mooring point. And, as you wind your way down between the Garonne and the canal, a host of small villages offer various visits. For book and Marmandais wine enthusiasts, Meilhan sur Garonne; for live music, the 12bar in Hure; for a Breton crèperie with an English bent, Lagruère; for a Rembrandt, le Mas d’Agenais.
Carry on to the canal bridge in Buzet where the canal joins the river Baïse and head down to the Gers via the Pays d’Albret. For a pretty bastide, stop off in Damazan, or climb up to the village of Sainte-Colombe-de-Brulhois for a view. Don’t forget to visit the enormous canal bridge in Agen with 23 arches spanning the Garonne. |
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