French Canal Guide book

Danthegorrila said:
Can anyone recommend one good pilot book or guide book to cover all the French canals from the Med to Le Havre.
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I think you'll find a general canals guide is fine for planning and for navigating the canals, but the rivers are a different matter. The Seine has all sorts of hazards and frequent changes to which side the of the river to navigate and a more detailed guide, like the Navicarte (now Fluvicarte?) is pretty essential. Same for the Rhone and Saone, though you might just get away without the detail.
 
French Inland Waterways

The Cruising Association has a section dedicated to the Inland Waterways of France and Belgium, and they publish a detailed Cruising Guide, available to the public:
http://www.cruising.org.uk/shop/index.php?crn=55&rn=280&action=show_detail

In addition, they have a lot of data on re-fuelling stops and recent changes, but these are only available to members.
 
Hi

We are currently in the middle of the trip from Le Harve to Port Napoleon in our Moody 35 drawing 1.6m. We got our hands on evrything we could before we left. The best by far are the Navicarte/Fluviacarte series - although all our out of date. None of the others have the chart detail we think is essential. We got them through Michael Briant. I can also recommend the Grehan site - often on this forum - although there have been some changes since their trip

Regards

Jim
 
The best guide book is excellent - Cruising French Canals by Hugh McKnight - and it covers every waterway. Thoroughly recommended.
It is not, however, a pilot book, although it is quite detailed in its comments and descriptions.
Personally, I would not recommend the Imray 'pilot' book, nor Jefferson's guide as sole single guides for navigating the canals.
There are three series of guides that cover the waterways in detail. They are as important for navigating the canals as they are the rivers.
  1. Guides Vagnon, green cover, A4 size. Most people find them very confusing as do I.
  2. Navicartes (now with a new publisher and renamed Fluviacarte) - narrow format and the 'original' guides now showing their age in some respects but still pretty good.
  3. Guides de Breil, blue cover, A4 size. The most modern and the clearest layout. Very good indeed but there are some gaps still, notably the Seine and the Rhone.
The Grehan website (below) has lots of detailed information, guidance and photographs. I'm actually updating the Marne a la Saone (now called the Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne) guide right at this moment and I will be tackling the information about the Marne, the Saone, Rhone, Midi etc over the next week or so (famous last words). I've taken about 3,000 photographs since the original site was put together in 2004 based in our travels through France.
Any particular questions, PM me.
 
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Revisions - Marne Soane canal

Hi

There is a really good - free - guidebook available for this canal. It is given out at locks and halts or can be downloaded at http://www.canalenchanteur.com/gb/download.htm It has up to date info an all the new facilities including where to stop and what is there - best guide we have had the whole trip so far.

Locks 70 to 45 are now fully automatic with a clicker - phone 0326624133 the day before going through, or talk to a VNF person and let them know the time and they will be ready with the clicker. Note that the clicker also operates the gates and sluices in some of the locks -not all - you still have to raise the bar in some.

I agree the Jefferson and Imray tend to be lists rather than give info on what is actually there. - Even better would be a list of where the ladders are in locks especially which side!!

I hope this is useful - let me know if you need any more info

Regards

Jim
 
Thanks.
Cataloguing ladders and bollards would be a lifetime's work!!!!
It might even cut out that adrenalin-fuelled anticipatory thrill at each écluse . . same as the last? - nope, different again! Change sides! Where's the middle bollard gone? :)

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Just had a quick look at the website - some very good detailed information there, to be read and digested. We noticed last year that the Canal M-S (Champ-Bourg) had received a lot of attention and improvements; and this quantity and quality of information bears that out. Thanks again.
 
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French Waterways info.

As noted already in this thread, I am engaged on updating some of the website information. New, detailed pages with photos, have now been added for the Marne, Marne Lateral and Marne a la Saone (entre Champ et Bourg).
Direct link here but they are also stitched into the site navigation, naturally.
I got some useful info. from that excellent local VNF website and its downloads, in particular current telephone numbers, but am also pleased that I'd already got all the new Haltes (incl. photos), well except two. :o
Now for the Saone and the Rhone!
 
I'm thinking of doing Calais to the Med via the canals next year, I have a Broom Monarch 40 feet, beam 14 draft 3' 8 and airdraft of about 9 feet ( with canopy down)

What route would anyone reccomend, through PAris or via the Marne etc.

regards
 
I'm not very good in feet and inches but I think you'd be ok with any route. To miss going through Paris is to miss something completely unique. I'd recommend coming in via the Oise at Conflans, up the Seine and into the city, moor up at the Arsenal or the Villette, see the sights, then Marne/lateral/a la Saone, Saone, Rhone. Lots of information, detail, photos on the Grehan website - being updated and expanded almost every day right now!
 
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