Grehan
Well-known member
My colleague David Edwards-May has just posted on the DBA forum -
The complex sluices giving access to the French waterways from the English Channel port of Gravelines have been closed since 2017* and will remain closed until further notice. The river Aa and port of Gravelines are described in my Inland Waterways of France and on the dedicated page on french-waterways.com (french-waterways.com/waterways/north/gravelines-aa/) as a 'back door' entrance to the waterways. Regrettably, that will no longer the case for the foreseeable future.
The port of Gravelines has been wound up as a body managed by the département, and no entity wants to take on the responsibility of operating the structures - not only the sluices but also two swing bridges and a lift bridge on a busy railway line. The river Aa, managed by VNF, remains accessible from inland down to PK 27.5 (upstream of the railway lift bridge), and gives access to the Canal de Calais and Canal de Bourbourg.
[*we've only just learned of this]
Calais, Dunkerque and St Valery remain options, and of course the Seine
The complex sluices giving access to the French waterways from the English Channel port of Gravelines have been closed since 2017* and will remain closed until further notice. The river Aa and port of Gravelines are described in my Inland Waterways of France and on the dedicated page on french-waterways.com (french-waterways.com/waterways/north/gravelines-aa/) as a 'back door' entrance to the waterways. Regrettably, that will no longer the case for the foreseeable future.
The port of Gravelines has been wound up as a body managed by the département, and no entity wants to take on the responsibility of operating the structures - not only the sluices but also two swing bridges and a lift bridge on a busy railway line. The river Aa, managed by VNF, remains accessible from inland down to PK 27.5 (upstream of the railway lift bridge), and gives access to the Canal de Calais and Canal de Bourbourg.
[*we've only just learned of this]
Calais, Dunkerque and St Valery remain options, and of course the Seine
Last edited:
, but the port (and access to it from the sea) is very much open. (I was there only the other day, and lovely it was, too. :encouragement