French Canals

[Jobs_a_ good_ un]

Better to enter at le harve from what I understand no locks till Past Rouen Then 3/4 from memory to Paris
Fantastic pontoon in Rouen btw great town,Also go in at Le harve and stay in Honfleur fantastic medieval harbour dont miss it
Then go with the flood all the way to rouen make sure you get the flood right or you will be wasting fuel.
After rouen the 1st lock is at the picture postcard town of posys.
Then next great stop is Les andelys very pretty place thatched cott castles etc the marina/haulte is very shallow thou so dont goin also the banks arnt good either we moored alongside a barge and visited the castle(supposdly richard the lionhearts)
Then Vernon visit monets house where water lillys bridge pic was done stay if poss
Then marina for fuel at disused quarry place sorry forgot the name
You can the do paris in a day from here

Regards

 

[paulrh]

mark,
Thanks for all the info, sound like you enjoyed the trip. you certainly got me looking forward to going.
thanks for the tips on where to stay and what to look out for. All the information has put my mind at ease and convinced me that if I dont go I will regret it.
its why we spend a fourtune on boats. lots to think about and some plains to make, more and bigger fenders to purchase. need to get Shapphire back in the water once the bow thruster is fitted.

thanks again
paul

 

[alandee]

Half fill a couple of your fenders with water. That way they stay under when the water rises as you go into a lock. There are a few photo's on our old website www.yachtlife.co.uk. Take it slow and enjoy.

 

[walto]

Hi Paul,
We are3.20 mtrs high and had no trouble at all in coming down from UK to Med.in April.
We came via. Le Havre, Honfleur ( Lovely harbour but can be very busy in summer) River Seine (Fantastic great scenery) Rouen ( Superb Medieval city well worth taking a day or two off to see some of it) through the tide lock at Amfreville, then up the Seine to Paris ( Again with great scenery) do not try the mooring at Les Andelys it has no depth at all, but stop a couple of miles short at a very small Port on your port side going up the river. The owner is/was very helpful when we stopped there, taking us up to the supermarket in his car etc. The Port d'Ilon we found hardly worth stopping at as all its supposed facilities were closed - cafe, bar etc. Many good and often free mooring all way up to Paris, but I would suggest you take your time and enjoy the trip, it was certainly a high point of our trip through France.
I would phone ahead and book a space in Paris Arsenal Marina, I did not and so found it full when we arrived, a shame cos its right in the centre anda wonderful base to visit the city.
After Paris we travelled via the Canals, Loing, Briare, Centre and onto the Saone at Challon.
Our whole trip was a great experience and certainly one we look forward to doing again. We had also been warned of huge barges pushing past at great speeds! Great speeds? We had nothing but friendly waves and on occasions even help from their crews and can only presume that those who have complained about them must have given good reason, remember that the barges are on their radios to each other and the various lock keepers almost constantly so someone who acts badly seems to get treated the same way.
If you think we could be of any further help to you please get back to us.