Through France problems

[Grehan]

Water levels and also weed growth are affecting a number of the 'traditional' canals south of Paris
The Laterale à la Loire is closing soon - 17th, for the rest of the season for water supply reasons.
"D" on the route planner page - Canal and River Routes Through France //Options and Timings

As we always recommend, the easterly 'Champagne' Marne-Saône route "E" on the page is more reliably supplied and just as attractive.
But given near-drought conditions everywhere this summer, everywhere's potentially problematic.

 

[Poignard]

Arzal lock also has drastically reduced the number of openings.

A complete shutdown is being considered.

 

[Grehan]

For those that don't know, Arzal is on the Vilaine river estuary in southern Brittany, leading up to Roche-Bernard, through to Rennes and hence the Channel.
French Waterways in Detail //River Vilaine
I wonder if people still take that traditional shortcut through Brittany, never done it myself and would be interested to hear any reports.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Never seen a UK flagged boat in or around Rennes. My wife's parents had two apartments in Rennes and the main house in a village to the north near the canal where we used to collect chestnuts and again never saw an UK boats on the canal some French livaboards small boats but not much else, nothing that looked like it had been at see in recent memory.

 

[Lightwave395]

Arzal lock also has drastically reduced the number of openings.

A complete shutdown is being considered.

I did see that, I hope it isn't shut down completely when we move back to a new berth in Arzal at the end of October !

 

[Poignard]

I did see that, I hope it isn't shut down completely when we move back to a new berth in Arzal at the end of October !

I hope so too!

 

[Beelzebub]

Never seen a UK flagged boat in or around Rennes. My wife's parents had two apartments in Rennes and the main house in a village to the north near the canal where we used to collect chestnuts and again never saw an UK boats on the canal some French livaboards small boats but not much else, nothing that looked like it had been at see in recent memory.

I recall Mike Peyton taking his ketch "Brimstone" up to Rennes in the late seventies. On his return back to Dinan, he told me how a young French lady had driven her 2CV off the road, down the canal bank, bounced off his foredeck and landed in the canal!

Edit: I believe he also recounted this little incident in one of the sailing magazines.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

If it had been a Peugeot 404 it could have been my wife.

 

[dslittle]

I hope so too!

So do I !!!