Le Boat Consul
Self-Drive Boats in France

► Self-drive boats available in Camargue-Languedoc
■ LeBoat: Beaucaire and St Gilles
■ Locaboat: Lattes (Montpellier)
■ Nicols: Aigues-Mortes and Bellegarde

Canal Rhone a Sete – River Lez

The River Rhone rises in the Swiss Alps and is joined by the Saone at Lyon becoming one of Europe’s major waterways,  and as it heads south it passes memorable and famous towns such as Valence, Viviers (a beautiful hilltop medieval village overlooking the river), Avignon with its famous bridge and papal palace, and finally Arles, where Van Gogh created his most iconic sun-drenched paintings. Here, the Petit Rhone branches off into the Camargue,  Europe’s largest river delta where the reed marshes are teeming with wildlife – including over 350 species of waterbirds, wild black bulls and the famous white Camargue horses. Not to be missed is the fortified crusader town of Aigues Mortes, founded by the French King Saint Louis in 1242.

Heading west from Aigues-Mortes, just metres from the Mediterranean, runs the lock-free Rhone-Sete Canal arriving at France’s own Venetian-style seaport, Sete, and the Etang de Thau, a large inland lagoon, where waterborne visitors may live like kings on fresh moules marinières and bouziegues oysters, washed down with Muscat wines and Noilly Prat vermouth.

► Self-drive boats available in Midi-Languedoc
Hire Fleets and Bases
■ LeBoat: Port Cassafieres, Narbonne, Homps, Trebes and Castelnaudary
■ France Afloat / Linssen: Capestang
■ Locaboat: Bram, Argens-Minervois and Negra
■ Nicols: Le Somail and Port Lauragais

Canal du Midi – Canal de la Robine

The Canal du Midi has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in recognition of the achievement of architect Pierre-Paul Riquet in linking the Etang du Thau in the south east with the River Garonne in Toulouse, effectively connecting the Mediterranean with the Atlantic. His engineering prowess can be seen in the flight of nine characteristically oval-shaped locks at Fonserannes near the ancient city of Beziers, and if ticking off UNESCO sites is your thing, then you get two for one in Carcassonne, where the canal passes close to the ancient citadel that forms one of the most iconic skylines in the whole country.

The canal meanders between the vineyards of Corbieres to the south and the Minervois to the north and a visit to the wine town of Minerve, one of the most beautiful in France, is a treat. A diversion along the Canal de la Robine leads to Narbonne, which dates back to Roman times when it was a strategic trading centre, and even today its covered market, supplied by local producers, is a kind of foodie heaven.

► Self-drive boats available in Aquitaine-Charente
Hire Fleets and Bases
■ LeBoat: Jarnac
■ Nicols: Sireuil

River Charente – River Boutonne

The River Charente in the south west of France is navigable from Angouleme to the Atlantic and the French King Henri1V said it was the most beautiful in his kingdom. Like the Loire to the north and Bordeaux to the south the landscape is covered in vineyards, but rather than making wine they are used in the production of brandy, named after the local town Cognac.

Near Angouleme, the chateau at Verteuil-sur Charente was built in 1078 and was strategically placed on the road between the kingdoms of France and Spain – in the middle ages verteuil meant heavily fortified . Further west downstream the riverside city of Saintes is even more ancient, dating back to Roman times. As well as brandy, the area is known for its succulent charentais melons, its goats cheese and its irresistible salted caramels.