Can anyone assist (1 Viewer)

[sedge]

OK, we have this ferry booked to escape to France (D to C) at silly am (02.30, don't ask) on 29/3 returning at 21.30 pm 07 April.

We could easily stick a pin in a map and go there, but I like to have more than a vague idea before setting off. There used to be a site where you could find out what was on in France at any given time - in fact there still is a site, France Duck, except it doesn't seem to want to work. Any ideas??

Couple of other things - there's a boat lift on a canal somewhere, cos we've been past it - anyone any ideas where the heck I might be on about?

And has anyone been on a Seine cruise? When we were at the Aire at La Mailleraye sur Seine there was a huge passenger boat came along, I said, Oooh see who it says that is, I'd love to do that - and all it said was 'Rhine Cruises' LOL !! (Of course all you get if you stick that into Google is err - Rhine cruises.)

Have found a couple of companies that do them, both cost several arms and legs, hence why I thought I'd ask.

TIA

 

[hilldweller]

Couple of other things - there's a boat lift on a canal somewhere, cos we've been past it - anyone any ideas where the heck I might be on about?
TIA

I know two.

The Weaverham Navigation boat lift in Cheshire - built by Mr Citroen himself, and the inclined plane in Bessiers.

Now if Mr Citroen made one for the Brits he probably made one for the Frogs, so you have something to google on.

 

[dellwood33]

Which area was the boat lift in ?

Link Removed

Was it this one ?

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[sedge]

No it wasn't any of them. I'm wondering now if it was a flight of locks? Possibly Briares, but not sure!!!!

Have an idea we may have been on one of the motorbikes, so got a good chance of being almost flipping anywhere LOL

 

[allie sommerville]

No it wasn't any of them. I'm wondering now if it was a flight of locks? Possibly Briares, but not sure!!!!

Have an idea we may have been on one of the motorbikes, so got a good chance of being almost flipping anywhere LOL

The boat lift is near Arques - Fontinettes.
It isn't in use any more but still very interesting!
The bridge at Briare is amazing and well worth a visit too :thumb:

There is a 9 lock ladder near Beziers, SW France, but probably too far to go in that time.

PS saw the river cruise boats while at Briare - the diners on-board all raised their glasses to us!

 

[sedge]

I don't think it's likely to be Beziers anyway as I'm sure it was when we were coming back from somewhere and I have this idea in my head that it was the time when we came up the route Napoleon from the Gorge du Verdon.

Either that or from Autun.

Other hols have been across tother side, mainly in the vicinity of Limoges, Poitiers, Niort, Normandy, Vendee. Only time we have been anywhere vaguely near (and really it's mowhere near!) Beziers in the last 10 years was that same holiday when we came down from Le Havre via the Perigord then cut across St Affrique - Lodeve - Montpelier, TO Verdon LOL Sadly they were still building the Millau viaduct which we still haven't been over yet - and I know if we go over it in anything enclosed we'll just want to do it again on a bike!

Mmm the river cruises basically seem to be roughly 100 Euros a day per person. Think you get fed rather well though!

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[chatter]

I think one of the riverboat cruises runs from honflur have pictures of it moored up there and they were empty when we walked past then a couple of coaches pulled up and people started to get on.

 

[clwyd]

Canal Boat lifts etc.

Canal Lifts worldwide
We discovered a number of these superb lifts last year and can give you a lot of info. - will try to be brief here and post more later.
Arques, by St. Omer (very near Calais) has an excellent though derelict lift which is well worth a visit, with a replacement deep single lift dual canal lock nearby - the city centre has its old fortified walls within 100m, and the chain(s) of fortified towns from S. Holland to Flanders are superb and largely intact too (look for an iterinerary of them - there are at least two) - Hulst, Le Quesnoy, Recroi and Malmedy stand out.

Near La Louviere (between Mons & Charleroi) in S. Belgium is a set of four lifts from 1888 on the river ? with a huge new one at Strepy-Thieu allowing larger boats to be lifted.
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There is also a long ramp further north - all good and with some excellent booklets in English - write to the local OT (Office de Tourisme) - also ask for the superb booklet on the Battle of the Bulge/Ardennes, and don't miss a visit to Echternach and Trier & the Mosel.

I have an excellent article on Boat Lifts worldwide (in German) - another lies on the Dortmund-Ems canal, and the only one outside Europe is in Canada.

I think this may have missed your departure but hope you can pick it up.

Derek S

 

[clwyd]

Boat Lifts opening date

Beware the opening date for many facilities at the Belgian boat lift is April 1st (don't be foo(i)led!!)

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[sedge]

Thank you for that, will bear all of these in mind ! (including the British ideas)

I see we can't go over the Briare bridge until April though as we aren't an organised party, LOL

Paris to Honfleur and back is just about the one I've been looking at, they take you on optional coach tours at various points (same as a sea cruise!) - although I don't think we would actually need to go on a guided tour of Honfleur - I saw last year that they now charge you to go in the wooden 'upside down boat' church - I could swear it used to be free? - anyway Versailles is one of them I would want to do - but I just get the impression that might be a bit rushed. They do seem to keep wanting to bring you back to the boat for lunch, in which case I might just say bog off in your coach then and leave me to sunbathe with my book!!

 

[clwyd]

Canals, boat trips etc. Other sites/sights!

Canals, boat trips and other sites/sights!

Many rivers in France/Germany offer trips and I suggest calling on (or writing to selected ones) the local OTs (Office de Tourisme) everywhere you go. The Mayenne and Mosel are delightful as well as the upper Loire and its many tributaries (Yonne etc.). There is an 18th C bypassed set of locks at R. .. in Central France and the canals here are excellent for cycling, not to mention places like Avallon, Alise St Reine (Alesia) (cf. Vercingetorix's last battle against Caesar) and Vezelay.

The Nantes - Brest canal is excellent too.

But the best lock flights are in Britain!! The 30 plus flight at Devizes is staggering (literally!) and there is a similar huge one at Tardebigge in Staffs. These make the Bingley 5 locks seem tiny!

 

[sedge]

Don't be looking for the Tardebigge locks in Staffordshire folks, they are near Tardebigge

(Which is between Bromsgrove and Redditch, both of which were still in Worcestershire last time I checked ......)

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[clwyd]

Tardebigge

Sorry my Geography went astray!!
But it's not as bad as my home Lancashire which has so shrunk that most places I want don't exist in modern so-called Lancashire Atlases!! Manchester, Liverpool , Warrington, not to mention all in the Lakes, have vanished into thick air!