Canal du Midi - Canal du Midi

The Canal du Midi ("Canal of the South") is a 1681 completed canal and leads from Toulouse above Carcassonne to Sète through the former region Languedoc-Roussillon (since 2015 Greater Region Occitania). Today it is a popular travel destination for pleasure boaters and cyclists who use the former towpaths along the canal banks.

background

The channel forms together with the Canal latéral à la Garonne the Canal des Deux Mers a water link between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.

Wikipedia provides a good historical overview of the Canal du Midi.

The "cycle path" is not signposted as such and the quality of the path varies greatly. Roads alternate with gravel roads and you have to see how you move forward. It's mostly quiet and you don't cycle alone.

preparation

To prepare for and accompany the trip on or along the Canal du Midi, information on the main tourist highlights as well as practical tips are sorted and linked according to kilometers on this page.

climate

The Canal du Midi has a mild Mediterranean climate with mostly warm and dry summers. Occasionally, however, violent thunderstorms discharge with heavy rain. In July / August the temperatures are between 20 and 30 degrees. From June to September there are on average a maximum of about 5 rainy days per month.

getting there

The French border near Freiburg i.Br. is about 900 kilometers by motorway from Toulouse and about 750 km from Sète. The TGV train stops in Toulouse, Carcassonne or Béziers. Currently (summer 2016) there are daily flights to Toulouse from Frankfurt and Munich (LH), several times a week from Hamburg (Eurowings), Berlin (Easyjet) and Bremen (BMI Regional). The houseboat landlords help arrange taxi transfers to airports and the above-mentioned train stations.

Basically, the canal can be traveled in sections or in its entirety, so that it is possible to travel to all major cities along the route, see also:

The nearest major airports are Toulouse and Montpellier.

Here we go

Toulouse - Castelnaudary

km 0: 43.610571.41746Toulouse km 01 Here in Toulouse begins the Canal du Midi.

Dynamic cards

map
Environment map

Origin of the Canal du Midi in Toulouse.

...
km 65: 43.312791.9571Castelnaudary harbor2 port Castelnaudary by LeBoat

Canal du Midi at Castelnaudary

Castelnaudary harbor basin

Castelnaudary - Carcassonne

...
km 98.2: Lalande lock (2 steps, 5.82 m lift)
km 99.9: La Douce lock (1 step, 2.71 m lift)
km 105: 43.217482.35023Carcassonne harbor3 Carcassonne is worth a trip ashore just because of its historic old town.

The port is located in the middle of the city center and offers not only a charter base for houseboats but also shopping opportunities in the immediate vicinity.

Carcassonne - Beziers

Carcassonne lock

To the east, you leave the port through a single-stage lock (3.32 m lift) and a bridge passage.

Passage under the railway bridge
shortly before the lock, crossing the bridge
Km 107.8: Saint Jean lock (1 step, 2.71 m lift), bridge at the exit
just before the lock, the canal crosses a bridge over the river Le Fresquel
108.6 km: Fresquel Double lock (2 steps, 5.66 m lift); Shops in the nearby town
km 108.7: Fresquel Simple lock (1 step, 2.53 m lift)
Bridge passage
Bridge passage
km 112.5: Évêque lock (1 step, 3.19 m lift), then crossing the bridge
km 113.2: Villedubert lock (1 step, 2.82 m lift)
Bridge passage
Pont Aqueduc de l'Orbiel - canal bridge over the river l'Orbiel
Bridge passage
43.210012.44464Trèbes4 Port de Trèbes (on the north side)

Trèbes

km 117.9: Trèbes lock (3 steps, 7.89 m lift)
4x bridge passage
In front of the next lock, you can moor on the south side with fresh water
km 127.1: Marseillette lock (1 step, 3.70 m lift)

Marseillette lock (Photo: Tom Taylor)

km 130.2: Fonfile lock (3 steps, 8.73 m lift)
Km 131.4: Saint Martin lock (2 steps, 5.61 m lift) with bridge passage
Km 133.2: Aiguille lock (2 steps, 5.47 m lift) with bridge passage
Km 133.4: Canal bridge over Rigole de l'Étang
2x bridge passage
km 136.2: Puichéric lock (2 steps, 4.63 m lift)
Bridge passage at La Redorte, between 43.24812.6597Redorte5 Mooring at the wine cooperative and restaurant on the north side. Regional wines (Minervois) offered.
Bridge passage
Canal bridge over L'Argent Double river
43.25312.6692winery1 Type is color designation In front of the next bridge crossing there is a winery on the south side^[1] right on the canal
km 142.5: Jouarres lock (1 step, 3.62 m lift)
Bridge passage
43.26592052.7025053Harbor basin6 Planned harbor basin? on the south side with 2 entrances
Bridge passage
43.26832.7157Port Minervois7 Port Minervois harbor on the north side
km 145: Hombs
2x bridge passage
km 146.2: Homps lock (1 step, 3.14 m lift)
km 146.9: Ognon lock (2 steps, 5.81 m lift)
2x bridge passage
km 149.7: Pechlaurier lock (2 steps, 4.63 m lift)
Landing stage Argens Minervois

Argens Minervois (Photo: Arno Lagrange)

Bridge passage
43.24022.7685Port Occitanie8 Port Occitanie on the north side
km 152.2: Argens lock (1 step, 2.41 m lift)
43.24642.8031Roubia9 Bridge passage at Roubia; there are still 2 shops near the bridge
km 168.1: 43.283422.92191Canal de Jonction junction10 Junction of the Canal de Jonction after Narbonne
Bridge passage at Argeliers
km 188: 43.33093.042Capestang11 Capestang,
behind the first bridge is the Port de Capestang
2. Crossing the bridge in Capestang

Canal bridge at Capestang

km 194: 43.30823.0789Poilhes12 Poilhes: Harbor on the long quay, fresh water after the bridge
km 197.8: 43.306863.12586Malpas tunnel13 Malpas tunnel, 160 m long; if you walk over the hill you can get a glimpse of the fields arranged in a circle throw

Fonserannes lock staircase

43.31413.1427Port de Colombiers14 Port de Colombiers
km 205.6: 43.330663.19976Fonserannes lock staircase15 Fonserannes lock staircase (6 chambers, 13.60 m lift): driveway 10: 00-11: 45 a.m. and 4: 00-6: 45 p.m. Downhill entry between 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. This is next door W: water wedge lift.
Km 206.8: Canal bridge over Orb, 240 m long
km 207.1: Orb lock (1 step, 6.19 m lift)
km 207.6: lock Beziers (1 step, 4.24 m stroke)

Béziers - Agde

km 211.5: Ariège lock (1 step, 2.16 m lift)
km 212.9: Villeneuve lock (1 step, 2.05 m lift)
km 217.3: Portiragnes lock (1 step, 2.23 m lift)
Port Cassafières is a port of Le Boat on the south side
km 225: 43.300933.40421Flood passage of the Libron16 Flood passage of the Libron

Agde - Étang de Thau

km 230.5: 43.320243.46766Round lock Agde17 Agde lock (1 step, 0.44 m lift), round lock; Secondary connection 3rd gate to Agde
km 231.5: crossing the Hérault river

River Hérault

km 233: Prades lock (1 step, 0.44 m lift)
km 234.3: Bagnas lock (1 step, 1.51 m lift)
km 240.1: confluence with the Étang de Thau; The inland lake should only be navigated with weakly motorized houseboats when there is little wind.

Lighthouse at the end of the Canal du Midi

security

trips

Regional particularities

Wines from the region Languedoc-Roussillon

See also: Languedoc-Roussillon wine-growing region at Koch-Wiki

List of culinary specialties^[2] like Bœuf à la gardianne (or gardianne de toro) or cassoulet (dish with white beans in 3 variations).
The plane tree avenues along the canal are attacked by the plane tree shrimp. If the cancer has attacked the tree, there is currently no cure and the tree has to be felled. Injuries to the root system by houseboats also contribute to the decimation of the plane trees. A reforestation program has already started.^[3]

literature

Esterbauer: Canal du Midi: Along the world cultural heritage from Toulouse to the Mediterranean, 1: 50,000, 250 km. GPS tracks download, weatherproof / tearproof (Bikeline bike tour books), spiral binding - May 14, 2014
Hans Zaglitsch, Andrea Hoffmann: Houseboat Holidays Canal du Midi, paperback - March 10, 2014
Patrick Join-Lambert, Philippe Devisme: Fluviacarte 04 Canal du Midi - Camargue: Nautical Guide (English), paperback - December 1, 2011