1- The Canal des Deux Mers (“Two Seas Canal” aka the Garonne Lateral Canal)
Sailing scope: 193 km from Toulouse, where it joins the Canal du Midi (listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site), at Castets-en-Dorthe (Castets-et-Castillon) where it joins the Garonne.
On what sort of vessels? Licence-free house-boats, excursion boats, individual leisure boats, canoes-kayaks, SUPs.
Natural heritage: The Canal is lined with century-old plane trees, occasionally in triple rows.
Must-visit stop-offs: Agen and its navigable aqueduct; the helical-shaped church steeple in Sérignac-sur-Garonne; the navigable aqueduct where the Canal crosses the Baïse followed by two successive locks; Buzet-sur-Baïse and the junction with the Baïse, the Winemakers’ Cellar; the fortified village of Damazan; Le Mas d’Agenais, its collegiate church and its Rembrandt; Meilhan-sur-Garonne and its panorama; Castets-et-Castillon and the junction with the river, dominated by the Château du Hamel.
The Canal is bordered from start to finish by the Canal des 2 Mers by bike bikeway. It links the Mediterranean to the Atlantic over a 700 km distance, from the Gironde Estuary to the banks of the Étang de Thau. It generally follows the historic towpath.
2- The Lot
Sailing scope: 72 km from Fumel (Saint-Vite) to Nicole, its confluence with the Garonne. A “canalet” (French term for a canal branching off a major canal) can be used to reach the Garonne and circumnavigate the confluence sandbanks.
On what sort of vessels? Licence-free house-boats, excursion boats, individual leisure boats, rowing boats, canoes, hydroplanes, waterskiing, SUPs.
Natural heritage: The Lot flows placidly into an extensive plain. The Pech-de-Bère, towering over its confluence with the Garonne, is a wild hillside interspersed with tracks, including the Santiago de Compostela route.
Must-visit stop-offs: Lustrac and the final downstream cliffs; the picturesque village of Penne-d’Agenais for its streets and its panorama; the fortified town of Villeneuve-sur-Lot; Casseneuil the shores of the Lède; Clairac and Aiguillon beaches. Agricultural holdings propose pontoons to reach their farms, to visit them and/or to purchase provisions.
The Villeneuve-sur-Lot and Castelmoron-sur-Lot locks are the highest small-sized locks in France.
The Vallée du Lot bikeway runs along the river as close as possible.
Tourisme Vallée du Lot
Tourisme Lot-et-Garonne
France Vélotourisme
3- The Baïse
Sailing scope: 61 km from Valence-sur-Baïse in Gers to the confluence with the Garonne (at Saint-Léger), departing from Buzet-sur-Baïse.
On what sort of vessels? Licence-free house-boats, excursion boats, individual leisure boats, canoes-kayaks, SUPs.
Natural heritage: The green-watered Baïse mainly flows between two shelterbelts, riparian woodland, home to many birds. Its bed is registered as a natural monument on the site of the municipality of Nérac.
Must-visit stop-offs: Moncrabeau, the village of liars which hosts the famous Festival of Liars; the medieval town of Nérac; la the fortified village of Vianne; the junction with the Garonne Lateral Canal at Buzet-sur-Baïse (a double lock to move down from one to the other) and the Buzet Winemakers’ Cellar.
Le passeport de Jean pour partir à la découverte des destinations de Nouvelle-Aquitaine ? Sa carte de pêche bien sûr ! Vous pouvez compter sur lui pour vous faire découvrir nos lacs et nos rivières qui regorgent de poissons… mais aussi de mille et un autres trésors et légendes cachés qu’il vous racontera au coin du feu.