French Canal Cruising-The Burgundy Circuit
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- Опубликовано: 1 апр 2025
- A practical guide to navigating the 500km grand canal circuit of Burgundy, called La Boucle aboard a Locaboat 1020FB. Villages visited include Briare, Montargis, Montereau, Joigny, Corbigny, Decize and Never. Canals travelled include Canal du Briare, Canal du Loing, Canal du Nivernais, Canal latéral à la Loire
Rivers navigated include The Seine and The Yonne.
This was an awesome video
Just gorgeous 😮😍 I hope my boat can fit in those canals
I am coming through the pandemic with dreams of canal boat trips in France, and loving this video. I too live on the Canadian west coast, and plan to try this next year.. I’ll carefully watch your videos for suggestions!
Belle vidéo qui restitue bien l'ambiance d'une croisière fluviale.
Beau pays et les Français sont très sympathiques.
Really great video Don. I’m planning to follow in your footsteps in 2 years. Thank you both for sharing.
I know it’s a year ago you produced this , but fantastic info and showing what’s available.
A lovely video.
Ah. Brings back lots of memories. In 1990 we travelled the same loop but anti clockwise from Auxerre. We were 2 Canadian families, one French and one English with 4 kids aged 7 to 12. They still talk about their introduction to France .
We travel in France often including barge trips but maybe it’s time for a repeat.
Yes, cruising is great for families. Especially if you put the kids to work with specific tasks like opening and closing the locks.
nice journey, thanks for sharing
What a magnificent voyage! Canal cruising in France has certainly on my bucket list for the last couple of decades. 2020 was supposed to be 'the year' and it couldn't happen because of the Covid travel restrictions (we live on the west coast of Canada). Perhaps next year! Thanks for the video. It was really, really helpful - an inspriational!
I'm glad you enjoyed it. We find canal cruising to be a great way to discover rural France. However, it is hard to beat the west coast of Canada!! We last lived in Kelowna.
Wonderful!
we enjoyed your video ! well done. regards from Australia
wow love the video many thanks .would love to do it one day but maybe time and age might be against us .
Thanks for posting! I enjoyed your video. I wish I disciplined enough to keep a spread sheet. We’ve been on the Canal du MIDI for 2 years, then we were stuck in Aigues-Mortes through much of the pandemic. (A great place to be stuck). We are now in Les Roches des Condrieu for the winter. This summer, hoping to do a cruise similar to the one you recently completed. Cheers!
Glad it was helpful! Lucky you being on the Canal du Midi for so long.
@@dontato8675 Hello Don, I have enjoyed your canal boat videos very much and am looking for your advice. Next year we booked LocaBoat from Dompierre to Joigny (2 weeks). Which canal would you recommend? The Nivernais or Lateral de Loire? Access to towns and villages for food, culture, beauty?? Thank you so much!
@@joannemclennan9835 Glad you like the video Joanne. A very simple answer is that the Canal du Nivernais is more rural and beautiful and the canal lateral a la Loire has more villages. However I checked our log books and it looks like you don’t have enough time to go to Joigny via la Loire and Briare. This section took us 17 days and 82 hrs of cruising. We went from Joigny to Decise in 12 days with 58 hours cruising time. Which you should be able to do in two weeks. If you get to Joigny early, you can always cruise north beyond Joigny and return to meet the end of your time.
@@dontato8675 thank you again Don.
Very well made video, commentary and editing - well done! We own a share in a similar boat and once COVID allows hope to be making part of the same trip.
Nice video , soon a group of friends from New Zealand, England, France and America will do a boat trip in Burgundy like you. Would you be opened to share your spreadsheet and give us good advice on where to stop and what to see / expect ?
we are watching this from NZ & loved your video of your trip cruising the canals . We are planning on doing similar later this year and wondering to buy or rent..... It is inspiring to see you guys making most of life during Covid lockdowns :-)
We recently looked at buy vrs rent and and decided to rent for many reasons (convenience, one way trips, maintenance costs, insurance and licensing costs all in French, and exploring new areas). Don
BTW Do you have relatives in New Plymouth ?
Loved your video. Very informative. Now that you nearly experienced all the French boat canals which is the most scenic canal and yet close to towns for sightseeing, do you suggest for 4/5 nights of a boat cruising?
Great video, much enjoyed. We have just returned from the Canal Du Midi, Carcassonne to Port Cassiferers, now we've booked again, , Vermenton Nivernais to Tannay. Have you navigated any of this route ?
I would love to see your spreadsheet and time guide . My husband and I plan to do the nevernais this year.
Kind regards Amber Emm
I would love to send you the spreadsheet but I am not sure how. Perhaps try send ing an email to this temporary address. blob_tabs0p@icloud.com
@@dontato8675 i would also love to see your spreadsheet and time guide. Probable will schedule for this fall. In 1985.my wife and I cruised from Finland thru Sweden Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and France to the Med. Have done the MIDI, Garrone and Baise River since then.
Can I send an email to the same temporary email address?
Best regards,
Bill Singleton
@@tonabill Yes no problem. Just send the email to blob_tabs0p@@t and I will send you the spreadsheet. Don
Nice video. Would love to take my narrowboat to france and do the canals.
Came across your video over the weekend. We are planning the loop next year starting from Joigny and can't wait. In your planning spreadsheets what time assumption did you use for passing through a lock? 15 mins? 20 mins?
Hi Gordon, Cruising time 8 min/PK, Flight of 16 locks 192 min, Flight of 6 locks 72 min, single lock 12 mins, raise/lower road bridge (Pont Leve) 10 min. If you have only got two crew members, one stays on board at the helm! Hope this helps. Times can really vary depending on how many boats are waiting for the locks to be ready. Have fun. Don
@@dontato8675 Thanks Don. V helpful. We havent been on the French canals for 15 years. We are going to avoid July & August so traffic will be less.
You lucky happy lovers ❤️
So glad I found you guys!!!
Do you know if a boat that's 65' in length, 14.5' beam, 10.5 bridge clearance and 3.5' draft, can navigate this route?
Check out www.french-waterways.com/practicalities/canal-depths. or vnf.fr
@@dontato8675 Thank you so much
Great vid. The UK canals are good, but the French ones are even better.
Both countries have there own special qualities.
Thanks for your video and tips. If you should suggest a canal between "lateral a la Loire" or "Nivernais" , which one would you suggest ?
We think the route from Corbigny to Dompierre with Locaboat is the best section or Tannay to Decize with LeBoat
@@dontato8675 thanks a mil. I have cruised with Locaboat in 2007 from Corbigny to Baye Lake and back . Indeed that was a great experience in a great place, I am closed to book Joigny>Corbigny but at the end I started looking to Dompierre>Briare : should be easier and quieter (no river) ... I will have onboard a 5 years old girl + a 15 years old dog .
@@marcogrosso3410 Lateral ala Loire is rather boring.
We are looking at doing this region next year and trying to decide between the Nivernais, Joigny to Corbiny or the Lateral from Braire to Dompierre. Any preference? THanks
You don’t say how long you are going on the canals, but a one week one-way trip from Corbigny to Decize (or Dompierre) is our favorite because of the lock flight and tunnels although Corbigny port is harder to get to than the others.
If you are more interested in wine, then one-way Briare to Dompierre or vice versa) would be our next favorite.
Going down hill (entering a full lock and leaving when it is empty) is easier on the ‘crew’ than going up hill (enter empty and leave when full).
Oops, sorry. We have 10 days. We want to do a one way trip so the two options the boat company recommended are the Nivernais, from Joigny to Corbigny or the Loire Lateral from Briare to Dompierre. Thanks@@dontato8675
@@dontato8675 We are now looking at a 10 day one way trip with 2 options. Migennes to Tannay or Tannay to Decize. Which section of the Nivernais would you prefer?
Tannay to Decize would be our choice. Past Corbigny, a series of locks at Collancelle on the Nivernais is very interesting. There is a super pottery half way up the series to the Etang de Baye, that is worth a visit while you are waiting for the locks. Enjoy!
AWESOME video!! What is the map book you are using?
Glad you liked the video. The book we use for planning and day to day navigation is the Guide Fluvial (Bourgogne Nivernais). Their web site is editionsdubreil.com/en We didn't find any app that was this useful.
Wonderful and thorough video. I’m not sure I could handle those tight channel spots. (I once crashed my rental jet ski into my husbands and have been shy ever since). Can you recommend a Locaboat route that has lots to see but is good for beginners? Thank you
Hello Mika’s Mom,
My suggestion would be to have a look at the Locaboat.com websites. Their brochure outlines the various areas and the highlights of each one. Then I would phone Locaboat and talk to one of their reps who are very knowledgable and would be happy to match your interests with the right area. They are also great resources for any questions you might have. I'm sure they will suggest that canals are a bit easier to navigate than rivers!
Best of luck and have fun
nice video new friend here
Thanks and welcome
Wow this is magnificent Don. Do you have recommendations on any good companies to rent from?
Thanks Sam. We have been very happy with LocaBoat and before that with LeBoat. Most important though is the configuration of the boat and the location of the canal.
This looks exactly like what we want to do! Our only concern is just parking - “mooring?” the boat on the edge of the canal. Am I irrational that I worry anyone could board the boat while we sleep?
Good question. First of all the two doors on the boat are both lockable. Secondly rural France seems very safe and we have had no issues in the past 30 years. However at some places there is a bike/tow path right beside the canal. In these and many other situations we moor on the opposite bank where there is no bike or footpath and it is usually quieter.
No worries; this is La France, not Detroit 😎
We loved your video and are looking start doing the European canals next year. is any of your planning information or your own resources available? the spreadsheets and catering details look a great idea. The pre planning seams essential. Regards from Lake Macquarie Australia. :o)
RUclips planning comments
Glad you enjoyed the video. Too bad this year looks like a washout.
Here are some planning aids:
* The Guide Fluvial - Loire Bourgogne Nivernais (Guide 02 and 11) by www.carte-fluviale.com. This is a paper back book in English, French and German. It contains very detailed maps of the canals., useful phone numbers and information on the local villages.
* Fluviacarte Bourgogne Est (19) in English, French and German. See www.fluvialnet.com. Smaller paperback book. Detailed maps and very readable. This is the book we used to record our actual times. Contains lots of details on local services.
* The canals are managed by Voies navigables de France (vnf.fr). The website gives current information as to the status of the canal and any problems you may encounter (eg low water, strikes, closures).
* Our boat provider was Locaboat (www.locaboat.com/en/). They have been very good to us over the years but we have used others and have been happy with them as well.
* French! Best to learn some basic tourist French. The locals are very nice but may not necessarily speak English.
* Excel Spreadsheet. We did use a spreadsheet to plan this trip since it was so long. This is clearly not necessary for a 1-2 week cruise but we were doing a 28 day circuit and had to be back on a certain day. The books above are more than adequate for short trips. Here is the secure link to the spreadsheet. ln3.sync.com/dl/5671f0bd0/bsdf5vyd-h4pi4wyu-nxrs3e38-kquknj7w
A trip to be done
Thanks you very much Don !
I'm Dom .
Can one swim in the canals?
No. the canals are quite dirty and not good for fishing either.
hello I ve apreciate your vlog . Just a little thing . Instead putting sauce in the pastas put the pastas in the sauce that s better ?
Do we need a licence
And where to get it
Thanks
So far we have not needed a license, but double check with the hire company first .
Hi thanks, it s very superb.
I want to do the same with my family this summer.
Can i ask you to send me your program day by day?
Our stops/points of interest were: Briare, Rogny, Chesnoy, Moulin de Nancay, Nemours, Episy, Villeneuve-sur-Yonne, Joigny (refuiel),Gurgy,Bailly,Merry-sur-Yonne,Clamecy, Monceaux-le-compte, Corbigny,Chantillon-en-Bazois, Anizy,Decize, St. Bouize, Sancerre, Briare
@@dontato8675 thank you very much
So sad such a brilliant trip was clouded by fear.
The fear added a piquante aspect to a gentle cruise.
4 weeks as stated at beginning or 4 months as stated at the end
It was 4 weeks of cruising. The comment I made at the end was “a whole month”, but it wasn’t easy to hear!
Thanks for your comment
Just so you know buoy is pronounced boy , its short for buoyant ,not boowyant 😂👍🇬🇧
never mind saying the english still use manual locks, at least we believe in keeping our heritage and traditions, your not really boating on a canal unless your doing the locks yourself
I agree! Automated locks are boring!
🥳🥳🥳🥳🍾🥂👌🏽🤟🏽👍👏🏽👏🏽
Bien fon sa
You call cruising with a Locaboat an adventure? Come on 😅
Just found a great web site for planning your cruise. Check out www.vnf.fr/calculitinerairefluvial/app/Main.html
Very well done and interesting movie. I just disliked the caricatural "french" music.
I did almost the exact same trip (altho solo) way back in 1987. I hired a 930 boat from Locaboat in Joigny for 4 weeks and after 3 weeks found myself at St. Mammes with a week left, so I hung a left and took my little boat all the way into Paris for a few days. When I returned the boat, the Locaboat people at first didn't understand that I had cruised into Paris. Once I made it clear, they said nobody had ever gone to Paris in their boats. (I probably wasn't licensed to do that anyway.)
I had to chuckle about the spreadsheets; I too did the exact same thing (with Microsoft Multiplan), calculating the min time for cruising and working the locks. Then I printed it out on my dot matrix printer. Back then, there was much less traffic and the lock keepers were pretty lax about tying up in the lock, especially since I was alone. I was able to maintain my position in the lock with just the throttle. I went on to do another 4 week solo trip and then 2 more 4 & 5 weekers with my wife on 1107s. Boats were also much cheaper back then, I figured our boat was essentially the same cost as renting a car and getting hotels.
I noticed you used the Navicate guides; I still have my highly annotated books and enjoyed following along with your route.
69th comment 😏