Canal du Midi

[Silvermomma]

Would anyone like to tell me about the Canal du Midi? Could I combine walking, cycling, boating? I'm just starting my investigation, so any ideas are welcome. I'm 73, have walked 4 caminos alone, can stay in dorms or private rooms, and want to eat well! Thanks in advance.

 

[domigee]

There is this website: https://www.canal-du-midi.com/en
All I have ever done is walking along it.

 

[Silvermomma]

There is this website: https://www.canal-du-midi.com/en
All I have ever done is walking along it.

Yes, thank you. I've been to the websites. I'm looking for some personal reflection. What part did you walk along? What time of year? Anything special to note?

 

[lovingkindness]

..

There is this website: https://www.canal-du-midi.com/en
All I have ever done is walking along it.

...me too, except for the last 5 kms before Carcassonne. I'd eaten something dodgy and was about to collapse. Just when I couldn't walk any further a canal boater said, Jump on!
Canal walking is serene...

 

[lovingkindness]

Yes, thank you. I've been to the websites. I'm looking for some personal reflection. What part did you walk along? What time of year? Anything special to note?

Hello @Silvermomma
I've walked the length of Le Canal du Midi and Le Canal des Deux Mers in springtime, when wild irises bloom in yellow masses. It was a pretty sight.

With a bicycle one could easily visit outlaying villages. On foot the distances seemed too far...

 

[Silvermomma]

Hello @Silvermomma
I've walked the length of Le Canal du Midi and Le Canal des Deux Mers in springtime, when wild irises were blooming in yellow masses. It was a pretty sight.

With a bicycle one could easily visit outlaying villages. On foot the distances seemed too far...

Thank you so much! If you want to share your itinerary (especially lodging) I would love that. DM is OK. I loooooove iris

 

[lovingkindness]

Thank you so much! If you want to share your itinerary (especially lodging) I would love that. DM is OK. I loooooove iris

My itinerary and lodging? Oh dear, what to say....

In 2013 I set off for Jérusalem from a hamlet in Le Lot et Garonne, France. I carried a 13L lumbar pack with a silver flute tied on the back, Leki poles, a pair of boots, a pilgrim credenciale and not much else. I had nothing in my pocket to budget with so played the flute for an hour each day or just until I had enough cash for food and accommodation. I slept in all manner of place -religious communities, Gîtes de Pélerins, Gîtes d'étape, youth hostels, shacks, dirt floors, out in the cold, with families and individuals and even in a palace! Booking ahead wasn't an option.

Along Le Canal du Midi and Le Canal des Deux Mers it was much like that, too. I walked as far as able each day then set about finding somewhere to sleep. The return journey which ended in Amsterdam then a leap to England was much the same.

Happy planning, @Silvermomma.

Ultreia e Suseia!

 

[lovingkindness]

Good morning @Silvermomma

I have had a look through my diaries for 2013 to 2014 and made a list for you of where I stayed along le Canal du Midi and le Canal des Deux Mers.

Some of the villages along these canals coincide with various Chemins de Saint-Jacques (Caminos to Santiago de Compostelle). For example, Voie de Vézelay (GR 654), Voie de Tours (GR 655), Voie du Puy (GR65), Voie d'Arles (GR 653) and the Voie du Pièmont (GR 78). In spring and summer there are always a few pilgrims passing through. Sometimes there were volunteers welcoming pilgrims at a bureau.

Regards
Lovingkindness

 

[Silvermomma]

Good morning @Silvermomma

I have had a look through my diaries for 2013 to 2014 and made a list for you of where I stayed along le Canal du Midi and le Canal des Les Deux Mers.

Some of the villages along these canals coincide with various Chemins de Saint-Jacques (Caminos to Santiago de Compostelle). For example, Voie de Vézelay (GR 654), Voie de Tours (GR 655), Voie du Puy (GR65), Voie d'Arles (GR 653) and the Voie du Pièmont (GR 78). In spring and summer there are always a few pilgrims passing through. Sometimes there were volunteers welcoming pilgrims at a bureau.

Regards
Lovingkindness

Thank you so much! You are the best. Very helpful. Yes, I first became aware of the canal walks through the various caminos in France.

 

[lovingkindness]

Thank you so much! You are the best. Very helpful. Yes, I first became aware of the canal walks through the various caminos in France.

You are welcome! Memory lane is an easy chemin.

 

[pelerine]

I went by boat with a friend in October 1998. We rented the boat in Agde, went all the way to Toulouse and back, then down to Narbonne and finally to Sète. My friend was extremely careful with money and not particularly interested culturally, so we did not visit many of the sights along the way. Even so it was a great experience. Accommodation was on the boat and we cooked our own meals. If I were to do it again I would hire bicycles as well as a boat and visit many more of the villages along the way. Among the highlights I particularly remember was the “lock stairs” in Beziers - a succession of 7 locks to overcome the height difference of the terrain and a canal bridge ie the canal flowed on a bridge high across a valley.

I think you cannot handle the many locks on your own. With two of you it is very easy and you can stop anywhere along the canal.

 

[Geebee]

You may find something useful on the French Waterways website. It is from a boating point of view but does go into some detail about the towns along the way

Canal Maps, Books, PDF Downloads and Navigation Guides

Comprehensive range; the best maps, guides and books for inland waterway navigation. Fluviacarte, Breil and Imray guides + charts. PDF downloads and ebooks

www.french-waterways.com

For an armchair view of the Canal du Midi, take a look at Rick Stein's French Odyssey TV series.