Adventure Category: Canal du Midi

Yesterday, we had travelled the final kilometres of the Canal du Midi and returned our boat at Port Cassafières.

Today, the only direction was home.

Ahead lay a long drive back—considerably faster than travelling by canal, but without the tranquillity, scenery or convenient supply of canalside wine.

Leaving southern France

After nearly two weeks organised around locks, moorings and cruising hours, returning to the car felt strangely ordinary.

Our bags were packed, the boat had been handed back and Port Cassafières gradually disappeared behind us.

The journey that had taken days to complete by water would now be retraced at motorway speed.

It was efficient, certainly. Romantic, less so.

From canal speed to motorway speed

Travelling slowly changes how distance feels.

On the canal, 15 kilometres could become an entire morning’s adventure. Every village, bridge and lock marked our progress through the landscape.

From the car, towns and countryside passed much more quickly. The distance between southern France and home was compressed into roads, junctions and service-station stops.

After days spent moving at little more than walking pace, motorway speed felt almost indecently hurried.

There were no ropes to prepare or lock gates to watch—only a very long road ahead and the growing realisation that the holiday was genuinely over.

Looking back on the journey

The drive gave us plenty of time to reflect upon everything we had experienced.

We had travelled from Castelnaudary towards the Mediterranean, crossing one of Europe’s greatest historic waterways.

The journey had taken us through medieval cities, vineyard landscapes and canal villages. We had passed through the Malpas Tunnel, descended Fonseranes and crossed the Orb Aqueduct into Béziers.

There had been demanding days, peaceful moorings, memorable meals, local wine and more locks than our arms would care to remember.

Most importantly, the Canal du Midi had given us time—not simply to visit southern France, but to experience it slowly.

Returning home

Eventually, after many hours on the road, we arrived home.

There were bags to unpack, washing to confront and photographs to sort through. The familiar routines of everyday life quickly began returning.

Yet part of us remained aboard the boat: following the towpath through the trees, approaching another oval lock or sitting outside as the evening settled across the water.

The drive was finished, but the journey would remain with us.

The end of the adventure

Our Canal du Midi holiday had taken us across southern France at a pace slow enough to notice the landscape, understand the history and appreciate the remarkable engineering beneath us.

The long journey home provided one final contrast.

We had returned faster than we travelled—but travelling slowly had shown us considerably more.

This was the end of our Canal du Midi adventure.

It would not be our last journey by water.

For nearly two weeks, the Canal du Midi had been our route through southern France.

Today, it became the way back to the boatyard.

Our final cruise would take us approximately 15 kilometres from Béziers to Port Cassafières, through four locks and an increasingly Mediterranean landscape.

After everything the journey had contained, three hours on the water sounded almost modest.

Leaving Béziers

We started the engine for the final time and released the ropes.

Béziers had provided two memorable days: first the engineering spectacle of the Malpas Tunnel, Fonseranes locks and Orb Aqueduct, followed by a day exploring the city, dinner at Le Patio and an evening at the ballet.

Now it was time to continue eastwards.

The cathedral of Saint-Nazaire gradually receded behind us as the canal carried us away from Pierre-Paul Riquet’s birthplace and towards the end of our journey.

The final four locks

Four locks remained between Béziers and Port Cassafières.

By now, the routine felt completely familiar. We prepared the ropes, entered each chamber and controlled the boat as the water level changed.

During our first afternoon, every lock had felt like a significant event. Now we worked through them with the quiet confidence that comes from considerable practice.

There was still scope for an awkward current, an unpredictable neighbouring boat or a difference of opinion between Chris and Adam.

It would have been disappointing if the Canal du Midi had become too easy on our final morning.

Villeneuve-lès-Béziers

The canal passed through Villeneuve-lès-Béziers, where boats moored beside the waterfront and cafés faced the water.

The settlement developed close to the canal after its construction transformed travel and commerce across the region. Today, its quays make it an attractive stopping point between Béziers and the Mediterranean coast.

We continued through its lock and beneath the stone bridge, conscious that every kilometre was bringing the holiday closer to its conclusion.

A Mediterranean landscape

Beyond Villeneuve, the character of the surroundings began to change.

The vineyards and wooded stretches of the interior gradually gave way to flatter coastal scenery. Reeds, wetlands and open skies replaced the hills that had accompanied much of our journey.

Near Portiragnes, the canal passes through a landscape shaped by former salt marshes. Horses, waterbirds and other wildlife inhabit the surrounding wetlands, while the Mediterranean lies only a short distance beyond the canal.

We could not yet see the sea, but its influence was unmistakable.

The last lock

Portiragnes was the final lock of our journey.

This was the moment towards which every earlier chamber had been leading: the last ropes, the last changing water level and the last opening gates.

We entered, secured the boat and watched the chamber complete its cycle.

Then the gates opened and we cruised out onto the canal’s lowest level, only around a metre above the Mediterranean.

There would be no more locks before Port Cassafières.

After so many repetitions, it felt strange to put the ropes away knowing that we would not need them again.

Returning the boat

Port Cassafières appeared much sooner than we wanted it to.

We entered the base, found the designated berth and prepared to bring the boat alongside.

The final mooring demanded the same concentration as the first, although we approached it with considerably more experience—and a much better understanding of what the boat might do when asked.

Once the ropes were secured, the engine stopped for the final time.

The sudden silence felt different today. This was not an overnight pause before another cruise. Our journey aboard was complete.

From Castelnaudary to the Mediterranean

Since leaving Castelnaudary, the Canal du Midi had carried us through an extraordinary variety of places.

We had explored medieval Carcassonne, crossed the vineyards of the Minervois, rested in Trèbes on May Day and visited historic canal settlements including Homps, Le Somail and Capestang.

We had travelled through the world’s first navigable canal tunnel, descended the staircase at Fonseranes and crossed the River Orb on an aqueduct.

There had been long cruising days, peaceful evenings aboard, excellent food, local wine and enough locks to make handling ropes feel like a permanent occupation.

The canal had revealed itself not simply as a route across France, but as a continuous work of landscape, history and engineering.

Saying goodbye

Returning a hire boat produces a peculiar mixture of satisfaction and reluctance.

We were proud to have completed the journey, but neither of us was ready to stop. For days, life had been organised around distances, locks, moorings and the gentle forward movement of the canal.

Now there were bags to pack, cupboards to empty and a boat that would shortly belong to somebody else’s adventure.

We stepped ashore with more confidence than when we had boarded—and considerably more opinions about French lock design.

The end of one journey

Our Canal du Midi adventure had begun with excitement, uncertainty and 18 locks on the first afternoon.

It ended beside the Mediterranean with a boat safely returned and an unforgettable journey behind us.

Pierre-Paul Riquet’s improbable seventeenth-century vision had carried us across southern France at walking pace, connecting cities, villages, vineyards and landscapes that we would otherwise have experienced very differently.

This was the end of our voyage aboard.

It was not, however, the end of our desire to discover the world slowly—from the water, whenever possible.

Yesterday belonged to the Canal du Midi’s engineering: the Malpas Tunnel, Fonseranes staircase and Orb Aqueduct.

Today was about the city behind it all.

With the boat remaining moored, we had a full day to explore Béziers—the birthplace of Pierre-Paul Riquet and a city whose history extends far beyond the canal he created.

A slower start

After yesterday’s demanding passage through Fonseranes, there was no need to start the engine or prepare the ropes.

Instead, we could enjoy a slower morning aboard before walking into the city.

Béziers rises above the River Orb, so exploring it inevitably involved leaving the level comfort of the canal and climbing towards the historic centre.

After days of locks, we had apparently exchanged vertical travel by boat for vertical travel on foot.

The Old Bridge

Our first destination was the Pont Vieux, the medieval bridge spanning the River Orb beneath the city.

Its stone arches have carried travellers across the river for centuries. From the bridge and surrounding riverbank, the view towards Béziers is one of the city’s most memorable.

Above the rooftops stands the Cathedral of Saint-Nazaire, occupying a commanding position on the rocky heights.

Yesterday, we had seen the cathedral from the Orb Aqueduct. Today, we would make the climb towards it.

Saint-Nazaire Cathedral

The Cathedral of Saint-Nazaire dominates Béziers.

Much of the present Gothic building dates from the centuries following the destruction of an earlier cathedral during the Albigensian Crusade. Its fortified appearance reflects both the turbulent history of the city and the strategic importance of its position.

From the terraces beside the cathedral, there are sweeping views across the Orb, the vineyards and the surrounding countryside.

The Canal du Midi could be seen threading through a much larger landscape—the remarkable result of one man’s determination to connect Toulouse with the Mediterranean.

A city with a difficult history

Béziers is beautiful, but its past is not always comfortable.

In 1209, the city was attacked during the Albigensian Crusade. Much of the population was massacred after Béziers refused to surrender suspected Cathars.

The destruction became one of the most notorious episodes of the campaign.

Walking through the peaceful streets today, it was difficult to reconcile the modern city with the violence that once took place here. Yet understanding Béziers means recognising both its architectural beauty and its darker history.

Through the historic centre

From the cathedral, we continued through the old town.

Narrow streets, shaded squares and historic façades gradually led towards the broader avenues of the nineteenth-century city.

The change was striking. Medieval Béziers felt enclosed and defensive; the later boulevards were spacious, decorative and intended for public life.

Cafés provided opportunities to stop, observe the city and conduct the sort of careful research that required coffee, wine or both.

Allées Paul Riquet

At the heart of modern Béziers lies the Allées Paul Riquet, a broad promenade named after the creator of the Canal du Midi.

A statue of Riquet stands prominently along the avenue, commemorating the engineer in the city of his birth.

Born in Béziers in 1609, Riquet spent much of his fortune and the final decades of his life pursuing his extraordinary canal project.

He died in 1680, only months before the Canal du Midi officially opened.

Riquet therefore never witnessed the completed waterway operating in its entirety. More than three centuries later, boats like ours continue travelling through the structures he conceived.

Just a Minute: Pierre-Paul Riquet

Pierre-Paul Riquet was born in Béziers in 1609.

A prosperous tax collector, he became convinced that a canal could connect the Atlantic and Mediterranean, avoiding the long and dangerous sea journey around Spain.

The greatest challenge was supplying enough water to its highest point. Riquet developed an ambitious system of reservoirs, channels and feeders drawing water from the Montagne Noire.

Construction began in 1666 and employed thousands of workers.

Riquet invested heavily in the project but died in 1680, before the canal opened the following year.

His Canal du Midi remains one of Europe’s greatest engineering achievements.

One minute—and a lifetime devoted to making water cross southern France.

Plateau des Poètes

We continued towards the Plateau des Poètes, a landscaped nineteenth-century park connecting the city centre with the railway station.

Its paths, planting, fountains and statues provided a peaceful contrast to the busy streets around it.

After several days aboard a boat, there was something novel about wandering without needing to consider navigation, bridge clearance or the movements of other hire boats.

Although hills remained an unexpected feature.

Dinner and the ballet

Our day ended with a lovely meal at Le Patio, enjoyed within its atmospheric courtyard in the historic centre.

Chris then took us to the ballet—a rather more elegant conclusion to the evening than ropes, locks and disagreements about steering.

After a day exploring Béziers’ history, the performance revealed another side of the city and provided a memorable finale before we returned to the boat.

Returning to the canal

By evening, we made our way back towards the boat.

Seeing Béziers from its streets had added important context to yesterday’s journey. Fonseranes was no longer simply a spectacular flight of locks; it was part of the legacy of a city, an engineer and a much broader history.

The boat remained exactly where we had left it—always a reassuring discovery.

The city behind the canal

Our day in Béziers revealed a place of striking contrasts.

It combined a medieval cathedral and a difficult past with elegant boulevards, peaceful gardens and an enduring pride in Pierre-Paul Riquet.

For us, it also provided a valuable pause after one of the most demanding and memorable cruising days of the holiday.

Tomorrow, we would leave Béziers and resume our journey eastwards, drawing ever closer to the Mediterranean.

For tonight, we remained beside the Canal du Midi in the city where its creator was born—grateful that his improbable idea had become our route across southern France.

Today’s journey brought us face to face with two of the Canal du Midi’s greatest engineering achievements.

Leaving Capestang, we would pass through the pioneering Malpas Tunnel before descending the spectacular staircase locks at Fonseranes and continuing into Béziers.

After yesterday’s lock-free tranquillity, the canal was about to become considerably more dramatic.

Leaving Capestang

We released the ropes and left Capestang behind, having successfully negotiated its famously low bridge without modifying either the boat or the historic stonework.

The canal continued through the vineyards of the Hérault, following a winding route towards Colombiers.

Although the Mediterranean was drawing closer, the landscape remained rural. Vines stretched beyond the towpath, while occasional glimpses of distant hills appeared between the trees.

Ahead, however, the canal seemed to disappear directly into one of them.

The Malpas Tunnel

The Malpas Tunnel carries the Canal du Midi for approximately 165 metres beneath the hill of Ensérune.

Completed in 1679, it was the first navigable canal tunnel constructed anywhere in the world.

During construction, Pierre-Paul Riquet encountered unstable sandstone. Officials ordered work to stop, fearing that the tunnel would collapse.

Riquet refused to abandon his route. His master mason secretly continued excavating, completing a trial passage in only a few days and demonstrating that the tunnel was viable.

The gamble succeeded, allowing the canal to continue beneath the hill rather than following a lengthy diversion around it.

Into the darkness

Approaching the entrance required our full attention.

The canal narrowed, the stone arch filled our view and daylight rapidly disappeared as the boat entered the tunnel.

Inside, the engine sounded louder as its noise echoed from the walls. There was limited clearance and no room for an unexpected meeting with another boat.

For a few minutes, our world consisted of stone, water and the patch of daylight ahead.

We emerged safely into the sunshine, having travelled through a structure that boats have used for nearly 350 years.

It was brief, atmospheric and unforgettable.

Just a Minute: the Malpas Tunnel

In 1679, Pierre-Paul Riquet faced one of the greatest threats to his Canal du Midi project.

His planned route encountered the hill of Ensérune, where unstable sandstone made tunnelling appear impossible. Government inspectors ordered the work to stop and proposed diverting the canal.

Riquet secretly instructed his workers to continue. Within days, they had created a trial tunnel that proved the hill could be crossed safely.

The completed Malpas Tunnel extended for approximately 165 metres and became the world’s first navigable canal tunnel.

Its name derives from the Occitan mal pas—meaning “bad passage”.

One minute—and one act of engineering defiance that changed canal history.

Towards Béziers

Beyond the tunnel, we continued towards Béziers, the city closely associated with Riquet’s life and legacy.

The canal passed Colombiers before approaching the outskirts of the city. Gradually, the rural landscape gave way to a busier and more engineered section of the waterway.

Then the view opened towards Fonseranes.

From the canal, the line of chambers descending towards Béziers presented an extraordinary sight. This was not simply another lock—it was an entire staircase built into the hillside.

The Fonseranes staircase

The Fonseranes locks were constructed as part of Riquet’s original canal and opened in 1681.

The historic structure comprises eight oval chambers and nine gates, forming a monumental staircase beside Béziers. Changes to the canal’s route mean that boats today use six chambers when travelling through the operational staircase.

The locks remain one of the most celebrated landmarks on the Canal du Midi.

They are also one of its busiest.

Boats pass through in organised groups during defined operating periods, creating a mixture of careful coordination, public spectacle and barely concealed anxiety.

Descending Fonseranes

We joined the other boats waiting to descend.

Once the gates opened, the staircase became a continuous sequence. Each chamber led directly into the next as the boats stepped progressively down the hillside.

There was little opportunity to relax.

Ropes needed constant attention, boats moved within the oval chambers and crews had to respond quickly as water levels changed. Other hire boats added further unpredictability, each with its own technique and interpretation of personal space.

Visitors watched from beside the locks, turning our boating competence—or otherwise—into public entertainment.

We concentrated on the ropes, the boat and the next opening gate.

One chamber followed another until, eventually, we emerged at the bottom.

Boat, crew and marriage had all survived.

Crossing the Orb

Beyond Fonseranes, the canal crosses the River Orb on an impressive aqueduct.

The Orb Aqueduct opened in 1858, replacing the difficult original passage in which boats had to enter and cross the unpredictable river itself.

Carrying the canal high above the Orb, the aqueduct provided memorable views towards Béziers and the cathedral of Saint-Nazaire.

After travelling beneath a hill at Malpas, we were now travelling across a river on a canal carried through the air.

The engineering ambition of the Canal du Midi seemed determined to outdo itself.

Arriving in Béziers

We continued to our mooring in Béziers and finally stopped the engine.

The day had taken us through a world-first canal tunnel, down one of Europe’s most remarkable lock staircases and across the River Orb.

Each structure solved a different challenge posed by the landscape. Together, they demonstrated the ingenuity—and extraordinary determination—behind Riquet’s canal.

Béziers was an appropriate place to finish.

Riquet was born here in 1609, and the city remains closely connected with the waterway he devoted much of his life to creating.

An unforgettable engineering day

Some cruising days are memorable because of the scenery or the places visited.

This one belonged to the canal itself.

The Malpas Tunnel demonstrated Riquet’s determination to overcome political and geological obstacles. Fonseranes revealed the scale and ambition of his original design, while the later Orb Aqueduct showed how succeeding generations continued improving the route.

Tomorrow, we would have time to explore Béziers and discover more about the city behind the engineer.

For tonight, however, we were content to celebrate completing one of the most exciting stages of our Canal du Midi journey—with our boat, nerves and marriage still largely intact.

After several days measured in locks, ropes and aching arms, today offered something increasingly unfamiliar: uninterrupted cruising.

Our journey from Le Somail to Capestang covered approximately 22 kilometres without a single lock.

It promised to be one of the most peaceful stages of our Canal du Midi adventure—although Capestang’s famously challenging bridge ensured that the day would not be entirely without drama.

Leaving Le Somail

We left our mooring beside Le Somail’s historic bridge and gently returned to the canal.

The village had provided everything we hoped to find along the Canal du Midi: beautiful surroundings, a strong connection to the waterway’s history and enough time to appreciate both.

Now, the Mediterranean was drawing closer.

Without any locks ahead, there were no opening times to consider, ropes to prepare or chambers to negotiate. We could simply follow the canal eastwards towards Capestang.

A day without locks

Lock-free cruising changes the rhythm of a boating day.

Instead of repeatedly stopping and starting, we could settle into a steady pace and enjoy the landscape unfolding around us.

The Canal du Midi wound through vineyards and open countryside, passing beneath bridges and avenues of trees. Villages appeared beyond the towpath before gradually disappearing behind us.

After working through 51 locks since Castelnaudary, the absence of them felt almost suspicious.

There was still plenty to occupy the person steering. Hire boats appeared around bends, cyclists and walkers followed the towpath, and the canal’s narrow bridges demanded careful positioning.

Nevertheless, it was wonderfully relaxing to travel for several hours without anybody needing to climb ashore carrying a rope.

The changing Canal du Midi

This section of the canal revealed another side of Riquet’s waterway.

Locks may be its most obvious engineering features, but maintaining a navigable level across 22 kilometres is itself an impressive achievement. The canal follows the contours of the landscape, curving through the countryside rather than cutting directly across it.

Travelling slowly allowed us to appreciate how carefully the route had been constructed.

Every bend, embankment and bridge formed part of a system created more than three centuries ago—and one that continued to carry us towards the Mediterranean.

Approaching Capestang

Our relaxed journey became rather more focused as we approached Capestang.

The village is known among boaters for its low and narrow stone bridge. Its curved arch leaves little room for error, particularly for larger hire boats with raised windscreens, canopies or enthusiastic crew members standing in precisely the wrong place.

We checked that everything above deck was lowered or secure and lined the boat up carefully.

This was not a moment for sightseeing.

With a steady hand on the controls—and the sort of collective silence that only occurs when both Chris and Adam are concentrating—we passed beneath the bridge.

Clearance was limited, but boat and bridge emerged unscathed.

Arriving in Capestang

Safely through the bridge, we found our mooring and stopped the engine.

Capestang grew as an important settlement beside the Canal du Midi, although its history extends much further back. The village remains surrounded by vineyards, while its historic centre is dominated by the impressive Collegiate Church of Saint-Étienne.

Its tower rises above the rooftops and can be seen from across the surrounding countryside.

After securing the boat, we set off to explore.

The unfinished church

The Collegiate Church of Saint-Étienne is remarkable not only for its scale, but because its ambitious medieval construction was never completed as intended.

Work began during the thirteenth century on what was planned to be a much larger Gothic building. Political upheaval, disease and changing circumstances interrupted those ambitions, leaving Capestang with an extraordinary church whose proportions hint at a grander original vision.

Its imposing façade and high interior seem strikingly large for the village around it.

The building stands as a reminder that even medieval construction projects could exceed their budgets and encounter unforeseen delays.

A subject with which Chris, as a CFO, felt an immediate connection.

Exploring the village

Capestang’s historic streets provided an enjoyable contrast to the open countryside through which we had cruised.

The village once prospered through agriculture, wine and its position beside the canal. Traditional buildings, narrow streets and shaded squares reflected the character of this part of southern France.

With no locks to delay our arrival, we had time to explore at a relaxed pace.

We could wander without constantly checking the time, return to the boat when we wished and enjoy another evening beside the canal.

A deceptively eventful day

On paper, this had been one of the simplest stages of our journey: 22 kilometres, no locks and several hours of peaceful cruising.

In reality, it had offered beautiful countryside, remarkable canal engineering, an unfinished medieval church and one very low bridge.

Tomorrow would be considerably more dramatic.

Our route towards Béziers would take us through the Malpas Tunnel before confronting one of the Canal du Midi’s greatest engineering spectacles: the staircase of locks at Fonseranes.

For tonight, however, we remained in Capestang—pleased to have completed an entire cruising day without handling a single lock rope or removing the roof of the boat.

After several demanding days on the Canal du Midi, today’s journey felt almost leisurely.

Our route from Homps to Le Somail covered approximately 13 kilometres, with six locks and around three hours of cruising.

For once, we would reach our destination with plenty of time—and energy—to explore.

Leaving Homps

We started the engine and eased away from Homps, leaving its historic wine port behind us.

Since boarding in Castelnaudary, we had already negotiated 45 locks. Six more therefore seemed comparatively manageable, although the Canal du Midi still had ample opportunity to test our increasingly confident routine.

The shorter journey meant there was no need to rush. We could enjoy breakfast, prepare the boat and depart without feeling that every minute had already been allocated to the day ahead.

Six more locks

By now, approaching a lock had become familiar.

Ropes were prepared, responsibilities understood and the boat positioned inside the chamber with considerably less uncertainty than during our first afternoon.

That did not mean everything always went perfectly.

The oval locks continued to create unpredictable currents, while other boats, changing water levels and occasional differences of opinion ensured that no two passages felt identical.

Nevertheless, six locks passed relatively quickly. Compared with the 18 between Castelnaudary and Bram, it felt almost like a day off.

Cruising through the Minervois

The canal continued through the vineyard-covered landscape of the Minervois.

With fewer kilometres to cover, we had more time to notice the details around us: the reflections beneath stone bridges, the towpath disappearing around each bend and glimpses of villages beyond the trees.

Travelling slowly allows a landscape to become part of the experience rather than simply the space between destinations.

The Canal du Midi was carrying us steadily towards the Mediterranean, but there was no reason to hurry.

Arriving in Le Somail

After approximately three hours, we reached Le Somail.

The village developed around the Canal du Midi during the seventeenth century and once served as an important stopping place for passengers travelling between Toulouse and Sète.

Its stone bridge, historic buildings and tree-lined waterfront create one of the canal’s most distinctive settings.

Unlike our arrival after the long cruise to Trèbes, we reached Le Somail with much of the day still ahead. The boat was secured, the engine stopped and we could begin exploring without first needing several hours to recover.

Exploring the canal village

Le Somail is small, but its relationship with the canal is visible everywhere.

The settlement grew to serve travellers and canal traffic, providing accommodation, food and facilities during journeys that once took several days.

Today, historic buildings remain clustered around the water. Boats line the banks, visitors cross the old stone bridge and the canal continues to form the centre of village life.

Le Somail is also known for its remarkable bookshop, housed within a former wine cellar and filled with thousands of volumes. It adds another layer of character to a village already rich in canal history.

This was precisely the sort of place that slow travel makes possible: somewhere we might otherwise have passed in minutes, but could now spend an afternoon discovering.

Wine from the Minervois

Our journey had taken us through one of southern France’s best-known wine landscapes.

Nearby Château de Ventenac overlooks the Canal du Midi from Ventenac-en-Minervois. Its historic wine cellar reflects the close relationship between the canal and the region’s vineyards.

Wine was once transported in considerable quantities along this waterway. Although holiday boats have replaced much of the commercial traffic, the vineyards remain an essential part of the surrounding landscape.

Sampling something local therefore counted as historical research.

At least, that was our justification.

Dinner aboard

We returned to the boat for dinner rather than eating out.

After several evenings exploring canalside restaurants, cooking aboard offered a welcome change of pace. The galley may have been compact, but our mooring provided a dining room overlooking one of the loveliest villages on the canal.

As daylight faded, Le Somail became quieter. Boats settled along the banks and reflections formed beneath the old bridge.

It was a wonderfully peaceful conclusion to a gentler day.

Time to enjoy the journey

The cruise from Homps had been relatively short, but that was exactly what made it memorable.

Instead of arriving tired after a full day of locks and steering, we had time to explore Le Somail, appreciate its history and simply enjoy being beside the canal.

Tomorrow would bring another relaxed stage: approximately 22 kilometres to Capestang, with no locks at all.

For tonight, however, we remained moored in Le Somail—surrounded by canal history, Minervois vineyards and the quiet pleasures of travelling slowly.

After our enforced May Day pause in Trèbes, the Canal du Midi was moving again—and so were we.

Ahead lay approximately 29 kilometres of cruising, 14 locks and around six and a half hours on the water before reaching Homps.

Our rest day had been welcome. Now, however, we were ready to continue our journey towards the Mediterranean.

Leaving Trèbes

The port returned to life as boats prepared to depart and the locks reopened after the public holiday.

We started the engine, released the ropes and left the mooring that had been our home for two nights.

After a day spent going nowhere, even our gentle cruising speed felt purposeful.

The break had also given us time to recover from the first 31 locks of the holiday. Our arms were rested, our supplies had been replenished and our increasingly crowded cupboards were ready for the next stage.

Back into the locks

It did not take long for the familiar routine to resume.

Approach the lock. Prepare the ropes. Enter the chamber. Control the boat as the water rises or falls. Leave—and repeat.

Fourteen times.

By this point, we were working more confidently together. We understood the boat’s behaviour, anticipated the currents inside the oval chambers and had developed a system that usually worked.

Usually.

No boating holiday would be complete without the occasional disagreement shouted between two ends of a boat. Fortunately, the Canal du Midi provided plenty of time between locks for diplomatic relations to recover.

Through the Minervois

As we travelled east, the landscape increasingly reflected the character of the Minervois.

Vineyards stretched across the countryside beyond the canal, interspersed with villages, fields and distant hills. Wine has shaped this region for centuries, and vines seemed to accompany us for much of the journey.

The canal itself continued to offer constant variety. Long, tranquil stretches were interrupted by bridges and locks, while the shade of the trees created welcome shelter from the southern French sun.

Travelling at canal speed allowed the landscape to reveal itself gradually.

There was no dramatic moment when we entered the Minervois. Instead, its character accumulated around us—another vineyard, another stone village and another view across the hills.

A substantial day’s cruising

Twenty-nine kilometres and 14 locks made this another demanding day.

The locks divided the route into stages, giving the journey a natural rhythm. Each successful passage brought us closer to Homps, although the repeated handling of ropes ensured that nobody could describe the day as sedentary.

By the afternoon, the distance was beginning to show.

Six and a half hours aboard requires sustained concentration, particularly when the canal is narrow or busy. Yet this was exactly the experience we had come for: travelling through southern France by water rather than simply moving between its destinations.

The journey was becoming as important as the places where we stopped.

Arriving in Homps

Homps developed as an important wine-trading port on the Canal du Midi.

Its position allowed barrels produced across the Minervois to be loaded onto boats and transported through the canal network. Although commercial traffic has largely given way to leisure boating, the port remains closely connected to the surrounding vineyards.

After 29 kilometres and 14 locks, Homps provided a very welcome overnight mooring.

We secured the boat, stopped the engine and enjoyed the familiar silence that followed another full day on the canal.

An evening beside the port

Homps offered several possibilities for the evening.

En Bonne Compagnie provided an inviting setting near the canal, with local food and wine offering an appropriate conclusion to our journey through the vineyards.

After the exertions of the day, our requirements were simple: somewhere comfortable to sit, something good to eat and a bottle that could reasonably be described as cultural research.

The Mediterranean was drawing closer, but the atmosphere remained unmistakably rural. Boats rested along the port while vineyards extended into the countryside beyond the village.

Another major stage completed

Since leaving Castelnaudary, we had travelled through 45 locks and reached the heart of the Minervois.

The journey from Trèbes had been long, physical and memorable. It had also demonstrated how much more comfortable we had become aboard the boat.

Tomorrow would be considerably gentler: approximately three hours, six locks and 13 kilometres to Le Somail.

For now, Homps offered everything we needed—a peaceful mooring, a good meal and the satisfaction of completing another substantial day on the Canal du Midi.

After covering 52 kilometres and negotiating 31 locks in less than two days, the Canal du Midi finally insisted that we stop.

It was 1 May—Labour Day and a public holiday across France. With the locks closed for the day, our boat would remain securely moored in Trèbes.

For once, we were not disappointed.

Nowhere to cruise

The closure of the locks meant that continuing towards Homps was impossible.

On a tightly planned holiday, an enforced pause might have felt inconvenient. After our demanding journeys from Castelnaudary to Bram and then onwards to Trèbes, however, it felt perfectly timed.

There was no engine to start, no distance to cover and no ropes to prepare. Our only obligation was to remain exactly where we were.

Canal life can quickly become focused upon the next lock, the next mooring and the next destination. May Day gave us permission to stop travelling and enjoy the place we had already reached.

A slower morning aboard

We began the day at a considerably gentler pace.

Without a cruising schedule, breakfast could take as long as we wished. The boat felt different when it was no longer simply transporting us somewhere: it became our floating home beside the canal.

We watched activity around the port, enjoyed the stillness of the water and gave our arms an opportunity to recover from the previous 31 locks.

Even Chris and Adam found remarkably little to disagree about when there was no boat to steer.

Exploring Trèbes

Trèbes developed at the meeting point of several waterways, including the Canal du Midi, River Aude and River Orbiel.

Its canal port remains central to the town’s character. Boats line the water, paths follow the banks and cafés and restaurants make it an inviting place to pause.

Away from the port, the older town rises towards the Church of Saint-Étienne. Its history stretches back long before the canal, but the arrival of Riquet’s waterway transformed Trèbes into an important stopping point for trade and travel.

Our walk gave us time to explore without repeatedly checking the clock or calculating how many locks remained before closing.

Restocking the boat

A rest day also provided an opportunity to replenish our supplies.

We visited the Intermarché on Boulevard du Minervois, returning with fresh food and—despite the quantity loaded aboard in Castelnaudary—several things we had apparently been unable to survive without.

Storage space aboard a hire boat is limited, but this seldom prevents holiday shopping. It merely encourages increasingly imaginative arrangements inside cupboards.

Wine, naturally, was treated as an essential provision rather than an optional extra.

The surrounding Aude countryside is rich in vineyards, including Domaine Le Fort near Montréal. We were travelling through one of France’s great wine-producing regions, making local bottles an important part of experiencing the landscape.

Purely for cultural reasons, of course.

Eating aboard

Rather than going out for dinner, we spent the evening eating on the boat.

There is something particularly satisfying about cooking aboard after a day spent exploring. The towpath gradually quietened, reflections settled across the canal and Trèbes became calmer as evening arrived.

Our mooring gave us a canalside dining room without needing to move more than a few steps from the galley.

After two intensive cruising days, simplicity felt luxurious.

More than a lost cruising day

May Day had initially appeared to be a restriction around which the itinerary needed to be designed.

Instead, it became an important part of the holiday.

It allowed us to experience Trèbes as somewhere more than an overnight mooring. We could walk through the town, restock the boat, enjoy a leisurely meal and appreciate the pleasure of remaining still.

Slow travel should include time to stop.

Tomorrow, the locks would reopen and our journey would resume with another substantial cruise: approximately 29 kilometres and 14 locks between Trèbes and Homps.

For tonight, however, the engine remained silent, the ropes remained tied and the Canal du Midi belonged to those content to go nowhere.

After negotiating 18 locks on our first afternoon aboard, we might reasonably have planned a gentle second day.

Instead, we faced the longest cruise of the holiday: approximately 36 kilometres from Bram to Trèbes, with another 13 locks along the way.

It would demand around seven and a half hours on the water—and provide a wonderful opportunity to settle into the rhythm of the Canal du Midi.

An early departure from Bram

We left Bram knowing that we had a considerable distance to cover.

Yesterday’s intensive introduction had at least made us more confident with the boat. The controls no longer felt entirely unfamiliar, and we had begun to establish a routine for approaching locks, handling ropes and sharing the work.

Nevertheless, 36 kilometres represented an ambitious day by canal standards.

The engine started, the ropes were released and Bram’s quiet port gradually disappeared behind us.

Finding our cruising rhythm

The previous afternoon had been dominated by locks. Today brought longer stretches of uninterrupted cruising, giving us more time to appreciate the canal itself.

The Canal du Midi wound through the countryside beneath avenues of trees, passing vineyards, fields and small settlements. In places, the waterway seemed almost enclosed by the landscape; elsewhere, the views opened across the Aude countryside.

Progress remained unhurried, but that is precisely the pleasure of travelling by boat.

At walking pace, details that would disappear from a car became part of the journey: reflections beneath stone bridges, people passing on the towpath and the constantly changing patterns of sunlight across the water.

Another 13 locks

Although fewer than yesterday, 13 locks still required plenty of concentration.

By now, we were beginning to understand how the boat responded inside the Canal du Midi’s distinctive oval chambers. Each lock brought its own currents, awkward angles and opportunities for Chris and Adam to offer entirely different opinions about what should happen next.

Our technique was improving—even if our communication occasionally remained a work in progress.

The locks divided the long cruise into manageable stages. We would travel for a while, prepare the ropes, work through another chamber and then continue towards Trèbes.

Each successful passage carried us farther from Castelnaudary and closer to the Mediterranean.

A full day on the water

Seven and a half hours aboard sounds leisurely until it includes steering, locks, ropes and the sustained concentration required to handle an unfamiliar hire boat.

By the afternoon, the scale of the day was becoming apparent.

We had covered substantially more ground than yesterday, while still negotiating structures built as part of a canal more than three centuries old.

Tiredness was beginning to set in, but so was a growing sense of confidence. The Canal du Midi no longer felt like somewhere we had merely come to visit. For the duration of the holiday, it was becoming our route through southern France.

Arriving in Trèbes

The sight of Trèbes was especially welcome.

The town occupies an important position where the Canal du Midi meets the River Aude and the Orbiel. Its canalside port offered a lively contrast to the quieter rural stretches through which we had travelled.

After approximately 36 kilometres and 13 locks, we found our mooring and finally stopped the engine.

The silence that follows a long day’s cruising is one of boating’s simplest pleasures. After hours of engine noise and constant movement, arriving brings an immediate sense of stillness—and considerable satisfaction.

An evening beside the canal

With the boat secured, we could turn our attention to Trèbes.

The port is lined with places to eat and drink, making it an ideal stopping point after a demanding journey. Les Vignes de Bacchus offered the prospect of local wine, while Le Moulin de Trèbes provided a picturesque canalside setting.

Whichever table we chose, dinner felt thoroughly earned.

Over food and wine, we reflected upon how quickly the holiday had gathered momentum. In little more than a day, we had travelled from Castelnaudary to Trèbes and worked through 31 locks.

Our arms knew about every one of them.

A forced day of rest ahead

Tomorrow was 1 May—a public holiday in France.

With the lock keepers not working, we would remain in Trèbes for the day rather than continuing along the canal.

After two demanding cruises, this was far from an inconvenience. It offered time to explore the town, replenish our supplies and enjoy the boat without needing to move it.

For now, we were simply pleased to have reached Trèbes.

Our longest cruising day was complete, another 13 locks were behind us, and a welcome day of rest lay ahead.

Our Canal du Midi adventure was finally under way—and it began with one of the most demanding days of the holiday.

The journey from Castelnaudary to Bram covered approximately 16 kilometres and required us to negotiate 18 locks. It was an energetic introduction to the canal, but also an opportunity to experience its remarkable seventeenth-century engineering at close quarters.

Leaving Le Grand Bassin

After completing the boat handover and stowing our supplies, we eased away from Le Grand Bassin in Castelnaudary.

The wide expanse of the basin soon narrowed into the Canal du Midi. Ahead lay around five and a half hours of cruising—and considerably more lock work than we would ordinarily choose for a relaxing first afternoon.

There was little time to settle gently into boating life. Almost immediately, we needed to establish our routine: approaching each lock, handling the ropes, keeping the boat under control and preparing to repeat the process a few hundred metres later.

Learning the locks

The locks of the Canal du Midi differ considerably from those we know on Britain’s waterways.

Many retain the distinctive oval chambers introduced during the canal’s original construction. Their curved walls were designed to withstand pressure more effectively, but they also create unusual currents as the chamber fills or empties.

Working through them required concentration and coordination.

As the afternoon progressed, we became more confident at positioning the boat, securing the ropes and anticipating the movement of the water. The first few locks felt like individual challenges; eventually, they became part of the rhythm of the journey.

Only another 17 to go.

Eighteen locks in one afternoon

There is no disguising the fact that 18 locks is a substantial undertaking—particularly on the first day aboard an unfamiliar boat.

Each lock interrupted our forward progress, but every one also formed part of the experience. We were travelling through structures conceived more than 350 years ago, following a route shaped by Pierre-Paul Riquet and generations of engineers, lock keepers and canal workers.

Between the locks, we passed through a landscape of fields, vineyards and tree-lined towpaths. The slower stretches gave us time to enjoy our surroundings before the next chamber appeared ahead.

The Canal du Midi was already proving that distance alone is a poor measure of a boating day. Sixteen kilometres may not sound far, but after 18 locks, it felt like a genuine achievement.

Arriving in Bram

Eventually, tired but increasingly comfortable with the boat, we reached Bram.

The canal port provided a welcome place to moor after our demanding first cruise. Once the engine stopped, the sudden quiet felt particularly satisfying.

Bram may appear to be a traditional village from the canal, but its historic centre has an unusual secret: it was constructed in a series of concentric circles.

The circular village of Bram

At the centre of Bram stands the church of Saint-Julien-et-Sainte-Basilisse. Streets and buildings radiate around it in an almost circular pattern, creating one of the finest examples of a circulade village in southern France.

These distinctive settlements developed during the medieval period, often with homes arranged defensively around a church or château.

Walking through Bram revealed the pattern gradually. Narrow streets curved around the centre rather than following a conventional grid, with each circuit drawing us closer to the historic heart of the village.

After spending the afternoon progressing in a straight line along the canal, exploring somewhere built entirely in circles seemed rather appropriate.

Wine and dinner beside the canal

A visit to Vineas Frogg wine merchant offered the opportunity to discover more of the wines produced across the surrounding region—and replenish our supplies after the exertions of the day.

We ended the evening near the canal at L’Île aux Oiseaux, reflecting upon our first journey aboard.

Only that morning, we had been collecting provisions and learning the boat’s controls. By evening, we had travelled 16 kilometres, negotiated 18 locks and reached our first overnight destination.

A demanding but memorable beginning

Our first cruise had given us an immediate introduction to the character of the Canal du Midi.

The locks demanded patience, teamwork and rapid familiarisation with an unfamiliar boat. In return, the journey offered historic engineering, beautiful countryside and the satisfaction of arriving somewhere new under our own power.

Tomorrow would bring an even longer cruise: approximately 36 kilometres from Bram to Trèbes, with another 13 locks along the way.

For now, however, we were content to remain in Bram, enjoy the stillness of the canal and celebrate surviving all 18.