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Burgundy At Its Best

by Suzanna Chambers

It was a coup de foudre for my parents Nick and Jeannie Chambers when they first set eyes on a beautiful converted Dutch barge on the Canal du Nivernais in Burgundy several years ago.

Keen sailors, they had become disenchanted with conditions in the choppy English Channel and were on the lookout for another way to indulge their love of water. And what better way to appreciate the waterways of France than from the comfortable cockpit of a canal barge, gliding effortlessly through the depths of the beautiful Gallic countryside?

A few summers ago, on a visit to their home in Dorset, I became acutely aware of the growing piles of barging books, maps and brochures collecting on the kitchen table. When I asked why, my father, a retired doctor, said he was “fed up being damp, aboard a small rocking boat in a small cold harbor.” They were “looking at alternatives.”

Two years on, and they haven’t looked back. “The barge really has been a revelation for us. It’s peaceful. We find the pace of life second to none. You can be as active or inactive as you like, and you dictate the itinerary and timetable. And the countryside and scenery are stunning, and ever-changing.”

My parents, in their mid-60s, are among thousands of barge enthusiasts of all ages who have discovered the delights of France’s unique waterways, which meander from north to south and pass through some of the country’s most enchanting vistas. Canal vacations have never been more popular, with countless companies offering a wide range of services from self-drive barges to top-end luxury floating hotels.

But for my parents—keen Francophiles and recently retired—a two-week barging holiday was not enough to satiate their new-found passion. They looked into buying their own canal boat but with prices for a new 17-meter (56-foot) vessel starting at $200,000, they hastily rethought. Instead they took a time-share in a boat for a snippet of the purchase price. A one-twelfth share of Donjeux, their splendid Dutch barge, costs an annual um of around $15,000, for which they can use the boat six weeks a year. (Plus minimal running costs and maintenance fees.)

Donjeux—named after a town on the River Marne and the site of a decisive battle against the Germans in 1918—is equipped to sleep eight, with a working fireplace, central heating and a TV/DVD player. It’s moored in Auxerre, a barging and boating center that is a traditional starting point for cruising the Canal du Nivernais and the river Yonne, which becomes navigable in this area. Built on a hill on the west bank of the Yonne, Auxerre is well worth a visit in itself, and is an excellent base from which to organize a side trip to the Chablis vineyards in northern Burgundy.

From Auxerre, the Canal du Nivernais flows south through some of the most beautiful scenic areas of rural France, crisscrossing the Yonne at several points. The waterway, originally the brainchild of King Henri IV, who died in 1610, was finally built between 1783 and 1842, connecting the River Seine to the Loire. For the amateur barge enthusiast, its set of 16 closely spaced locks provides enough action to warrant a gentle day moored to the tow path with a chilled bottle of local Chablis and good book before moving on towards the busy town of Decize, with its avenue of 300-year-old plane trees.  Perhaps the prettiest stretch of this 146-km (90 mi) canal is found near the small wine-producing town of Tannay, which boasts panoramic views over the Morvan hills. Also not to be missed are the virtually intact medieval village of Châtel Censoir and the hill town of Vézelay with its superb basilica, a pilgrimage site and an architectural marvel (but best avoided in high tourist season).

Another option is to head north to join the Canal de Bourgogne, which links the Yonne to the Saône and takes in more than 200 km (124 mi) of waterways, often lined with ancient poplar trees. The Bourgogne canal was finished about eight years before the Canal du Nivernais, and highlights en route include an impressive aqueduct at St-Florentin and the Renaissance châteaux of Tanlay and Ancy-le-Franc. Nearby, near the town of Alise-Ste-Reine, is the legendary site of Alésia where Vercingétorix, chief of the Gauls, surrendered to Julius Caesar after a two-month siege in 52 BC.

To the south is the Canal du Centre, which runs from Chalon-sur-Saône to Digoin, joining the Canal Latéral à la Loire in the south. Worthy of a stop along this stretch is ObservaLoire, a museum just outside Digoin dedicated to the river Loire. Another museum, the Musée du Canal at Ecuisses, tells the story of navigation on the Canal du Centre.

The beauty of self-barging is being able to travel at your own pace, stopping wherever your heart desires to have a picnic lunch or unload the bikes and cycle off for a demi-pression in a local town. And once the sun has set, you can moor up once again under the stars for dinner. Boats can be moored virtually anywhere—except, of course, near ‘No Mooring’ signs, or on a bend, in a narrow passage, under a bridge, in a lock or near reeds.

“You set the agenda,” Nick says. “You can help the éclusiers, the lock keepers, if you want. It can be fun but it’s by no means compulsory. Crew —or family and friends—can be helpful and hold ropes, or they can lie around reading with a glass of wine in their hands.”

Barging in Burgundy is not all plain sailing of course. The weather can be unreliable—the region has a mean summer temperature of 28°C (82°F), but also has its fair share of rain (it’s good for the vineyards, at least). Spending a week aboard a barge in torrential downpours has its limitations—one reason why many vacationers opt for hotel barges, which always have cars or minivans available for bad-weather excursions.

You cannot always choose whom you share your stretch of the canal with either, says my usually very sociable father. “Other canal users can be inconsiderate—too noisy, too fast, or they just can’t steer. And it can get quite congested in some places. But Burgundy has little traffic and you don’t tend to have to queue up to go into locks—which you must also remember close promptly for lunch between 12 and 1 pm and at 7 pm come what may.” Many locks are also closed on holidays.

One other caveat, if you self-drive, is that many areas of Burgundy’s canals are fairly isolated, so it is crucial to stock up on provisions before you set off. For those who fancy gliding through the waterways of central France without having to worry about doing the shopping or cooking, take note. Luxury hotel barge companies offer magical stays aboard their boutique-hotel barges, which boast ensuite bathrooms, air-conditioning and sometimes heated plunge pools or Jacuzzis, as well as leisurely lunches and candle-lit five-course dinners. Such lovely luxury comes at a price, of course.

www.crt-bourgogne.fr

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