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 Canals and rivers
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Your house on the ripples ( :J.M.-CDT47) |
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At Toulouse the Canal du Midi leads into the Canal Latéral à la Garonne and away off through sleepy, medieval Moissac to Valence d’Agen, Agen and Aiguillon, where the Garonne joins with the Lot for the last leg of the Grand Canal’s journey through some of the best vineyard and wine-tasting cruising in the country to Bordeaux. Two newly restored and particularly pretty offshoots of this canal are the rivers Baîse and the lower stretch of the Lot.
 Planning the route
To calculate travel times, reckon on cruising at about 5mph, for no more than four or five hours a day, allowing about 20 minutes to go through a lock. Operators are increasingly offering one-way as well as round-trip holidays, in regions where they have two boatyards close together.
Choosing a boat
There are two main styles: the traditional wide-beamed, box-shaped French pénichette, with a set-back wheel-house; and various cruiser-style motorboats. The latter are usually offered in sizes from two- to 12-berth; for a comfortable holiday, do not have anyone sleeping in converted bunks in the main living area. Cruisers with sliding roofs offer more privacy.
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