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Property details Boat hire, Canal du Midi, South France (Le Somail, Sleeps 10) from €1,326 pw
Property Reference: GOSF 104
If you are looking for boat hire on the Canal du Midi, South of France for a relaxing boating holiday, then Le Somail is the perfect option. Sleeping up to 10 people, this beautifully fitted out boat for hire features King size double beds and 2 master cabins each with en-suite bathroom. Fresh water electric flush toilets. Spacious areas on rear deck/ saloon. Unique design of accommodation and a spacious roof area for sunbathing. Easy wheel steering. Full radiator central heating for Spring/ Autumn cruising. The Boat hire comes equipped with a Radio/CD/DVD player, Hairdryers. Microwave / Toaster and 240v Mains supply (1800w) with UK sockets
Boat hire, Canal du Midi, South France
This new class of wide beam steel cruiser are built to the highest standards for your pleasure and comfort. These boats have been designed by a leading UK canal company to bring cruising in France into the 21st Century. The boat is fitted out in sustainable oak with restful colours and fabrics - You will enjoy the experience. This Sovereign Flying Bridge version has the wheel steering position on the roof above the saloon, providing a boat with total outside seating for the whole crew.
Boat hire Canal du Midi dimensions:
Size 49ft x 10ft 6in. (14.9 x 3.2m)
3 double in 3 cabins
FLYING BRIDGE version of the Sovereign class with
wheel steering area on the roof above saloon
Picture windows in saloon.
King size double beds.
Boat hire Canal du Midi Prices:
Low (Nov 1st - April 25th): €1326
Mid (April 26th - May 9th) : €1660
Mid (10 May - June 6) : €1921
Mid (June 7 - July 4) : €2124
High (5 July - 22 August) : €2457
Late (23 Aug - 5 Sep) : €2240
Late (6 Sep - 19 Sep) : €2022
Low (20 Sep - 30 Oct) : €1609
Prices include
Rental of boat/House and equipment Bedding. Third Party Liability Insurance. Life Jackets. Gas Consumed.
Not inlcuded:
Cancellation and Travel insurance. Bicycles - €40 each per week or part week. Towels - €5 per set. Diesel fuel - approx €120 per week. Domestic animals - €50 per week each. Map/guide - €20.
Canal du Midi
Le Somail is operated by Minervois Cruisers from their spot in the delightful hamlet of Le Somail on the banks of the Canal du Midi. This tree-lined canal that runs from Toulouse to the Mediterranean sea, is the largest UNESCO World heritage site on earth. It has come to symbolise the slow, relaxed life of the South of France. The brain-child of Paul Riquet, a tax collector from Beziers, the Canal du Midi was the most complex and greatest civil engineering undertaking since the time of the Romans. Passing under the walls of historic Carcassonne the quintessential South of France experience is to boat, walk or cycle along Riquet's canal. Our favourite stretch of the Canal du Midi is in between Colombiers and Capestang. Here you will also find the Oppidum d''Enserune. This pre-Roman settlement is perched on a ridge above the vineyards of Beziers. Look down and see the Basin de Montady, with its fields shaped like a wagon wheel.
Le Somail lies at the heart of the Minervois wine region of the Languedoc, close to the fascinating cities of Carcassonne, Narbonne and Beziers - all of which can be visited by canal. Le Somail is on the Grand Bief, offering 54 kilometres of lock-free cruising through delightful countryside and vineyards of the Canal du Midi Region.
Our Verdict
If you are looking for boat hire on the Canal du Midi, South France for a peaceful and relaxing holiday with your family or with friends, then Le Somail is ideal. Well fitted out, this first class accommodation, this boat hire will have you unwinding within hours. Cruising along the Canal du Midi is the perfect way to see the Languedoc and the South of France.
Suggested route
2 Weeks - Carcassonne and Castelnaudary (202 Kms and 102 Locks)
Day 1 - Stay at Le Somail overnight or travel along the Canal du Midi as far as Ventenac (5 kms). Here there are 2 bars/restaurants, a large Vin Cave and a small shop.
Day 2 - From Ventenac head towards the first lock at Argens Minervois (9 kms), then start the climb up the Canal du Midi towards Homps - a further 6 kms and 5 locks (1 single and 2 doubles). Homps has an attractive canal frontage with a range of good restaurants and boat facilities.
Day 3 - From Homps you could continue through La Redorte, stopping for lunch at the locks at Aiguille, famous for the lock keepers sculptures (12 kms and 3 locks or 5 locks if you go through and lunch at the top). Marseillette is a further 7 kms and 6 locks away - excluding the Aiguille pair (1 double, 1 triple and 1 single). There are excellent moorings on the Canal du Midi at Marseillette but the Water Point is expensive.
Day 4 - From Marseillette it is 9 kms until the triple staircase locks that take you up into Trebes. Trebes offers a good range of facilities for lunch or evening stopovers. If you want to continue along the Canal du Midi, Carcassonne is a further 13 kms and 7 locks. The port area at Carcassonne offers a range of facilities but does levy a charge. There are free moorings before the port area. In either case, La Cite beckons and, for many, this is one of the must see attractions of a Canal du Midi holiday.
Day 5 - Visit La Cite, Carcassonne. Castelnaudary is still some 40kms and 24 locks distant. You are advised to top up your water tank before leaving Carcassonne as there are only limited facilities before arriving at the port areas of either Bram or Castelnaudary itself.
Day 6 - On leaving Carcassonne, head for the port area at Bram (24 kms and 6 locks). The Port de Bram is actually a Nicols spot and offers water facilities etc. (A further 5 kms and 3 locks offers good moorings near the village of Villepinte which has basic shops and a restaurant within 10 minutes walk)
Day 7 - From Port de Bram it is 16 kms and 18 locks to the Grand Bassin at Castelnaudary - a good days cruising. The Grand Bassin is spectacular - nearly half a kilometre in length.
Day 8 - 14 - Start the return journey back to Le Somail - you now have sufficient knowledge to plan your return stops. If you are not experienced on the canals, you will be delighted to discover that a canal looks different in each direction. The return journey will be just as pleasurable as the outward-bound leg
Damage Waiver Charge for Narbonne:
£65 For holidays up to 7 days
£97 For holidays of 8 days or more.
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