Barging in France

Drive it yourself or crewed?

There will only be two of us. So, is it possible to book on a barge with others, either crewed on not?

Thanks for the information. I'll check out the video.

Thanks Ed. That's exactly what I was looking for!

Linda

What we've done a few times, both in France and England, is rent self-drive boats for a week. Two people can handle the boat easily (actually one can, it's just nice to take turns), you travel on rivers and canals, stopping where you want to wander into the towns and villages.

My research has shown that the crewed barges are lots more than we care to spend, but that the way we do it, costs are about the same as staying in hotels for a week. It would probably be less if you ate supper on the boat, but we don't unless it's raining hard or something.

Locaboat.com has places all over France; and there are other outfits as well, but I've not used them. I think they have a couple of places in Burgundy (which I've not used since I'm not real fond of the area). My favorite was in Brittany. I've also taken one north from Montpellier (Lattes); the area was interesting, but too much time was spent essentially in a ditch so that you almost had to stand on the roof to see some things. The route on the Canal du Midi seems to be the most popular, but I decided against it since, by observing from the land, the place looks like a collection of bumper boats due to the congestion.

Try it. It's a great change of pace from the way things are usually done.

My husband and I rented a Penichette from Locaboat a few years ago and it was the most amazing, memorable week. We left from Agen (near Toulouse in southwestern France), and were on the Garonne Canal for a short ways, but most of our trip was on the gorgeous River Baise. Absolutely magical. It was mid-September and not much traffic at all. Several wonderful little towns to stop at. My husband drove the boat, and I was the navigator and lock opener (there were about 50 locks, if I remember correctly).

If you're looking for a bargain, a Penichette is among the least expensive. If we do this again, though, we'd look for a more modern boat with an outdoor seating area ... that was one thing we missed. Also, look closely at the dimensions -- ours was supposed to sleep six but there were just two of us and not a lot of extra space.

The best time was waking up in the morning, with the mist rising from the river and not another soul within miles. Then we'd stop at a little town and buy some fresh baked bread and meet up with other bargers. A great time!

Well, I'm about to break a few rules. I'm posting a link to an (old) article on a subject on which I have zero first hand knowledge. I remembered reading an article on barging, by one of my fave travel writers, Alan Solomon.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1298&dat=20020208&id=XzIzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iggGAAAAIBAJ&pg=6807,2229568

Bless you, Karen, for breaking the rules. Details vary, but that's the essence of the experience.

If the WM comes after you, tell him I held a gun to your noggin and made you do it. Good job!

Thanks everyone. I'm planning on the last week of Sep/first week of Oct. So, with this information, I can do some research and soul searching, and then make a decision.

Thanks again.

I, too, plan to eventually rent a self-catered barge and slowly explore France. I had booked one once with friends, but had to cancel due to the pregnancy of the friend. I found some good barging insights on "Rick on Radio". You can click on the blue Rick on Radio tab at the top of the page and search the program archives. We had previously booked a barge on the Canal du Midi, but after listening to this program, now think the Burgundy region would be preferable for us.