tease Its architect Pierre-Paul-Riquet was a tax collector from Béziers and presented his project to the minister Colbert and to the Versailles court: only the king Louis XIV believed in him because he thought that it was the ideal connection between the port of Séte, that was under construction, and the ocean. The bridges of the canal have evolved in their form and their construction method, Capestang offers several examples of these constructions.
It runs for almost 250 kilometers from the Rhône to the Pyrenees. It has the distinction of having one of the lowest arches of the Canal bridges. There are explanatory panels, but I'm not sure if I understood all the technical details. An emblematic landmark, the Domitian Way, established after the conquest of southern Gaul by the Roman authority, has established itself as the strategic, political and commercial axis of the province. Finding myself in Toulouse and having only a couple of hours to spare in August of 2017, I figured I'd stop at a few random points along the canal and call it a reasonable visit. During the two days, we saw only about a dozen boats, but the ports were full of boats, suggesting that the canal may be quite crowded in high season. but it was what we needed - a leisurely week to appreciate the waterways, food and wine and great weather. The Canal du Midi by Pierre Paul Riquet. www.canal-et-voie-verte.com
This was not our understanding as we were told that the toilet mascerator separated solids from liquid and this was disposed of at port dumps.
See the various routes offered: 1 - Canal du Midi, Canal de la Robine, de Toulouse à Narbonne. It is one of the technologically most significant canals in the world: it uses lock staircases, reservoirs, aqueducts, dams, bridges, and tunnels. But one have to take into account that most of the constructions date from the 17th century and were built with rather simple equipment. Vineyards, the beautiful old trees, which are so typical for France. Later on I visited the Canal du Briennes near Toulouse and pretty much had the same experience there too. For anyone who is not sure whether they can cope with locks, try this route - only 14 to navigate and it's good fun. In 1754, it threatened to collapse, it was then repaired at the expense of the municipality. And all under the eyes of about 50 spectators which gave good advice. The photo shows the lock in Homps where we had a sumptuous picnic. It is a typical place at the Canal du Midi, the technical facilities of the lock seem unchanged and also the lock keeper's house has been preserved. Unfortunately, this is not regulated and often we heard that people were told to just dump their toilet into the Canal.This is an UNESCO World Heritage site and as such, one would assume care of the Canal would be of prime importance. Le Canal du Midi à vélo : Balade à vélo, croisière en péniche et location de bateaux, promenade à pied, en camping-car. The Kyo'Hon Café offers a cosplay afternoon every last Saturday of the month. With eight successive chambers and nine lock gates a boat can be lifted a height of 21 metres at a distance of 300 metres. The first stop was in the center of Toulouse, between Boulevard des Minimes and Boulevard Matabiau. He was conscious that he was creating a symbol of the power beyond a functional communication wateway: he ensured the quality of the architecture and the works were designed with monumental dignity and simplicity. It majestically dominates the plain of the Orb and has witnessed a tumultuous history ...Arrived on his native lands, Pierre-Paul Riquet decides to pass his Canal on the slope to the North of Capestang, a route which avoids the Lower Plain of the Aude which is flooded from the South and occupied by the pond. We have seen the beautiful canal at Fonséranes, near Béziers, where are nine lifts that go over 25 m and are 315 m long, a port and a bridge, that makes the canal cross the river Orb. Come and discover the summer residence of the Archbishops of Narbonne in Capestang. On the other hand, the canal itself is uniformly the same narrow strip of water at any point of its stretch, only the surrounding scenery may vary. The restaurant overlooks the Canal du Midi.With its majestic canopy in the shape of a barge prow, “le 9” dominates the plain on one side…Vinauberge took place at the old Cave Coopérative de Poilhes, on the banks of the Canal du Midi. Next we went to the Ouvrages du Libron, a complex system of gates and walls to protect the Canal du Midi from an overflow of the river Libron at high water. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting the Canal du Midi three times, although I have never been able to navigate the Canal by boat. But that would take several days, and I'm afraid it might be a bit boring after a while. A shame. We also visited Castelnaudary, the highest point of the canal at Col de Naurouze, and the junction with the Garonne in Toulouse. First we headed for the round lock at Agde, a basin with three gates that connects the canal with the Hérault River. Visit the nine locks of Fonsérannes. This is the largest open body of water within the canal, and also the site where its official opening took place. The surrounding landscape was also taken into account: the canal was framed by trees and plantations.How to "visit" this Canal, that stretches for over 240km and is visible right from the highway a number of times?
Discover the Canal du Midi from Béziers to Capestang, Grand site Occitanie and Grand site de France in project: heritage, nature and activities. Would be more appealing to me, but it would also take a few days to see a substantial part of the entire stretch.