The longest we could cruise uninterrupted was about 5kms and we passed through 56 locks, at each one mooring to let a crew member jump off so that we had someone ashore to whom we could pass our ropes. With the trees wearing their autumn colours and with sunshine making the scenery crisp and bright it was a pleasant way to spend time. We cruised the canal between Argens-Minervois and Castelnaudary, a mostly uphill run, over six days. So life would have been utterly miserable for us all if it had rained, but it didn’t, at least not while we were on the water! A few days after our adventure the heavens opened and the entire region was placed on Flood Alert and rail travel throughout the region was suspended! Fortune favours the brave! Not sunbathing type sunshine but mood-elevating nonetheless. My birthday balloons attached to the bow added further colour and helped to identify our boat in the marina! The canal was built in the mid-17th century during the reign of Louis XIV so the occasional leak is to be expected and given the steering skills of your average boater a rammed lock gate or two is understandable. Actually the cruise boats are blameless, it’s the people on them that cause the problem! By the end of the season, which is where we are now, some parts of the canal are “decidedly aromatic” and it’s not so much cruising as going through the motions!! It’s interesting that the malodour is not universal but patchy like the Curate’s Egg it’s only bad in parts!Įach year the canal is closed at the end of October or early November and segmentally drained to repair leaks and locks. Such individuals must be inured to the olfactory assault from what is in essence a 240km long cesspit that allows the dumping… pun intended… of raw sewage directly into the water by the hundreds of cruise boats that ply the route. It’s a hugely popular way to spend a few days and some people have been so impressed that they have bought houseboats and stay permanently on the water.

If you plan to cruise the Canal du Midi you should choose your moment carefully.

Scotland the brave midi