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Please note all bookings are Saturday to Saturday only!
Short breaks are only available in Season A and B - Contact us to book these.
A Period : 24/03 > 27/04/2007 & 15/09 > 03/11/2007
B Period : 28/04 > 29/06/2007 & 01/09 > 14/09/2007
IMPORTANT NOTE!
A shorter season, inclement river conditions and additional supervision, prices for this region are slightly higher than in others :
76 EUROS supplement per boat. |
Map
A map is available - click the thumbnail below to access a larger version.
Top - Map - Suggested Itineraries - Info - Location
Suggested Itineraries
2 DAY WEEK-END
- Bouziès / St Cirq Lapopie / Vers and return : 40 km, 10 locks
- Tourist Attractions - St Cirq Lapopie : site, museum, etc... Pech Merle, Valley of Célé + Valley of Vers
MINI WEEK
- Bouziès / St Cirq Lapopie / Cahors and return : 74 km, 18 - 20 locks
- Tourist Attractions - See above + villages and the town of Cahors with Valentre Bridge
1 WEEK
- Bouziès / St Cirq Lapopie / Luzech and return : 130 km, 28 locks
- Tourist Attractions - See above + Mercues Castle and the villages all along the river
Local Information
AQUITAINE-LOT
Aquitaine is a région in south-western France along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. Major cities in Aquitaine include Bordeaux, Pau, Bayonne, Mont-de-Marsan, Biarritz, and Périgueux.
WATERWAYS
The main waterways of this region are the Lot, Baïse and Garonne. Springing up near Mont Lozère, the Lot enters Aquitaine by Fumel and follows its course for about 80 kilometers before flowing into the Garonne by Aiguillon. Upstream, the river runs through grandiose and dramatic gorges, and in the Aquitaine part, the Lot valley is welcoming and fertile. The river Garonne rises in the Spanish Pyrenees and flows to the Atlantic. Towns such as Bordeaux and Toulouse have the Garonne at their heart and have depended on this river for generations. It has also been an artery for the rich agricultural land. The Baïse is a tributary of the Garonne and it is noted for its biodiversity. Bird watchers and fishermen particularly enjoy the delights of the Baïse.
More information on the waterways of France...
TOURISM
Things to see in this region...
Flaran Abbey, the cloister of Moissac, Condom Cathedral, the canal bridge of Agen, the Montech water lift and the Bastille of Villeneuve sur Lot. The medieval village of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, the narrow streets of Cahors, the villages of Quercy...
Nérac with its shops, the bastide of Vianne with its artful crystal glassworks, the Barbaste mill (of which its 4 towers remind us that the miller had 4 daughters to marry), the vineyards of Armagnac and Buzet, not counting the good inns which abound in the Pays d’Albret, and where you will treat yourself to a delicious meal.
Aquitaine has some 200 km long, the coastline has pristine beaches and the best surfing in France The sand dunes, including the Dune du Pyla, are the highest in Europe. The Bay of Arcachon is home to a beach resort which became popular in the 19th century, and is very lively in the summer.
HISTORY
In Roman times, the province of Gallia Aquitania originally comprised the region of Gaul between the Pyrenees Mountains and the Garonne River, but Augustus Caesar added to it the land between the Garonne and the Loire River. Aquitaine was quite thoroughly Romanized in its culture, unlike northern Gaul.
In the 5th century, as Roman rule collapsed, the Visigoths filled the power vacuum, until they were driven out in 507 AD by the Franks. However, Frankish control was never very secure; they were primitive by comparison and had only the most rudimentary sense of urban life and the res publica. Aquitaine put up little resistance to the Moors in the 8th century, but Charles Martel drove them out, and Aquitaine passed into the Carolingian Empire.
The heirs of Charlemagne divided and redivided their inheritance, and Aquitaine passed out of the control of Neustria, the western kingdom of Charlemagne's house, and in the 9th century the leading local counts gradually freed themselves of the vestiges of royal control. Fighting during the Hundred Years War enabled Edward III of England to reconstruct the old duchy in the 1360s, but France finally conquered the remainder of it in 1453. After that the history of Aquitaine became part of the history of France.
FOOD AND DRINK
Some of the world's best wines are produced in the Aquitaine region. A trip to the area is a feast for the palate, for both wine and the fine culinary tradition.
The vineyards of Margaux, Pauillac, Saint-Emilion, Sauterne are to be found here. Lesser-known regional wines include great finds, such as Monbazillac, Jurançon, Bergerac, Entre-Deux Mers, Cahors, and Madiran. The whole region is ripe with hundreds of varieties of different wines.
Aquitaine cuisine is based on the many rich ingredients to be found here. Geese are reared by small farms and corn fed to produce meat with beautiful taste, texture and colour. The goose liver is used to produce the finest foie gras (There is even a Foie Gras museum in Frespech). Truffles are another delicacy of Aquitaine, the most famous type is the black truffle of Périgord. Once common in the region, they have become rarer in the last 100 years and are more valuable than gold. Another of the main ingredients of Aquitaine cuisine is the mushroom. The cèpe, chanterelle, morel mushrooms, and others grow wild in the forests and are collected by locals. The flavour of the Espelette pepper is distinctive of Aquitaine. It was brought to France from Mexico; dried and crushed it replaces ordinary pepper in many local dishes. The Prunes of Agen provide a sweet taste for deserts of the region. Despite the name Agen prune are mainly grown in Villeneuve-sur-Lot. Walnuts are widely grown in Aquitaine and walnut oil flavours many traditional dishes. Add to this repetoire Blonde d'Aquitaine beef, Bayonne ham, Poulet Landais and local asparagus, and you have one of the finest gastronomic regions of France.
Top - Map - Suggested Itineraries - Info - Location
Location Information
Situated 30 km from Cahors and 60 km north of Montauban. Access by the motorway des Deux Mers (Montauban exit - between Toulouse and Agen)
Top - Map - Suggested Itineraries - Info - Location
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