ANJODI
Canal du Midi
Up to 8 guests
Charters and Cabin cruises
Themed charters:
Family, Golf, Wine Appreciation
Barging in France
All About the Aqueducts of France
France's undulating landscape is crossed by innumerable waterways that feature impressive architectural structures like bridges and aqueducts. On a hotel barge cruise along the historic French canals, there's a very good chance that you'll experience one of these engineering feats. These elegant structures cross rivers and valleys, offering stunning views to those traveling over them.
Aqueducts allowed for the transport of water over the land from a source point to a place of distribution. Since Roman times, they have been used to supply water for drinking or irrigation and, for the last 350 years, to allow navigable canals to span valleys with no need for locks to descend and ascend the slopes.
Before the invention of water pumps, people lacked the scientific knowledge to channel water across the diverse terrains with varying elevations. Water could not travel up, so the Romans devised a way of carrying the water in a gentle downward gradient using only the natural force of gravity. Navigable canal aqueducts function in a similar fashion, enabling a flat waterway to pass through uneven land.
The Romans built the first aqueduct some 300 years before Christ. Their resourcefulness and ability to create solutions improved the quality of life significantly in the Roman Empire. In 1676, architect Paul Riquet completed the Repudre Aqueduct on the Canal du Midi, making it the first navigable canal aqueduct.
Five Aqueducts of France
Pont du Gard
Pont du Gard
The Pont du Gard, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is recognized as a significant accomplishment by the Roman Empire. It is the tallest Roman aqueduct in the world and carried water on three different levels for over 50 kilometers through the French countryside in the south of France to the city of Nîmes. The Pont du Gard aqueduct, made of Shelly limestone, is 275-meters long and passes over the Gard River. A stone arched structure supports each tier of the aqueduct.
Built in the middle of the 1st century AD, the Pont du Gard is an excellent example of how advanced Roman architects were for their time. With the floods of the Gard River in consideration, the aqueduct features spacious arches on its first level to allow the passage of high waters.
The aqueduct fell into disuse after the collapse of the Roman Empire, yet the Pont du Gard remained essentially intact, with a secondary function as a toll bridge. In medieval times, they excavated the second level of the bridge to make it wide enough for people and animals to pass through. In the 18th century, engineers made adaptations to the Pont du Gard to accommodate a road bridge on the first tier. Now, holding an impressive water channel on its upper level, the aqueduct adds interest to the valley it travels through and transfigures the landscape.
Pont-Canal du Briare
French Hotel Barge Renaissance crossing Pont-Canal du Briare
Based in the Loire Valley, the Pont-Canal du Briare is a marvel of engineering and an example of elegant architecture. Crossing the River Loire, it is close to 670 meters long. Constructed between 1890 and 1896, it held the record as the world's longest steel canal aqueduct until 2003.
Designed by the Gustave Eiffel, Pont-Canal du Briare features dual towpaths, as well as eight sluice gates, to empty the aqueduct in the event of severe freezing. However, the Pont-Canal du Briare is not only architecturally impressive but is also a work of art –lined with 72 lamp posts and marked by two ornamental columns bearing a coat of arms at each end in the style of the Pont Alexandre bridge in Paris. The Renaissance style of the Pont-Canal du Briare makes it a unique place to walk or cycle alongside a barge.
If you choose to travel with French Hotel Barge Renaissance, you will have the pleasure of crossing the Pont-Canal du Briare and enjoying the scenery from a unique vantage point.
Pont-Canal de l'Orb
French Hotel Barge Anjodi crossing Pont-Canal de l'Orb
The Pont-Canal de l'Orb aqueduct certainly isn't as long as the Pont-Canal du Briare, but at nearly 30-meters wide, it is much wider. Designed by the engineer, Jean Magues, it carries the UNESCO listed Canal du Midi over the River Orb at Beziers.
Built in the middle of the 19th century, the Pont-Canal de l'Orb was especially significant because it gave boats safe passage over the River Orb. Renowned for its treacherous conditions, the River Orb was so bad in the late 18th century that it could often be impassable for weeks. The building of the new Pont-Canal de l'Orb meant that boats were no longer at the mercy of the weather and could go about their business.
Both the 10-passenger French Hotel Barge Athos, and the 8-passenger French Hotel Barge Anjodi will take you over the Pont-Canal de l'Orb on your Canal du Midi barge cruise.
Pont-Canal d'Agen
Pont-Canal d'Agen
The Pont-Canal d'Agen is on the Canal de Garonne in southwest France. Built in the mid-19th century, under the direction of engineer Jean-Baptiste de Baudre, the Duke of Orleans laid the first stone. At a length of 530 meters, it was the longest aqueduct in France at the time of construction.
Despite being only 9 meters tall, this aqueduct offers magnificent views while crossing the River Garonne. Pont-Canal d'Agen is a magnificent aqueduct to view from the ground as well. Its length and impressive 18-meter wide arches give it a stately appearance.
Pont-Canal d'Agen is one of two aqueducts crossed by the French Hotel Barge Rosa. The other, Pont-Canal du Cacor, is near the ancient town of Moissac (see below).
Pont-Canal du Cacor
French Hotel Barge Rosa crossing Pont-Canal du Cacor
The Pont-Canal du Cacor was constructed in 1845 on the Garonne Canal crossing the Tarn River to link Toulouse to Moissac, facilitating the transportation of merchandise to Bordeaux. Freight transport was never very prosperous due to the arrival of the railway, but tourism and the creation of the Canal Cycle Path (Vélo Voie Verte) along the old tow-path have given a new lease of life to the canal. This emblematic aqueduct is 356-meters long with 15 arches made of Toulouse brick and Quercy white stone. It is one of the longest aqueducts in France.
Pont-Canal du Cacor, near the ancient town of Moissac, is one of two aqueducts crossed by the French Hotel Barge Rosa. The other is Pont-Canal de l'Orb, mentioned above.
Experience the Aqueducts of France
Would you like a barge cruise that traverses one of these magnificent structures on your journey of discovery? Contact Paradise Connections. We love the canals and are happy to assist with your barging vacation.
French Hotel Barges — Hotel Barges in France
ATHOS
Canal du Midi
Up to 10 guests
Charters and Cabin cruises
Themed Cruises:
Art (painting), Family, Golf, Tennis, Wine
