How long is the garonne

Navigation is possible only during moderate floods or in light craft only. The river becomes fully navigable as a tidal stream at its junction with the Canal de Garonne at Castets-en-Dorthe. From this point downstream the river forms part of the main waterway route across southern France from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. At the Pont de Pierre in Bordeaux the river becomes a maritime waterway. Navigating the tidal stream presents no exceptional difficulty, but careful attention is required and use of one of the waterway guides covering this river is recommended.

It should further be noted that a bore mascaret sometimes forms during low flow periods over a distance of up to 40km upstream from Bordeaux. History — Commercial navigation extended upstream of Toulouse from the Middle Ages, but the river was never canalised.

Only a short length was made navigable through Toulouse after the weir at Le Bazacle mill was raised to supply water to the Canal de la Garonne. Now navigation is effectively limited to the tidal river. River Locks — None. Draught — Depths are variable and subject to the tides.

Local advice should always be obtained, but if the tidal stream is properly worked, vessels drawing up to 1. Headroom — The bridges leave a minimum headroom of 6. Tidal currents and conditions, which can be significantly modified by wind strength and direction, must be taken into account in planning an upstream or downstream passage.

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Updates on Current Sailings. Travel Information. Air Services. Why Viking. Cruise Itineraries. Destination Insights. My Trip. Garonne Cruises. There are 9 locks on the Montauban branch, falling towards Montauban. The five locks at Montech are bypassed by a water slope, 6m wide and designed for All the other 48 locks on the main line were enlarged in the s to allow navigation by barges loading tonnes, and their navigable dimensions are The locks on all the branches, and the five at Montech, are of restricted length Most of the locks are equipped for automatic operation and controlled by lights.

There is usually a vertical pole suspended above the water some distance before the lock, level with a first set of lights.

Headroom — All the fixed bridges leave a minimum headroom of 3. The basin off which runs the short Canal de Brienne, down to the Garonne and b into which connects the Canal de Garonne and the Canal du Midi. Terrific white marble bas-relief plaque — the Mediterranean and the Atlantic personified together with canal building cherubs busy with picks and shovels.

The turn between the two canals is quite tight; you might want to go further into the basin and take a wider approach. There are quayside moorings here, but it is bounded by busy roads. PK 0-PK 4 — A relatively unattractive stretch, with the A62 autoroute on one side and commerce on the other.

Also, the giant new Toulouse Rugby Stadium. A new swing footbridge at PK 1 cuts across the canal on match days to allow fans to access, then leave, the stadium. At PK 4 is a watersports school — watch out for children having fun in canoes and dinghies!

PK 4- PK 11 — The canal increases in attractiveness although the railway line is hard-by on the eastern side; there are large marshalling yards and a giant storage area. PK Just before the lock, the canal crosses the River Hers in a double bend; pretty lock cottage. Possible bankside mooring on east bank, but railway line is very close… then considerably more rural, passing through the Forest of Montech — a number of possible bankside moorings and the railway line moves away to the east, heading for Montauban.

Possible over-wintering location. A small and unpretentious market town with lots of facilities and the imposing brick church of Notre Dame de la Visitation completed early 16th c. The main supermarket is a short distance east across the bridge, on the other side of the canal. See foot of page for description of the charming branch canal down to Montauban and the navigable river Tarn.

When restored, it will be adapted so that plaisanciers can use it, but some boaters will prefer the charming old 30m locks. This extraordinary site, an improbable location for a former paper mill closed in has seen modest development as a complementary mooring for Montech, along with a slipway. Photo shows the entrance under the towpath bridge.