The Canal du Midi is an outstanding piece of French engineering. Dating from the 17th century, it was the genius of Paul Riquet which made it possible, allowing a continuous passage of waterborne traffic between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
Many people had previously planned a canal to link the Garonne River at Toulouse with the Mediterranean, but no-one had been able to overcome the problem of water supply at the point of the watershed, the line dividing rivers flowing to the west from those flowing to the east. For although a canal essentially has no current, water is needed to feed the locks which allow the waterway to climb and descend as it must, as it is rarely possible to keep a canal completely flat along its whole course.
Riquet, from Beziers, had amassed a personal fortune as a tax collector in pre-revolutionary France. His plan was for a canal which would hug the southern edge of the Massif Central, trying to maintain as near as possible a horizontal course as it rounded a long series of spurs and crossed the many tributary valleys. Previous plans had come to grief in the area west of Carcassonne known as the Lauragais, where the canal would cross the watershed, for Riquet realised that west of there all water would naturally flow westward, while to the east it would flow in the opposite direction. This upper part of the canal must be fed at all seasons if the project was to succeed.
What he did was to build a reservoir in the hills behind the Lauragais which, to this day, feeds the canal at its highest point, thus ensuring sufficient water all year round for the many locks along its course.
There was another problem for Riquet, however, and that was the lack of official financial backing for his scheme, so he determined to go it alone, using his own considerable wealth. The canal's completion in 1681 proved the accuracy of all Riquet's calculations, but left him bankrupt, leaving his descendants to try to recoup some of the losses during their lives.
The canal was a valuable asset for trade, particularly for the grain and wine industries. With the Languedoc region, still the largest continuous wine growing area in the world, at its eastern end, and Bordeaux, of international repute, at its west, this was a natural conduit for wine traffic. Nowadays, although the canal is still complete in its engineering and tree-lined splendour, it provides routes for holiday traffic, and many ports and depots have developed along its course at which boats of various shapes and sizes can be hired.
Unlike the canals of the UK, which have manually operated locks, the Canal du Midi now has locks which are electrically operated with lock-keepers who work a season from April till November, leaving a winter period for drainage and maintenance.
From Toulouse, the canal leaves the Garonne River and meanders across the plain to the edge of the hills, reaching Castlenaudary where there is a wide canal basin and the first of several bases for boat hire. From here the number of locks increases as the canal copes with higher land, and it enters Carcassonne through a cutting before reaching a narrower canal basin before two locks next to the railway station. Here it is possible to take a cruise for several hours on a privately operated boat, with commentaries in various languages and the time to relax and enjoy the passing countryside.
A few miles east at Trebes there is a large boat yard where more hire boats are based and day cruises can be booked. Here there are restaurants along the canal bank, and three locks in sequence, alongside which sits the Moulin de Trebes restaurant which serves the some of the best food in the area.
For much of its course the canal is lined with statuesque plane trees, the roots of which curve round the canal bank, protecting it from erosion by the wash of passing boats. From some spots the view along the Canal du Midi is almost magical, with the sun's rays breaking through the dense, high foliage and the trees forming a tunnel like feature with an almost otherworldly quality.
Moving east to Homps there is another canal basin with hire facilities and day trips, after which the canal passes through a series of attractive villages, each with its traditional features and eating places, the most attractive canal bank being at Ventenac with its Italianate steps below the old chateau.
All along this part of the canal, through to Capestang and on towards the coast, there are mooring places for regular boat dwellers and some hamlets have grown up, based entirely on the old canal trade. Such a place is Le Someil, north of Narbonne, a beautiful spot with canal side restaurants, a floating shop and one of the largest second hand bookshops in France.
Near Salleles another canal branches off the Canal du Midi, the Canal du Robine, and this follows the old course of the River Aude down to Narbonne and eventually the sea at Port la Nouvelle. Meanwhile our canal meanders on past Argelliers, famed as the place where the national demonstrations by vine growers began a century ago, and on towards Colombiers and Beziers.
Along this section there are two more dramatic features, a canal tunnel and a series of seven locks at Beziers which themselves form a local tourist attraction, with coaches arriving from all parts of Europe. Alongside the seven locks, but rarely used now, is a ramp lock by which large cargo barges could be manoeuvred up or down the vertical change in canal height with minimal delay.
From the lowest of the Beziers locks the canal virtually reaches sea level and meanders across the coastal plain towards Agde and on through Marseillan and the long salt water lagoon to Sete where it reaches the Mediterranean. Along this section boats can be hired which provide cruises with onboard dining facilities, an added attraction for this beautiful canal.
Sete is the second most important French Mediterranean port after Marseilles and its many canals give it an appearance unique on the French coast. It is here the Canal du Midi links up with the canal to the River Rhone, by which canal travellers can make their way north to Paris or across to the Rhine in Germany.
The Canal du Midi has been granted UNESCO World Heritage status and it is easy to see why. As an engineering achievement it is outstanding, and as a source of beautiful, tranquil water borne travel it is unsurpassed, even providing a routeway for walkers and cyclists who wish to cross southern France. Wherever you happen to see it, this canal is a very special place indeed.