On a sunny morning, we pick up our charter boat, a Pénichette 1020, in the small town of Cahors at the Babou Marine boatyard. Roughly speaking, the town lies in the centre of the Lot. Some people will never have heard the name before. But the 491-kilometre-long river is one of the seven longest rivers in France. Flowing from east to west and flowing into the Garonne, it is still an insider tip among German charterers.
Our Penichette 1020 is a well-known model among inland charterers and has been used in almost all European houseboat areas for 25 years. On closer inspection, you can see the years of service on our boat, but everything inside is tidy and clean. The technical equipment is simple and without any electronics or modern bells and whistles. This means that the handover only takes a few minutes.
Alice and her brother Sylvain Baboulène are the third generation to run the boatyard. Alice explains to us with the help of the "Guide Fluvial" that we can travel twelve kilometres uphill to the village of Arcambal. This is where the spectacular mountain stretch between the steep rock faces begins. Just six kilometres further upstream is the beautiful village of Vers, but the two locks on the way there were damaged by the spring floods and have not yet been reopened. Alice sees our disappointment: "I'll give you bikes and you'll be in Vers in half an hour from the highest navigable point."
The history of shipping on the Lot
The valley is navigable for 27 kilometres. It is the region of castles and wineries. The Lot Valley is one of the oldest wine-growing regions in France. The Romans are said to have shipped the coveted red wine from the Lot valley in barrels down the valley to the Garonne and on to Bordeaux 2,000 years ago. However, the navigability of the Lot has been a constant battle against the forces of nature for generations.
Back then, the river was rapid, unregulated and an immense challenge. Transporting a barge with wine barrels over hundreds of rapids to the valley was always risky. Historians report that sometimes only the cargo was left floating in the river, with no trace of the boat or the skippers. "I'll also have to show you how to smuggle by hand here," adds Sylvain. "It's still hard labour."
It was not until the late Middle Ages that the first barrages with locks were built. However, the river was still so rapid that it was only possible to pull a boat back uphill with great difficulty. There were also no towpaths or other aids. In the 17th century, the Sun King Louis XIV ordered his Minister of Economy, Colbert, to make the Lot navigable once and for all. However, the monarch was less concerned with the economy. He had fallen in love with the beautiful daughter of a boatman. So he made a political decision.
As a result, 17 chamber locks were built. However, the technology often did not work as reliably as in other parts of France. For most of the year, the current was too strong and the pressure on the gates too high. The wooden gates were almost impossible to operate. If a boat was to be locked, the chamber had to be laboriously closed with oak beams that were guided in a groove. Locking a boat took at least a day.
The locks and their operation
Skipper Siegrun steers the ship from the shipyard harbour directly to the Valentré lock, which is located under the westernmost arch of the historic stone bridge. Shipyard manager Sylvain is on board and wants to show us how to operate the old locks by hand. We moor at the waiting quay in the underwater section. Sylvain tells me that I have to wear a lifejacket, it's compulsory. I put on the bulky solid-fibre waistcoat and tie it up. Sylvain goes ahead to the lock, but isn't wearing a waistcoat himself. A boat is being sluiced down. Four men are doing the manual labour at the gates. Nobody is wearing a lifejacket. Was the instruction just a ticking off of a statutory instruction?
As I stand in the narrow passage on the lock gate and start to crank up the gate, I realise that this is not really possible with a solid-fibre waistcoat. Cranking is back-breaking work and requires a lot of freedom of movement. The passage on the gate is so narrow between the railings that I keep getting caught somewhere. So I take it off too.
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We empty the chamber by cranking up the gate of the lower gate. The drop height is 2.50 metres. The heavy steel gates then have to be opened with a crank. The lower driver drives out, Siegrun steers in. Now close the gate wings again, then lower the gates again so that the gate is tight. Then crank up the gate on the upper gate. Water rushes into the chamber in large swirls and gradually fills it. Sylvain says goodbye and wishes us a good week.
Historic hydraulic structures on the Lot
When our Pénichette arrives at the top water level, I have to open the heavy gates on my own. After about half an hour, I realise what I've done and get an idea of the challenge that awaits me next week. Okay, bigger crews than our team of two have it much easier.
It is also exciting to get from the boat to land in the lock - or vice versa. There are no safety ladders as we know them in Germany. Instead, there are holes set into the stone on one of the chamber walls into which about half an adult's foot can fit. These steps follow one another at intervals of 40 centimetres. They are wet and slippery. There is no handrail to hold on to. When I saw this "climb" for the first time, I thought that the German TÜV would have a field day with it. Even for a strong and not unathletic person, it is a challenge to climb up or down the wet wall using the steps in the lock chamber.
Shipping on the Lot did not reach its heyday until the 19th century. High-quality coal was mined in the mines of Decazeville and had to be transported to Bordeaux. There were neither roads nor railway lines - inland shipping on the Lot had its heyday. New locks, aqueducts, shipping tunnels and several hundred kilometres of towpaths were built at a dizzying pace.
The decline and revival of river shipping
But the joy did not last long. Around 1900, the first railway lines were built in the region, followed a few years later by a network of motorways. The bargemen lost their jobs. Pleasure boating did not yet exist. In 1926, the Lot was removed from the list of navigable waterways in France - and abandoned. This was followed by over 60 years of standstill. The elaborate hydraulic structures built from natural stone fell into disrepair.
Around 1989, however, the view changed: Recreational boating on French inland waterways increased. Old canals or canalised rivers were reactivated in several regions. For 35 years now, work has been underway to make the Lot navigable again throughout. In the meantime, seven sections of the river can be used again, at least for pleasure craft. However, it will be decades before this applies to the entire river.
Especially in the upper section, where the most spectacular hydraulic structures are located, it is not yet possible. Among other things, there are three ship tunnels with locks that shorten large river loops. Where there were once locks, there have been power stations at the barrages since the 1930s.
On the first day, we manage another lock uphill and then moor at the jetty of the Cahors sports park. There is electricity, water and a pump-out station for waste water at the solid floating pontoon. It's hard to believe: everything is free!
Charming Cahors
We discover Cahors, which is surrounded by the Lot, in the morning. There is a beautiful old town centre around the cathedral with lots of small cafés and shops. We stow our provisions on board and cast off again in the afternoon. We continue uphill against the current. We pass through the next locks in Lacombe and Arcambal. At both places, we sail in the upper water with the throttle at the stop so as not to drift sideways towards the weir. In situations like this, I would be grateful if the Penichette were a little more motorised.
We stop at the village of Arcambal, as the next two locks are still damaged from the last flood. It is 600 metres from the jetty to the village. There is a pub and a bread vending machine. Nothing else. In the morning, we cycle the remaining six kilometres to Vers, which takes a good hour, as we cycle partly on a former railway line through brambles and over the ruins of an old railway bridge over the Lot. Vers is an enchantingly beautiful old town that stretches along a mountainside between the Lot and the Vers tributary. The most beautiful discovery is the restaurant La Truite Dorée, high above the river. On the shady terrace, we enjoy great roast duck with the restaurant's own wine - unexpectedly for little money.
Our journey down the valley towards Cahors is now unexpectedly fast due to the current. Shortly before Cahors, we moor at the enchanting village of Laroque-des-Arcs. The Saint-Roch chapel towers high above the village on a rock directly on the river. The village consists of beautiful old stone houses. Unfortunately, there is neither a shop nor a pub.
We moor the boat again at the Cahors sports park and bunker up with free electricity and water. After passing the Coty lock, we keep to the right bank. Just before the beautiful old stone arch bridge Pont Valentré, we discover the restaurant Les Terrasses Valentré with its own jetty.
Tasting wine in Caïx
We leave Cahors behind us and enter the region of vineyards and castles. We travel a good 27 kilometres down the valley, passing three locks with breathtakingly beautiful hydraulic structures. Old country estates, where the sun-ripened grape juice is usually pressed today, tower above the bends in the river. We found Mercuès Castle in the village of the same name particularly impressive, although it is not easy to moor there. However, the village of Caïx, where the Domaine Lafon produces the best grape juice, which can be tasted and purchased, is a great place to do so. About one kilometre east of Caïx is the famous Château de Cayx vineyard. It used to be possible to moor there directly, but the jetty is dilapidated and is to be dismantled. From Caïx, it is about a ten-minute walk through vineyards to the château. The estate, which dates back to the 15th century, was acquired by Queen Margarethe of Denmark in 1974. Since then, wine has been produced here for the Nordic royal family. Guests can visit the monarch's castle, taste her wines and, of course, take them on board.
The journey ends one kilometre below Caïx before the village of Luzech. From the Barrage de Luzech onwards, the Lot is no longer navigable. It took us five days to get here. We still have one day left for the return journey uphill to the charter base in Cahors. So a charter week is perfect for the area we visited. There is a touch of melancholy as we point the bow upstream and say goodbye to the vineyards and castles of the Lot.
Information about the cruise
Our boat
The Pénichette 1020 FB (10.20 m x 3.55 m x 0.85 m) chartered by us has two double cabins, two heads compartments, a large saloon and a fully equipped galley. There is an inside and an outside steering position as well as a bow thruster. The boat costs from 2,205 euros per week in France, with a deposit of 2,000 euros. Diesel consumption is 3.8 litres per hour and is charged at a flat rate of 11.50 euros per hour.
Charter company
Locaboat Holidays rents out houseboats throughout Europe. The company is represented in all regions of France, as well as in Ireland, Holland, Italy, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Brandenburg. locaboat.com
Territory guide
By far the best nautical chart book is the "Guide Fluvial / Waterways Guide / Kanalführer", Volume 5 "Le Lot", Éditions du Breil, 25.00 euros. The charts are accompanied by a description of the area in French, English and German. The book is available on board and can be purchased at the charter base or online in advance. carte-fluviale.com
The journey
The quickest way to get to the charter base in Cahors is to fly to Toulouse. With Lufthansa from Hamburg it costs from 390 euros. Car hire at Toulouse Airport is available from 295 euros for a week. The journey to Cahors takes about an hour and a half. Alternatively, you can also travel to Cahors by car or train from south-west Germany or Switzerland.
The stages
- Cahors (base) > Cahors: 4 km
- Cahors > Arcambal: 8 km
- Arcambal > Laroque-des-Arcs: 5 km
- Laroque-des-Arcs > Cahors: 4 km
- Cahors > Caïx: 29 km
- Caïx > Cahors (base): 25 km
- Total distance: 75 km
Summary of the cruise on the Lot
The Lot is not a charter area like most others, the experience is far more original. This is partly due to the locks, which are still operated manually, and partly due to the many old hydraulic structures. On the other hand, the route is manageable and even with longer shore excursions - for example to one of the many wineries in the region - can be easily mastered in a week's holiday.
