Itineraries
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NAMUR to SEDAN (7 nights)
We start in NAMUR, the capital of French speaking Belgium situated at the
confluence of the rivers Sambre and Meuse. The Citadelle gives a panoramic view
of the surrounding countryside. There are many restaurants here and shops to
stock up with Belgian beers, bread and other specialities. After a stop at
DINANT with it's collegiale church, caves and kayaking opportunity, we continue
up through the spectacular valley of the Meuse with limestone cliffs and
hill-top forts looking down on us, to cross over into France. GIVET is a
pleasant town with a large fort, still with a garrison, handicraft centre and
many restaurants. After negotiating the HAM tunnel we go on to FUMAY and
MONTHERME, both situated on long meanders of the deep forested valley. Beyond
the large town of CHARLEVILLE-MEZIERES with it's place Ducale, museums of
Rimbaud, the Ardennes and Puppet Clock, the valley opens out giving better views
of the surrounding country side. Finally we reach SEDAN, famed for it's
carpets, linen and the largest fort in Europe. All overnight stops on this
route are in towns or large villages.
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Our moorings in Namur, are a short taxi ride from Namur station or 10 minutes
easy walk from Jambes station, and opposite the Port de Plaisance in Sedan, 5
minutes walk from the station. There are train connections from Lille and
Brussels to Namur, and via Charleville-Mezieres from Paris and Lille to Sedan.
Ryanair fly to Charleroi.
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SEDAN to TOUL (7 nights)
This route takes us through tranquil countryside with sleepy villages and small
towns. There are many idyllic moorings in remote places. We leave SEDAN and
pass by MOUZON with it's felt museum, gothic church and hospice, STENAY (beer
museum) and DUN sur Meuse. In VERDUN there is much to see, including the
underground fortress, cathedral and the battlefields. St. MIHIEL and COMMERCY
are pleasant small towns , the former is birthplace of the sculptor Ligier
Richier discovered by Michelangelo, the latter has a chateau and shops selling
madelaines, the local speciality. 10km from COMMERCY, we join the canal Marne
au Rhin, and pass through a short tunnel to start the descent of 12 locks to
the cathedral town of TOUL.
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Our mooring in Sedan is opposite the Port de Plaisance, 5 minutes walk from the station and in Toul at the Port de
Plaisance, very near the station. There are train connections from Lille and
Paris via Charleville-Mezieres to Sedan, and from Paris and Nancy to Toul.
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TOUL to STRASBOURG (7 nights)
From TOUL, we cruise a section of the river Moselle to reach NANCY with it's
Place Stanislas and superb gilded gateways, many museums and restaurants. After
a short stretch through a manufacturing area, we are soon in pleasant
countryside. A single lock at RECHICOURT lifts us up almost 16m to the Vosges
summit level to a land of reservoirs and forests with deer and wild boar. The
summit level is almost 30km long and after passing trough the tunnels of
NIDDERVILLER and ARZVILLER, we descend the amazing St. Louis - Arzviller Inclined Plane.
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This was built in 1969 to replace 17 locks and drops us down 44.5m in the space
of a few minutes to the lovely ZORN valley. A few kilometers on is the
picturesque village of LUTZELBOURG at the junction of 5 valleys. Further down
the valley, the small town of SAVERNE has many old houses, Rohan Chateau and
rose garden.
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We now cross the Alsace Plain and head for STRASBOURG, seat of the council of
Europe. Not to be missed is the pink sandstone gothic cathedral, Petite France
area, museums, restaurants and so much more.
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Once or twice each season our route takes us down the delightful branch canal to Sarreguemines famed for its
faience ware. Our mooring in Toul is in the Port de Plaisance, a few minutes
from the station, and in Strasbourg it is near the civil hospital/Etoile, a
short taxi/ride from the station. There are good train connections to Paris and
Frankfurt.
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