Taking the kids on a Canal Boat on the Canal Du Midi

When I was younger, my family went on a Canal Boat holiday on the Canal du Midi in France. So for my Mum's 80th birthday this year, we decided to take a trip down memory lane and relive this very much talked about holiday. 

Adam driving the boat

On the last trip, I was 14 years old and now I have children so it was definitely going to be a different experience for me. Especially as last time I did as little work as possible on the canal boat and this time I was unlikely to be able to get away with that. My children are also quite a bit younger than I was then. I wasn't sure how successful taking young kids on a Canal Boat holiday would be.

After several family meetings and quite a lot of online research, we decided to book a boat through the company Le Boat. And a one way canal boat route from Carcassonne Trebes Port to Port Cassafieres. 

Overall it was a really lovely holiday and I think the kids mainly did enjoy it.  The whole journey was unbelievably picturesque and I could have loaded up 1,000 photos from the trip. The Canal was so well maintained and France is just such a beautiful place. Nothing beats drifting in slow go past vineyards and picture postcard buildings with a glass of rose in hand (not for the driver obviously!)

Our three boats in convoy

If you are planning on taking the kids on a Canal Boat on the Canal du Midi this is what I think is worth thinking about. 

This is what worked really well:

- The boat we chose was perfect for us. The Canal Boat that we ended up having was called the Countess. It was ideal for us because the kids could be easily contained downstairs and they could still enjoy the view. When going through locks or when it was especially hot on deck, the kids could be downstairs in the living area of the boat and we knew they were safe. Other boats had more open living areas and we would have had to worry more about them while we were manoeuvring the boat. If you are hiring a canal boat with kids, think really carefully about the living space and whether they would be safe at all times. 

The back of our boat

- The weather was perfect. We went to France over May half term and the weather was perfect for our family - about 25-28 degrees Celsius each day. So not too hot and no rain at all. 

- The lake at Homps - When we stopped at Homps for the night we went to Jouarres Lake which is a 20 minute walk from the canal. The water was quite frosty but it was a relief for the kids to splash in the water and burn off some energy. We enjoyed watching some amazing kite surfers and my son even caught a fish. Whilst in Homps we also had a delicious and welcoming meal in La Peniche restaurant.

- The beach at Vias - The final stop on our route was Port Cassafieres which is just a short trip to the beach at Vias. Vias is a place we have spent many a holiday and it was lovely to spent our last couple of days on the beach. It gave the kids a chance to burn off some steam after being cooped up on the boat. Plus there are lots of nice bars, restaurants and gift shops there. My parents had their dog with them so we chose the dog friendly beach which is beyond the Vias Plage and to the right of La Plage du Delta restaurant beyond the river mouth. The kids also loved going to the Fun Fair there.

- The BBQ on board. We did go out to eat a few times. But it was really nice to have such great cooking facilities on board the boat. We especially used the outside BBQ griddle and cooked fresh fish, sausages and grilled veggies. I think we paid £45 extra for the BBQ for the week. 

Wild Mooring

- Wild Mooring. One night we couldn't find any place to moor the boats in a dedicated mooring place.

So we ended up wild mooring. It was a *bit* stressful getting the boats into position as we had to bang our stakes into the ground and tie the ropes around them. I also didn't sleep that well as I worried all night we were going to float away. But it was so calm and peaceful

What worked less well!

 If I were to book it again, this is what I would do differently:

- Shorter journey - so we travelled from Port Trebes to Port Cassafieres which is 13h34min of navigation and 4h35min passing through locks. So a total of 18 hours of travelling time. Now, this might not sound like a lot but - as we only actually drove the boat for 5 of the days we were there - it meant a minimum of 3-4 hours of driving a day which is quite a lot of time for the kids to be cooped up. You can use this website to calculate journey times.

Distance between locks

- Fewer locks. In total we passed through 31 locks on our journey. The most daunting of the locks was at Beziers where we passed through the Fonseranes Locks which has 7 in a row. The locks were quite hard work, most of the lock keepers were very unfriendly and unhelpful and they could be quite dangerous. For this reason, the kids had to be shut in the boat while passing through them. I think if we were to book it again, we would go on a circular trip from Port Cassafières up to Beziers and back. This would allow us to do a few locks and to see some of the beautiful scenery without having to be on the boat for such long periods of time. 

A lock opening

- More time enjoying the places along the way. I think because we had so much travelling time on the boat, we didn't have that much of a chance to do unplanned stops. As every day had to be planned out. It was quite heart aching to motor through stunning French towns or past quaint and charming lock-side restaurants and not to be able to stop at any of them. 

- Take more charging banks. Unless the boat is moving or you are connected to an electric point, the boat has no electricity. On the nights we did wild mooring or didn't stop at one of the dedicated Le Boat ports, we didn't have any electricity. So when the boat was moving we frantically tried to charge mobile phones, power banks, night lights and electric fans. Bringing power banks is therefore an absolute must. 

- Outside shade - our boat had no outside shade and on a couple of days, it was really, really hot. We were provided with a parasol but it was too windy and it kept threatening to take off into the sky. A number of the boats we passed had shade above the boat driver which would have been really useful. 

Overall, the holiday was absolutely magical and you can see some of my photos and videos on my instagram account. We chose Le Boat but there are other companies that operate along the Canal du Midi.

Definitely not a cheap holiday and - as well as the cost of the boat - there are other additional costs you need to pay. You have to pay a refundable damage deposit, we paid for insurance which isn't refundable and also you pay the estimated amount of fuel you are likely to use upfront. We actually used more fuel than the estimate and had to pay extra when we handed the boat back. We opted to pay extra for wifi on the boat and we also a BBQ.

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Our journey and where we stopped

In case it is of interest, this is where we stopped each night:

- Start of Journey and First Night - Port Trebes

There is a lovely port at Trebes with bars, restaurants and shops. If you are hiring from Le Boat, you can also plug your boat into the electric, have a shower and get fresh water.

- Second night - we stopped just before Puicheric

We had a proper mooring on the canalside but no utilities so semi wild! We had a BBQ on the canalside and walked into the town for fresh bread in the morning.

- Third night - Homps

This is another official Le Boat port, so if you are hiring from them you can plug into the electric and top up with water. Easy walk to the lake and lots of bars, restaurants and shops.

- Fourth night - Wild mooring between Colombiers and Beziers

Here we banged our stakes into the canalside and wild moored. Very beautiful and picturesque but we were nowhere near anything!

- Fifth night - Beziers

We decided to stop just before the 7 Fonseranes Locks as we felt we needed to build up some reserves before attempting it! Also, because the locks are only open for a short period for the descent, we wanted to ensure we were at the front of the queue. There is a shop and restaurant there and the little tourist train goes into Beziers from the top of the locks. So we also went into Beziers for the day and had ice cream.

- Sixth and seventh night - Port Cassafieres

Another official Le Boat port and where we handed back our boat. Electricity points and water refill. About half an hour walk to the beach with bars and restaurants. We also got a taxi very easily. There's a nice restaurant and bar at the port and my parents had a lovely meal there.