Canal du Rhône à Sète
Encyclopedia
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
in southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, which connects the Étang de Thau
Étang de Thau
Étang de Thau or Bassin de Thau is the largest of a string of étangs that stretch along the Languedoc-Roussillon, French coast from the Rhône River to the foothills of the Pyrenees which form the border to Spain. It is the second largest lake in France.-Description:It is about 21 km long...
in Sète
Sète
Sète is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France. Its inhabitants are called Sétois....
to the Rhône River
Rhône River
The Rhone is one of the major rivers of Europe, rising in Switzerland and running from there through southeastern France. At Arles, near its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea, the river divides into two branches, known as the Great Rhone and the Little Rhone...
in Beaucaire, Gard
Gard
Gard is a département located in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.The department is named after the River Gard, although the formerly Occitan name of the River Gard, Gardon, has been replacing the traditional French name in recent decades, even among French speakers.- History...
. At the entrance to the Étang de Thau, the canal connects with the Canal du Midi
Canal du Midi
The is a long canal in Southern France . The canal connects the Garonne River to the on the Mediterranean and along with the Canal de Garonne forms the Canal des Deux Mers joining the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. The canal runs from the city of Toulouse down to the Étang de Thau...
.
The canal is made of previously constructed canals Canal des Ètangs
Canal des Ètangs
The Canal des Étangs was a canal in southern France. It is now part of the Canal du Rhône à Sète along with the Canal de Beaucaire. It was created by the state of Languedoc. The project consisted of enlarging ancient medieval channels through and between the shallow lakes and salt marshes,...
and Canal de Beaucaire
Canal de Beaucaire
The Canal de Beaucaire was a canal in southern France. It is now part of the Canal du Rhône à Sète along with the Canal des Ètangs. The originator was to be the Marshal de Noailles. However he did nothing and his concession was revoked. It was then granted to a company formed by Marshal de...
.
There is, however, no access to the Rhône at Beaucaire as the lock
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
has been closed for many years. Access is via the lock situated to the west of Saint-Gilles
Saint-Gilles, Gard
Saint-Gilles or Saint-Gilles-du-Gard is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.It is the second most populous commune in the Nîmes metropolitan area.-Geography:...
which links the canal to the Petit Rhône
Rhône River
The Rhone is one of the major rivers of Europe, rising in Switzerland and running from there through southeastern France. At Arles, near its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea, the river divides into two branches, known as the Great Rhone and the Little Rhone...
and from there northeastwards to the junction with the Grand Rhône at Fourques
Fourques, Gard
Fourques is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
situated to the north of Arles
Arles
Arles is a city and commune in the south of France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture, in the former province of Provence....
.
Apart from the lock at Saint-Gilles there is only one other operating lock on the canal between St Gilles and Beaucaire. The canal is almost totally situated at sea-level and the western part from the Vidourle
Vidourle
The Vidourle is a river in southern France, flowing into the Mediterranean Sea in Le Grau-du-Roi. Its source is in the Cévennes mountains, northwest of Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort, at Saint-Roman-de-Codières. It flows generally southeast...
river to the Étang de Thau is a sea-water canal.
In recent years major work has been undertaken to upgrade the canal so it can now be used by 1200t convoys instead of the previous 350t barges. Most notable are a stretch of canal bypassing the town of Aigues-Mortes
Aigues-Mortes
Aigues-Mortes is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.The medieval city walls surrounding the city are well preserved.-History:...
with its railway swing bridge and a direct canal link to the port of Sète eliminating the passage of lifting and swing bridges in Frontignan
Frontignan
Frontignan la Peyrade is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France.Frontignan is renowned for its AOC wine, the Muscat de Frontignan, a sweet wine made solely from the Muscat grape variety.-Sights:...
and Sète.
En Route
- PK 0 Beaucaire
- PK 13.5 BellegardeBellegarde, GardBellegarde is a commune in the Gard départment in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
- PK 24.5 Saint-GillesSaint-Gilles, GardSaint-Gilles or Saint-Gilles-du-Gard is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.It is the second most populous commune in the Nîmes metropolitan area.-Geography:...
- PK 51 Aigues-MortesAigues-MortesAigues-Mortes is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.The medieval city walls surrounding the city are well preserved.-History:...
- PK 61.5 Grande MotteLa Grande-MotteLa Grande-Motte is a commune in the Hérault département in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France. It is a popular seaside resort and port, built in the 1960s and 1970s on a greenfield site, La Grande-Motte is characterized by a homogeneous architecture, the most visible are the buildings in the...
- PK 70.5 PérolsPérolsPérols is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.-References:*Based on the French Wikipedia....
- PK 75.5 Palavas-les-FlotsPalavas-les-FlotsPalavas-les-Flots is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.-Geography:Palavas is a seaside resort, some six km south of Montpellier, at the Gulf of Lion and the Mediterranean Sea. It lies on a strip of sand dunes that separates two lakes, the Étang de...
- PK 79 Villeneuve-lès-MagueloneVilleneuve-lès-MagueloneVilleneuve-lès-Maguelone is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.-History:...
- Vic-la-GardioleVic-la-GardioleVic-la-Gardiole is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon southern France.-See also:*Communes of the Hérault department...
- PK 92-93 FrontignanFrontignanFrontignan la Peyrade is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France.Frontignan is renowned for its AOC wine, the Muscat de Frontignan, a sweet wine made solely from the Muscat grape variety.-Sights:...
- PK 98-100 SèteSèteSète is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France. Its inhabitants are called Sétois....
See also
External links
- Rhône à Sète guide Places, ports and moorings on the canal.
.