The Lot, originally the Olt, is a river in France. It is a right-bank tributary of the Garonne. It rises in the Cévennes mountains, flowing west through Quercy, where it flows into the Garonne near Aiguillon, a total distance of 485 kilometres (301 mi). It gives its name to the départements of Lot and Lot-et-Garonne.
The Briare Canal is one of the oldest canals in France. Its construction started in 1604. It was the first summit level canal in Europe that was built using pound locks, connecting the Rhone-Saône and Seine valleys. It is 57 kilometres long and is part of the Bourbonnais route from Saint-Mammès on the Seine to Chalon-sur-Saône on the Saône.
The Canal des Deux Mers has been used to describe two different but similar things since the 1660s. In some cases, it is used interchangeably with the Canal du Midi. In others, it describes the path from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, of which the Canal du Midi was the first man-made component.
The Canal de Brienne, also known as Canal de Saint-Pierre, is a French canal connecting the Garonne River with the Canal du Midi and the Canal de Garonne. It has two locks. The lock opening to the Garonne is known as Ecluse Saint-Pierre. The lock nearer to the Canal du Midi usually stands open.
The Grand Bassin is the largest body of open water along the Canal du Midi. It is in Castelnaudary, France and covers some 7 hectares. Once a scene of intense economic activity, it is now a major pleasure port used by tourist craft. It holds the water reserve for the four locks of Saint-Roche.
There are 91 working locks on the Canal du Midi along its 240-kilometre (150 mi) course from the Bassin du Thau on the Mediterranean coast to the junction with the Canal lateral a la Garonne in Toulouse. There are a further 13 locks on the 37-kilometre (23 mi) La Nouvelle branch which runs through Narbonne to the Mediterranean at Port-la-Nouvelle. The locks are all under the management of the French navigation authority, Voies navigables de France.
The Ecluse Saint-Pierre is one of two locks on the Canal de Brienne. Also known as Garonne lock, in French: Ecluse de Garonne.
The Herbettes Aqueduct is one of several aqueducts on the Canal du Midi. In Toulouse France, it carries the canal over a four-lane highway in a metal trough. The trough has been colorfully painted underneath. The aqueduct is about 2 km (1.2 mi) from the Port Saint-Sauveur.
Aqueducts on the Canal du Midi allow the canal to intersect and cross over natural streams. There are two exceptions, the first is the Herbettes Aqueduct where it crosses a four-lane highway in Toulouse. Another exception is where it intersections with the Libron river and the crossing is accomplished via the Ouvrages du Libron.
The balancing of incoming and outgoing water allows the Canal du Midi to operate as it does. Each time a lock operates, large quantities of water are either required to fill it or dump from it into the lower level pound. There must be a constant source of water in order to fill and the excess water dumped must have a place to exit the canal without it overflowing. Being able to provide this water source was one of the most important problems to be solved by Pierre Paul Riquet, its creator.
The Canal latéral à l'Oise is a canal in northern France that, along with the river Oise, connects the Canal de Saint-Quentin at Chauny to the Seine at Conflans-Sainte-Honorine. See under the river Oise for the continuation of the route; the junction is made downstream of the lock at Janville 49.45750°N 2.85933°E. When a canal is latéral, it follows the course of the river it is named after but in a separate excavated channel. The route described below is the 34 km of canal parallel to the river Oise and 103.5 km of the canalised river Oise.
The Canal de Pommerœul à Condé is a canal in northern France and southwestern Belgium. It leads from Pommerœul in Belgium to Condé-sur-l'Escaut in France. It is not in service. It is 5 km long and had 3 locks.
The Rance Maritime is a canal in north western France. It joins Saint Malo and Dinan. It is 22.6 km long with two locks.
The Canal de la Somme is a canal in northern France. Its total length is 156.4 km with 25 locks, from the English Channel at Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme to the Canal de Saint-Quentin at Saint-Simon.
The Canal de la Haute Colme is a canal in northern France. The haute Colme corresponds to the western segment of the Canal de la Colme. The channel connects the river Aa at Watten to Canal de Bergues and Canal de la Basse Colme at Bergues. Between Watten and Cappelle-Brouck, it is part of the Canal Dunkerque-Escaut.
The Canal d'Ille-et-Rance is a 79 km (49 mi) long canal in northwestern France connecting Dinan to the Vilaine at Rennes, thus forming part of the English Channel/Atlantic Ocean link which has long been used by yachtsmen, but has also become increasingly popular as a cruising waterway in its own right. It takes its name from the rivers Ille and Rance. Several hire firms are based on the canal or its connecting waterways. From Dinan the navigation continues in the semi-tidal river Rance for a further 6 km to Le Châtelier lock, below which navigation continues in the tidal Rance maritime. The canal has a summit level 7 km in length at an altitude of 65m, and in times of drought some restrictions may have to be imposed on the use of locks.
The Kembs-Niffer Branch Canal is a French canal connecting the Grand Canal d'Alsace at Kembs to the Canal du Rhône au Rhin.
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, connecting Sète and Aigues-Mortes.
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 Richelieu, but again, nothing was accomplished until the state of Languedoc took over. Construction was finally begun in 1777 and completed in 1808. It was to connect the city of Aigues-Mortes to the Rhone.
