ALL AT SEA MARCH 2021
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CRUISING THE LORRAINE RING Author of numerous guides to the French canals, Gordon Knight takes us on a fascinating journey around the charming Lorraine Ring.
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esperate to spread your boating wings again after months of land-bound lockdown? Fancy the boating trip of a lifetime in the company of your long-standing bubble? Tucked away in a part of NE France, largely bypassed by tourists and boaters alike, the Lorraine Ring is one of the best-kept secrets of the European inland waterways. Consisting of a 425km circuit through three countries, with landscapes ranging from wooded lakes to vine-clad slopes and picturesque towns and villages dripping with history, it is a round trip easily accomplished in a fortnight or a route sampled for shorter periods from boat hire bases at Harskirchen on the Canal de la Sarre or Saverne on the Canal de la Marne au Rhin (Est). The Ring proper begins at the small village of Gondrexange, 38km west of the boat hire base at Saverne, where a right turn on to the Canal de la Sarre brings you into a wildly beautiful landscape of densely-wooded lakes crammed with wildlife such as roe deer, kingfishers, purple herons and black kites. The canal scythes its way in places between low embankments through the middle of lakes before arriving at the town of Harskirchen (where there is an alternative hire base for exploring the Ring). Seven kilometres north is the attractive town of Saaralbe with its Gothic-spired church of St Martin, known as the Cathedral of the Saarland, and 19kms further the 17th century watermill of Sarreinsming lies in a setting worthy of a jigsaw or high-class biscuit box.
Moorings at Metz are quiet and idyllic. All images: Gordon Knight
GERMAN ARRIVAL
Just south of the border with Germany, the next stop on the Ring is the large town of Sarreguemines, which was returned to France at the end of WWI, but still supports industries established during its period of German occupation – the most notable of which is faïence manufacture (tin-glazed earthenware). The Museum of Faïence here is one of the finest in France. Moorings are directly in front of the beautiful 19th century casino, now a high-class restaurant. The town was formerly the limit of navigation prior to canalisation and on leaving it you are suddenly in Germany and the waterway becomes the canalised River Saar. To proceed further from here requires the skipper to have the (easily acquired) ICC license with inland waterways endorsement. A few kilometres down river is the large, industrial city of Saarbrücken, where the lovely old town square, Johannesmarkt, is now ringed with tempting restaurants – including the historic Stiefelbraü, where one can dine on chicken with spinach dumplings and three varieties of beer, surrounded by copper brewing vats. For those of an ornithological bent, the small yacht club of Dillingen, 32kms further on next to a large lake protected as a bird reserve, is worth a stop before arriving at the celebrated Saarschleife (Saar bend). The Saarschleife is a stunning loop in the river winding through steep, wooded slopes that has attracted well known visitors down the ages, including notorieties such as King Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia and Adolf Hitler. Its popularity with tourists means dodging the hordes of tripper boats while not getting too distracted by the scenery.
SAAR HIGHLIGHT
The undoubted highlight of the Saar, however, is the stunning mediaeval town of Saarburg, nestled on a high bluff overlooking a bend in the river and protected since antiquity by its imposing castle. In the 13th century, a river was redirected through the old town to supply a mill and it still tumbles today over a rocky waterfall under the admiring gaze of tourists quaffing the excellent local Saarburg Trocken wine. A nearby bell foundry museum commemorates the former role of the town in supplying bells to most of the major cathedrals in Germany. Only a couple of hours down river from Saarburg, the river disgorges into the Moselle at the town of Konz, a good spot to stop for a visit to the great, historic city of Trier, formerly the
northern gateway to the Roman Empire, which can be visited by train or cycle. Trier is noted for its superb cathedral (home to the Holy Tunic, said to be the robe of Jesus) and especially its Roman Porta Nigra, the finest surviving Roman city gate in Europe. Heading upriver from Konz, the Moselle forms the border between Germany and Luxembourg for some 40kms, and there are few stops before arriving at the French border, except for the large marina at Schwebsange in Luxembourg. Most boats press on to the important French city of Metz (although a short stop at the town of Sierck-les-Bains with its imposing 11th century château of the Dukes of Lorraine is recommended if not pressed for time). Metz and Sierck-les-Bains can also be reached (for skippers without
Peace and quiet at Millery
“It is probably because of the mostly quiet and unfrequented rural landscape which characterises the Lorraine Ring that the unrivalled variety of scenery, culture, architecture and cuisine across the three countries it crosses has remained a best-kept secret.”
You could moor in front of the 19th century casino at Sarreguemines
