THE LORRAINE RING

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.

Desperate 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.

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.

Moorings at Metz are quiet and idyllic. All images: Gordon Knight 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.”

BACK TO BASE Moorings at Metz are quiet and idyllic, on the edge of a large lake surrounded by a municipal park. The city itself repays a full day’s visit, with its awe-inspiring Gothic cathedral of St Stephen (which boasts the world’s largest expanse of stained glass), intriguing Musée de la Cour d’Or and 13th century fortified city gate, Porte des Allemands.

After the hurly-burly of the city, the charming, rural halt of Millery up a short, dead-end side channel from the Moselle is a lovely, though easily missed, spot for a spell of peace and quiet. An hour further upriver and a left turn into the Canal de la Marne au Rhin (Est) brings you on to the last leg of the Lorraine Ring and to the important city of Nancy, former capital of the Duchy of Lorraine. The 18th century main square here, Place Stanislas, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the city also boasts an excellent fine arts museum.

The route from Nancy ‘back to base’ at Harskirchen or Saverne offers a series of attractive rural halts along its length and contains one further spectacle – the 16m deep lock of Réchicourt, the deepest in France. Entering it is like plunging into a dark cavern and it takes nearly 20 minutes to rise slowly back to the level of the forested lakes at the start of the Ring.

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. So enjoy it by all means - but pass on the secret with discretion! FURTHER INFORMATION ■ CA guide to Cruising the Inland Waterways of France and Belgium (edited by Gordon Knight) and CA Cruising Guide to the Moselle (by Andy Mulholland): both at www.theca.org.uk/ catalog/735 ■ Lorraine waterways tourism: www.terres-d-oh.com/en ■ French waterways info: www.frenchwaterways.com/waterways/north-east ■ VNF (French waterways authority): www.vnf.fr/vnf/ (French only) ■ Fluviacarte (maps and charts): www.fluviacarte.com/en

The stunning mediaeval town of Saarburg

About the author: Gordon Knight (facebook.com/guideseditor) cruises the French canals each year with his ever-patient wife Soophy in their 12m Dutch steel motor yacht Cheyenne of Lymington. He is author of a series of 16 illustrated mooring guides to the French canals, on which this article is based. All guides are available as digital downloads from Google Play Books or in printed form from the print-on-demand publishers Lulu. He also edits a guide to Cruising the Inland Waterways of France and Belgium for the Cruising Association. HALF PRICE MOORING GUIDES! Buy Gordon Knight’s three illustrated, digital mooring guides covering this route – The Canal de la Marne au Rhin (Est), The Canal de la Sarre and River Saar and The Upper Moselle – for half the normal price of £5 each. See below for special promotional codes to 2 Exclusive Offers! buy and download each guide from Google Play Books. Offer ends on 31 December, 2021. The Canal de la Marne au Rhin (Est) discount code: NU60XBN98RZWZ The Canal de la Sarre and River Saar discount code: UJN8Y97W69PU1 The Upper Moselle discount code: DXMHHDAQZ8LL2

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