Riverside Rambles

Roger Moss casts an inquisitive eye over some of our most entertaining travelling companions.

Things changed dramatically, however, with the arrival of railways and mechanised road transport. One by one, formerly bustling quaysides fell silent and numerous small ports were abandoned, but we might still stumble upon intriguing evidence of long departed water-borne activity, often where we least expect it. Uncovering the stories behind such mysteries is just one of the many rewards for getting better acquainted with our rivers, so we’ll look at some of the many points at which we can start exploring.

Not so very long ago France possessed almost 6,500km of navigable rivers (not to mention countless streams and riviérettes) which between them provided the primary means of transport over long distances. In fact, such was their importance that of the original 83 départements created in 1790, no fewer than 61 were named after their main rivers.

In Vendée, for example, the river after which the département was named flows from L’Absie, in the heart the Gâtine Vendéenne, meanders past Mervent and traverses Fontenay-leComte to join the La Sèvre Niortaise above Marans (17), almost 83km later.

The Vendée’s less well-known Lay river actually unites le Grand Lay, which rises in Saint-Pierre-du-Chemin, and le Petit Lay, which springs into life in Saint-Michel-Mont-Mercure. Two become one in a beautiful, tranquil setting a few km south of Chantonnay, at the pleasingly named l’Assemblée des Deux. The river continues its wayward progress, passing the former trading ports of Angles, Saint-Benoist and Curzon and clocking up just over 120km by the time it reaches the Bay of Biscay beyond La-Faute-sur-Mer at L’Aiguillon-la-Presqu’île. Draining the local marshes during the 17th century caused the ports to silt up, but today the coastal area is rich in wildlife and managed by the Syndicat Mixte Bassin du Lay (SMBL).

The neighbouring département takes its name from two rivers: la Sèvre Nantaise and la Sèvre Niortaise. The source of the former takes some finding in the heart the Gâtine Vendéenne, a few km west of Secondigny, but the river meanders its way peacefully for 142km from Deux-Sèvres through the départements of Vendée, Maine-et-Loire and finally LoireAtlantique, where it joins the mighty Loire. Once barges carried wines, cereals, timber and construction materials, but now only leisure craft navigate the final 21km from Monnières.

La Sèvre Niortaise, on the other hand, flows from near Sepvret, northeast of Melle, via Saint-Maixent-l’École to Niort, where it becomes navigable en-route to the Atlantic near Esnandes: a total of 158km. The river’s final section takes in Coulon, Arçais and Damvix, in the Marais Poitevin. Among the Deux-Sèvres département’s less prominent rivers is la Boutonne, which by the time it flows into la Charente just upstream from Tonnay-Charente has covered almost 100km from its source in the heart of Chef-Boutonne. The remarkable biodiversity of the largely picturesque, meandering river and its tributaries prompted environmental protection for large areas of the Boutonne basin. Among the more notable riverside towns are Brioux, Dampierre and Saint-Jean-d’Angély, whose Quai de Bernouët once dispatched a host of goods, including gunpowder produced locally for the naval arsenal at Rochefort.

At the other end of the scale, la Charente covers an epic 381km from its source in Chéronnac (87) to the Atlantic off Port-des-Barques (17). Henri IV considered the river the most beautiful in his kingdom, and if you follow just about any section today, whether on the water or beside it, you might well agree. Part of the charm is due to the river’s gentle currents, with only a modest drop in altitude along the way. The river becomes fully navigable at Angoulême and flows past a succession of historic towns, including Jarnac, Cognac, Saintes and Rochefort.

If you prefer something more modest, just a few km down the coast we find la Seudre. Said to be France’s smallest river, it begins as a trickle near Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge and ends as a broad estuary beside La Tremblade. For around 68km (slightly less during dry periods) it threads its way among 8,600 hectares of salt marshes, home to basins, dikes, channels and oyster-farming villages. Ribérou and L’Éguille are colourful fishing and pleasure ports, and at Marennes the river is connected to la Charente by the 27km-long canal de la Bridoire, opened in 1862. Today sections are enjoyed by paddleboarders and kayakers, and the banks are popular with walkers and cyclists.

Heading back inland, another of our great rivers is, of course, la Vienne, which rises at the foot of Mont Audouze on the rugged Plateau de Millevaches (19). Some 372km later it flows into la Loire at Candes-Saint-Martin (37), having meandered through such notable spots as Eymoutiers, SaintLéonard-de-Noblat, Limoges, Saint-Junien, Confolens,

Read the full article in our April issue...