Briare to Nevers: August 12^th. Nevers to Briare: August 19 ^th

From Montereau at the confluence of the Upper Seine and the River Yonne this route quickly swings South onto the River Loing, joining the Canal du Loing at Moret sur Loing. There is time to visit this charming little town with its 12^th Century dungeon and old winding streets, before setting off up the canal towards Nemours, beautifully situated in the rocky and wooded river valley. After visiting Nemours we continue up the canal to reach Montargis, capital of the Gâtinais, a region of pine forests and small streams famous for hunting and fishing. This marks the start of the Briare Canal. Cruising past Châtillon-Coligny we reach Rogny les Sept Ecluses where we can see the original staircase of seven locks built to the order of King Henry IV and completed in 1642. Replaced by a flight of six locks in 1887, they remain witness to a considerable engineering achievement of their time. We end our cruise in Briare, mooring in the basin where in former times barges gathered before attempting the difficult crossing of the River Loire. There is time to visit the famous aqueduct which made this crossing unnecessary, and the delightful faience and mariners' museums in this small town

Leaving Briare we cross Eiffel's famous aqueduct over the River Loire to begin our cruise up the Canal Lateral à la Loire with the river itself close by on our left hand. The canal passes through lightly wooded country offering wide views of this beautiful river valley, each small village we pass showing us old churches and sleepy red tiled houses. Reaching Sancerre, we tour this town with its narrow winding streets and here we also take the opportunity of visiting the wine cellars where the renowned Sancerre white and rose wines lie maturing. Our cruise now takes us past La Charité sur Loire. Terraced on a hillside overlooking the river we view the town across a pretty 16^th Century humpbacked bridge, the scene dominated by the Basilique Nôtre Dame, one of the most remarkable examples of Romanesque architecture in Burgundy. Leaving La Charité sur Loire we swing close to the wide river at Marseilles les Aubigny before crossing the River Allier on a large aqueduct, finally arriving at Nevers, our destination and the Capital of the Nivernais region.

These itineraries are reversed for the cruises from Briare to Montereau and from Nevers to Briare

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