From Buzet-sur-Baïse, a double lock allows to go down to Baïse from the Canal Latéral à la Garonne. Let's specify right now that it is pronounced Bai-ise! This river, which comes down from the Gers, was very frequented by boats, often loaded with Armagnac. It had been totally neglected to the point that it was difficult to locate certain locks in the vegetation. It is a team of three enthusiasts, nicknamed locally the 3 musketeers, who allowed its restoration.
Three musketeers
A local restaurateur, a former mariner and especially Alain Thoueilles, an engineer at the Direction Départementale de l'Equipement, were able to force the issue, and went to the General Council to gather the means to realize their project. In 1987, the first reach opened, then a second. A big party then gathered all the renters, who came by boat to make the elected officials discover their river and its potential. In 1998, we finally went upstream to Valence-sur-Baïse, in the heart of the Gers.
The map of the locks
When passing through the double lock of the Baïse, the lock keeper gives the boaters the card that will allow them to operate the automatic systems of the following locks. In the past, it was possible to go down to the Garonne, and to cross it to join the Lot. A powerful tugboat was in charge of this delicate passage, but it is no longer in service.
The market of the bastide
The only choice is to go up. The banks are narrow and wooded. Navigation is easy and the few shoals are marked by buoys. We pass under the bridge-canal then at the foot of the castle of Trinqueléon, to finally arrive at Vianne which has pontoons upstream and downstream of the lock. It is a bastide, a pretty fortified village whose ramparts are worth a visit.
An old boatman's site
The quay of Lavardac has known an intense boat activity, and it was not uncommon to find a hundred boats there. Today, it is mostly animated by the joyful splashing of the canoe school. On the way up, the Baïse becomes narrower and winds through the heart of nicely rounded hillsides. It runs alongside several castles such as those of Lagrange-Monrepos and Bournac, but soon Nérac comes into view.
In the shadow of King Henry's castle
After sliding the boat under the arch of the old bridge, you enter the heart of a very nice river port! The suburbs of the city are spread out as far as the castle where Henri Quatre spent his childhood. It is an understatement to say that Nérac is worth a visit! For its castle of course, for its old sloping streets, but also for its festive and friendly atmosphere.
When Fleurette was told about it
Going up, and until the Nazareth lock, the Baïse river borders the Garenne park. A magnificent reach shaded by monumental trees, and where one goes along the Pavillon du bain du roi and the grotto of Fleurette, named after a young girl who would have been seduced by the young King Henri. The Baïse meanders in tight meanders, often cut by a diversion canal.
In the land of liars
The glibness of the Gascons is legendary, and a visit to Moncrabeau does nothing to deny this reputation! While walking up the streets of this village, one passes in front of the royal Mentherie, a dungeon where the skull of King Henry as a child is kept, then the birth house of Sieur Lapuce, who was the computer scientist of Louis sixteen... In Moncrabeau, jesting is an art and since 1748 there is an academy of liars.
Condom is a pleasant sub-prefecture whose port is lined with Armagnac warehouses. A visit of the city is a must. Those who continue to Valence-sur-Baïse will also appreciate the beautiful Abbey of Flaran and its garden of medicinal plants.
Local tips and tricks:
Before going down to the Baïse river, we will not miss to visit the cellar of Buzet to taste the good wines of the area.
The castle of Trinqueléon deserves that one disembarks to make the turn of it, more especially as it is threatened by a viaduct of the LGV.
In the heart of the bastide of Vianne, a farmers' market takes place at night on summer Fridays.
A glassmaker continues this local tradition in the old train station and forms the molten material that seems to lend itself to the slightest of his fantasies.
A detour is necessary to go to Barbaste to see the very beautiful mill of the Towers of the thirteenth century and to which one reaches by a splendid Romance bridge.
La Cigale is an excellent artisanal chocolate factory in Nérac. A glass panel of the store reveals the laboratory where delights of all shapes and colors are elaborated.
The castle is laughing and very pleasant just like the park of the Garenne which constituted the park.
In Condom, the Papelorey winery offers a tasting to all those who arrive by boat
The Baïse in brief :
- Length 60 km
- 21 locks
- Speed : 6 km/h
- Vignette and navigation tax: no
- Managing establishments: Departments of Lot-et-Garonne and Gers
- Size: 27.50 x 4.15 m
- Minimum air draft : 3,00 m
- Minimum draft : 0,90 m
- Renters : Le Boat in Mas-d'Agenais, Aquitaine navigation in Buzet-sur-Baïse, Emeraude location in Pont des Sables and Locaboat in Agen
- Navigation guide : Editions du Breil N° 12 Aquitaine
