Canal du Midi from Beziers by public transport

[magpie patrick]

Not the same question as last time!

 

There are two possible alterations to my trip to Beziers at the end of October, the first is I may be able to go for longer, the second is I may not be able to drive in France!

 

My driving licence has to be renewed annually, and whilst in limbo I can drive in the UK, I have a letter from the DVLA that I can show the police and also a letter from my doctor saying that in her opinion I am fit to drive. But this won't allow me to drive in France. I wasn't unduly worried, as I applied for my licence some time ago, but it's still not back and whilst it should turn up in the next five weeks it might not.

 

The plan was, fly into Beziers, pick up a car, spend a day looking at Fonserannes and then drive down to meet friends in Prades, probably travelling via Narbonne or Port de Nouvelle, perhaps via Malpas, as well. Spend a day or two with them. then we all travel back to Bezier and fly home together, the slight fly in the ointment with this was this meant two cars following each other from Prades to Beziers, when we could all fit in one.

 

It would appear I can get from Beziers to Prades in about 5 hours by bus and train, a bit slow but I'll enjoy the journey, However I've now got the opportunity to fly out a few days earlier so a day travelling instead of an hour and a half isn't a problem, and I can get around Beziers by bus or bike (Fonserannes is in Beziers), but I'm struggling to find comprehensible information on public transport generally. It's not so much the language barrier as the completely different set up. I'd probably find ours confusing if I didn't already know my way around public transport here.  The web does a good job of telling you exactly what bus to take if you know what time and day and where you want to go, but it's lousy at answering questions like "where can I go from Beziers by bus on a Wednesday, and where can I get to on another bus once I've got there" - it doesn't seem to do timetables or route maps. 

 

Anyone got any ideas, knowledge or suggestions?

 

(I know this isn't general boating, but it is assisting me in general canal bashing!) 

[Athy]

Perhaps a look at the web site "Béziers Méditerrannée Transports" may help. It includes a route map for the whole city and suburbs, and timetables for each route. Travelling in Béziers appears to be cheap: for 50 centimes you can get a ticket which lasts for an hour, during which time you can catch as many buses as is feasible.

Fonserannes certainly, as the Michelin guides used to say, "mérite un détour". We went up and down it a few years ago and it is quite spectacular.

For journeys outside Béziers, you might consider travelling by train. For example, in a quarter of an hour you could reach Narbonne (lots of historic bits + the branch Canal de Robine).

Edited September 19, 2018 by Athy

[Athy]

The Canal de Robine at Narbonne. Note narrowboat, operated by a subsidiary of Napton Narrowboats.

[X Alan W]

2 hours ago, magpie patrick said:

Not the same question as last time!

 

There are two possible alterations to my trip to Beziers at the end of October, the first is I may be able to go for longer, the second is I may not be able to drive in France!

 

My driving licence has to be renewed annually, and whilst in limbo I can drive in the UK, I have a letter from the DVLA that I can show the police and also a letter from my doctor saying that in her opinion I am fit to drive. But this won't allow me to drive in France. I wasn't unduly worried, as I applied for my licence some time ago, but it's still not back and whilst it should turn up in the next five weeks it might not.

 

The plan was, fly into Beziers, pick up a car, spend a day looking at Fonserannes and then drive down to meet friends in Prades, probably travelling via Narbonne or Port de Nouvelle, perhaps via Malpas, as well. Spend a day or two with them. then we all travel back to Bezier and fly home together, the slight fly in the ointment with this was this meant two cars following each other from Prades to Beziers, when we could all fit in one.

 

It would appear I can get from Beziers to Prades in about 5 hours by bus and train, a bit slow but I'll enjoy the journey, However I've now got the opportunity to fly out a few days earlier so a day travelling instead of an hour and a half isn't a problem, and I can get around Beziers by bus or bike (Fonserannes is in Beziers), but I'm struggling to find comprehensible information on public transport generally. It's not so much the language barrier as the completely different set up. I'd probably find ours confusing if I didn't already know my way around public transport here.  The web does a good job of telling you exactly what bus to take if you know what time and day and where you want to go, but it's lousy at answering questions like "where can I go from Beziers by bus on a Wednesday, and where can I get to on another bus once I've got there" - it doesn't seem to do timetables or route maps. 

 

Anyone got any ideas, knowledge or suggestions?

 

(I know this isn't general boating, but it is assisting me in general canal bashing!) 

Contact the tourist office in  Beziers they are generally very helpful & usually have an English speaker Dont normally open until 10am

[Onewheeler]

Well, the question is a bit like 'where can I get to in a day trip from Northallerton"! Why not ask Google maps for public transport directions to a few places that you might fancy visiting on a day you might like to go?

[magpie patrick]

4 minutes ago, Onewheeler said:

Well, the question is a bit like 'where can I get to in a day trip from Northallerton"! Why not ask Google maps for public transport directions to a few places that you might fancy visiting on a day you might like to go?

I have, and I don't understand the answer. If I  asked about Northallerton I would understand different operators, schoolday only services etc and I'd probably be savvy enough to know how to search for the actual timetable and a route map. Both matter as buses sometimes run infrequently and the name of the bus stop may mean nothing without a map. 

 

Thanks for all the suggestions guys - Athy, Narbonne looks worth a stop and is on my rail route to Prades ?

[Stilllearning]

Narbonne is lovely, we went there by boat about 10 years ago. Plenty of canal interest, including a few kilometers up the Robine towards the canal du Midi, an interesting lock with a side chamber that is used as a dry dock, plus good food and, if you like cultural visits, plenty of that too. Charles Trenet was born there and the town is proud of this. 

Train does seem the best way to go, if your licence doesn’t turn up. For local excursions, may I suggest electric bike hire?

[Athy]

4 minutes ago, Stilllearning said:

. Charles Trenet was born there and the town is proud of this. 

 

Well, it is near La Mer.

 

 

Boum-boum!

[Stilllearning]

7 minutes ago, Athy said:

Well, it is near La Mer.

 

 

Boum-boum!

 Appropriately for a canal, 

Et les pieds mouillés font flic flic flac

 

La mer was played at my mum’s funeral, as she would have enjoyed the pun, and it was great to hear several of her friends laughing as they enjoyed it too.

Edited September 19, 2018 by Stilllearning

[JamesFrance]

This is the best site for going anywhere

https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Béziers/Prades

Jus put in where you wan and find the details of any public transport.

[magpie patrick]

I fly first thing tomorrow morning,  and have planned Colombiers and Agde by public transport during my stay.

 

And my driving licence arrived in the post this lunchtime! Not sure I can be bothered to hire a car now! 

[JamesFrance]

I think you should be OK where you are going, but further upstream we have had terrible flooding last week, it came up to our garden gate but fortunately no higher, but we were without telephone or internet until yesterday and our footbridge was swept away.   I live across a small river opposite a village just north of Carcassonne and most of the road bridges between us and there are shut, so not easy to get around.   The canal at Trebes is drained with some boats up on the bank, it must have flooded badly and then breached where it is close to the river Aude.   We had thick mud from our small river, so couldn't leave the house as there is a ford by our lane where we are the last house and it is lower than at our end where the lane just goes on to fields.

[Stilllearning]

1 hour ago, magpie patrick said:

I fly first thing tomorrow morning,  and have planned Colombiers and Agde by public transport during my stay.

 

And my driving licence arrived in the post this lunchtime! Not sure I can be bothered to hire a car now! 

Having a car would enable visits to places like the interesting lock with built in dry dock, at I think Moussoulens on the Canal de la Robine. It was an unusual experience to be able to look up at the bottom of a large péniche as it was being pressure washed, whilst we locked down onto the river Aude.

[JamesFrance]

Following last week's floods there is severe damage to the Canal.
Here is a translation of part of the VNF pdf report on the closure.

Sector of Trèbes - Orbiel Canal Bridge: damage to the masonry of the work, with loosening of stones. As soon as the event occurred, the reach was lowered in order to reduce the weight of the water. First aid work was immediately started. Also note, subsidence or ruptures of dikes upstream of the structure.
In the harbor and up to the Trèbes lock, boats have been lifted by the flood and are stranded today on the bank.
However, the section between the locks of Carcassonne and that of Marseillette remain closed to navigation and can not be reopened before the period of work "Chomages" of the Canal du Midi (November - December 2018).