FRENCH WATERWAYS ❘ CANAL DU MIDI
Clockwise from this image: Mooring
below Château Paraza alongside an inviting clue; don’t forget to duck; swathes of
vineyards butt right up against the canal; the crew settle down for a well-earned meal
the canal, Le Trouve Tout du Livre is run by Nelly and her sister. The store was bought by their parents 40 years ago and over the decades, more than 70,000 books have been collected. Inside, volumes (mostly French but some in English and other languages) covered every inch of wall. But the real treasure was at the top of the stairs behind an unassuming door which I was allowed to crack open for a sneak peek at la réserve in which towering books formed endless corridors.
LADIES OF THE RIVER
As an all-women crew on our trip, we were particularly touched to learn the story of Ms Craddock, an English lady who travelled alone to the Canal du Midi to alleviate her nerves and relieve her anxiety. In 1785, she found herself in Le Somail… and she’s still there, in a way, as her diary is now part of the archives of VNF (Voies Navigables de France). Her story and those of others from the canal’s past can be heard at la Maison Bonnal visitors’ centre which brought to life Ms Craddock’s voice through a clever projection. We channelled Ms Craddock’s carefree spirit by taking electric bikes and scooters for a trip up to an olive oil producer. Wind blowing through our hair, we were brought back to childhood as we pedalled or scooted along the canal, enjoying the little burst of speed compared with the lazy pace of the boat. We reached L’Oulibo, in Bize-Minervois, where we enjoyed a fascinating tour of the olive groves and a tasting.
It was soon time to move on and we whizzed back to our boats to begin the return journey to Homps. We still had one overnight stay to enjoy and we moored up at the village of Paraza. After a visit to the Château de Ventenac-en-Minervois
68 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Oct/Nov 2023 CANAL DU MIDI ESSENTIALS
BOAT HIRE Le Boat,
www.leboat.com
RESTAURANTS La Péniche, Homps – typical southern French bistro with two great terraces. www.
restaurantlapeniche.fr, Tel: +33 (0)4 68 91 24 34 Le Comptoir Nature, Le Somail – seasonal cooking highlighting local produce with a large terrace under the trees.
comptoirnature.free.fr, Tel +33 (0)4 68 46 01 61 OKN9, Paraza – modern, Mediterranean fusion in a small but cosy location by the water.
www.facebook.com/
Auquainumero9, Tel +33 (0)7 49 48 48 55
WINE AND OLIVE OIL ESTATES Château Paraza –
www.chateau-de-paraza.com/ en/ Guided tour and wine tasting lasting one hour, from €5/£4.25pp. Chateau de Ventenac-Minervois – chateaudeventenacminervois. com. Free entry and free tasting. Olive oil experience –
www.loulibo.com Guided tour costs €6/£5 for adults and €4/£3.40 for children.
winery, a curious example of a ‘folie viticole’ (a folly is built purely for decorative purposes and used to show one’s wealth), we sat down for an exceptional dinner at OKN9, set in an old barn and whose little terrace overlooks the canal. As dusk fell and the pink light bathed the waterway and our gleaming boats, I made a silent toast to Monsieur Riquet, Ms Craddock and my own parents whose lives were changed by the good life on the Canal du Midi. FT
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