2007 Earlybird Special
Offers to Seize before the 31/12/06
5% reduction for ALL cruises of a minimum of one week.
10% instead of 5% for cruises taken between 6/7/07 - 16/7/07,
24/8/07 - 3/9/07, and 21/9/07 - 29/9/07

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Canals: Canal de la Marne au Rhin, Canal de la Sarre, Moselle,
Bases: Lutzelbourg

Our base at Lutzelbourg provides an Alsatian Welcome, with its castle and its
famous crystal workshops.
Whichever way you cruise, half timbered houses gay with window boxes,
onion domed church towers, intricate wrought ironwork and a hundred small details give the villages a festival air.
Wherever you stop, you'll find the food equally special: choucroute and
charcuterie as well as mouth watering plum and greengage tarts. Cruising the Canal de la Sarre you pass mainly through the
woodland with the odd small town to tempt you with a restaurant meal.
At Sarreguemines you'll be charmed by the hand decorated pottery. On your
return you'll travel on the boat lift at Arzwiller which replaces 17 locks.
Following the Marne-Rhine canal you pass through Saverne with its ducal
palace and across the Alsatian plain to the heart of Strasbourg.
At Toul, a town fortified by Vauban and enjoying fine views over the loops of
the river Moselle, you are entering Lorraine. Its countryside is just as fine
as its cities, of which Nancy and Metz are the highpoints.

ACCESS: Lutzelbourg
Airport - Strasbourg (45km)
Train - Saverne (10km)
Motorway - Phalsbourg (5km) (A4-E25)

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Canals: Mayenne, Sarthe, Oudon

Bases: Chenille Change, Chateauneuf, Le Mans

With Maine anjou Rivieres
Between Brittany and the Loire valley lies "Doulce France", the valleys of the
Mayenne, the Sarthe and the Oudon, each with its distinctive charm. From either Chenille Change or from
Chateauneuf sur Sarthe, the three rivers invite you to make a gently paced
journey past picturesque little towns, or abbeys and castles steeped
in history.
With its honeyed stones and its slated roofs, Anjou is a garden of enchantment.
Don't miss stopping at Angers which preserves a colourful and bustling old town
underneath its castles walls.
The pleasures of this glorious region extend also to the table, with rillettes,
chicken and capons washed down
with wine or sparkling cider.

ACCESS: Chenille - Chateauneuf
Airport - Nantes (126km)
TGV (fast train) - Angers (34km)
Motorway - Durtal (36km), (A11-E501)

ACCESS: Le Mans
TGV (fast train) - Le Mans
Motorway - Le Mans (A11-E501)

Canals: Canal de la Meuse, Meuse, Canal des Ardennes, Canal de l' Aisne a la
Marne

Bases: Pont a Bar, Anseremme Dinant

With Ardennes Nautisme
The word Ardennes means in Celtic "dense forest". Cruising these waterways from
your base at Pont a Bar and breathing in the pure country air, you will understand
how the area acts as a lung to Europe. Home of the wild boar, roe deer and some of France's rarest birds, the Ardennes
forests also shelter in their protected wetlands such rarities as orchids and the
fly catching sundew.
You will be charmed by the Meuse as it twists and loops its way to Charleville Mezieres. Beyond, deeper into the Ardennes, there are delightful towns to cruise to across the Belgium border. With its 650km of
cruising waterway, the Champagne Ardenne region offers tremendous scope and
variety.

ACCESS: Pont a Bar - Anseremme
Airport - Brussel (94km)
Train - Brussel (92km)
Motorway - Dinant (10km) (A4/E411)

Canal: Canal de Nantes a Brest, Ille et Rance, Vilaine

Bases: Redon - Lyvet, Pontivy

With Brittany Plaisance
Redon, at the crossroads of the Vilaine and the Canal de Nantes a Brest is your gateway to the legends of Merlin the wizard and the fairy Viviane. You'll pass the Isle of Magpies, perfect setting for a fable. Next Gacilly with its mossy lanes and eel filled reed banks so beautiful in the morning light, then on to Josselin where the castle's mighty turrets are reflected in the canal. Pause too at Malestroit to admire its half timbered houses. The Canal de Nantes a Brest is definitely amongst the very top cruises. The other cruise, to Dinan and Lyvet, is lightly locked on the Vilaine as far as historic Rennes. Then on the Canal d'Ille et Rance, the flight of 11 locks at Hede takes you across the watershed between the Atlantic and the English Channel and down to spectacularly sited Dinan.

From our new base at Pontivy, meander along the river Blavet through the sometimes wild, sometimes gentle Morbihan region of Brittany, between moorland and forest. As you twist and turn, you'll come across here the mysterious stones of a prehistoric site, there a 16th century church or a cluster of beautifully restored cottages. Pontivy, Saint Nicholas, Quistinic, Lanvaudan and Hennebont, where the river opens into the estuary, are all exciting ports of call both from the point of view of sightseeing and of good eating.

ACCESS: Redon
Airport - Rennes (58km)
TGV (fast train) - Redon
Motorway - Rennes (60km

ACCESS: Lyvet
Airport - Rennes (58km), Dinan (24km)
TGV (fast train) - Rennes/Dinan (8km)
Motorway - Rennes (50km)

ACCESS: Pontivy
Airport - Loiret (64km)
TGV (fast train) - Loiret (65km)
Motorway - Rennes (109km),(A81)

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Canal: Canal de Bourgogne, Saone, Seille, Canal du Rhone au Rhin

Bases: Plombieres-Les-Dijon, Pont-Royal

Just down the canal from our base, Dijon, capital of Burgundy plunges you straight away into the riches of French History.
In this seat of the Dukes of Burgundy, and world renowned gastronomic centre, a wealth of mansions and other monuments bear witness to its momentous past.
The Canal du Bourgogne, started in 1775 and only completed in 1834, links the Yonne to the Saone and passes close to numerous chateaux, such as those at Chateauneuf, Chailly and Blancey. The finest and most rural section follows the verdant valley of the Ouche up to Pouilly en Auxois, whose port stands on the highest canal summit in France.
Following instead the canal down to the Saone, you enter the area of truly great wines, whose transportation was one of the main reasons for the canal's construction.
Further to the south the rivers Saone and Seille are almost lock-free and are a delightful crusing experience.

ACCESS: Plombieres-Pont Royal
TGV (Fast Train) - Dijon (7km) / Montbard (30km)
Motorway - Plombieres Les Dijon (A38-A33), Biere Les Semur (A6) (16km)

Canal: Canal lateral a la Loire, Canal du Nivernais, du Centre Canal de Roanne a Digoin

Bases: Dompierre sur Besbre, St Leger sur Dheune

Dompierre in Southern burgundy is a crossroads offering a choice of discoveries. Lining the canal banks are chateaux, abbeys and mediaeval villages. The magnificent Digoin aqueduct takes you on to the Canal du Centre, built in the 18th century to link Roanne to Chalon sur Saone. The Canal de Roanne a Digoin leads to Roanne, a synonym for gastronomy all over France, but famous too for china.
At Decize the lateral canal meets the Loire, and river bathing is a treat. Salmon and shad swim up here from the distant sea to spawn. Take the Canal du Nivernais and cruise through ravishing countryside to the secret heart of the Morvan, or visit Nevers, steeped in history. Crossing high above the Allier on the Guetin aqueduct, you'll enjoy magnificent vistas across many famous vineyards
to pretty villages such as Sancerre and St-Satur.

Canals: Canal du Rhone a Sete, le Lez, Bassin de Thau,
Canal du Midi, Petit Rhone
Bases: Lattes

These cruises are all virtually lock free. Starting from Lattes, on the outskirts of Montpellier, you cruise the river Lez, a trade route since 800BC. You will cruise close to the Mediterranean beaches, in an area of amazing bird, animal and plant life. Make the most of the beaches before crossing the Bassin de Thau to reach its little ports and oysterbeds. Pink flamingoes, white horses, and the massive outlines of the wild black bulls recreate a landscape that takes you back to the beginning of time. From this green paradise stands out in stately profile the silhouette of Aigues Mortes, the fortified port from which the crusaders set sail.

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Described by Francois I as " the prettiest brook in my kingdom ", the Charente is one of France's most beautiful river navigations. At Cognac, where museums, history, gastronomy and industry are all devoted to its eponymous nectar, the renowned Hennessy cellars dominate the two round turrets of the Porte Saint Jacques which leads to the old town and the chateau. The Charente first becomes navigable at Angouleme, where the historic town, with its cathedral and magnificently restored old houses, stands on a rocky spur high above the valley.

The town today is famous for its strip cartoon festival. Jarnac, birthplace of Francois Mitterand, is also famous for its old buildings, and its distilleries. As you follow the course of the river, past old mills and snipe filled watermeadows edged with trees, Saintes comes into view, with its Gallo-Roman arenas and its Abbaye aux Dames, a jewel of romanesque art, while at Rochefort one scents the salt of the ocean in the air. With a length of 170km and just 21 locks, of which 18 are unmanned, the tranquil Charente is a delight to cruise on board your Penichette.

ACCESS: Cognac
Airport - Bordeaux (130km)
TGV (fast train) + Train - Angouleme + Cognac
Motorway - Saintes (31km) (A10-E05)

Canal: Petite Saone, Canal des Vosges, Canal du Rhone au Rhin

Bases: Scey-Sur-Saone

The Saone is one of France's most attractive rivers, with few locks, rural scenery, and generously proportioned farmhouses, their window boxes gay with flowers. On the forest floor too, the earth brings forth a generous offering of mushrooms.
The well-preserved villages in the Maconnais and the Dole region are a constant delight. Climbing north on the Canal des Vosges through the forests of the Vosges. You glide through an amphitheatre of ash, silver birch and other trees. The towns of Fontenoy-le-Chateau and Epinal reveal their many charms. From Dole to Besancon the Canal du Rhone au Rhin follows the course of the River Doubs past rocky cliffs and between wooded slopes. To arrive in Besancon is truly dramatic. A tunnel 394m long allows you to pass right underneath the great fortress built by Vauban in the 17th century and to make a complete circuit of the city by water.

ACCESS: Scey-Sur-Saone
Airport - Bale-Mulhouse (130km)
Train - Vesoul (20km)
Motorway - Besancon (A36-E60)

Canal: Canal du Midi, Canal lateral a la Garonne
Bases: Negra

The base at negra was the first stop of the "Mail Boat" which ran from Toulouse to Agde in the 19th century.
From the surroundings of rose red Toulouse, the Canal du Midi takes you through one of France's most fascinating regions. Beyond the canal banks, shaded by ancient trees, the surrounding hills are covered by a patchwork of little fields. Medieval villages, Romanesque churches (Baraigne and Cazalrenoux) abbeys and monasteries (St Papoul) provide variety to the landscape. At Castelnaudary, home of Cassoulet, the many fine buildings form a treasury of the architectural riches of the region.

ACCESS: Negra
Airport - Toulouse (47km)
TGV (fast train) + Train - Toulouse + Villefranche (8km)
Motorway - Villefranche - Lauragais (A61-E80)

Canal: Canal du cen, Saone, Canal Lateral a la Loire, Seille
Bases: St-Leger-Sur-Dheune

The base of St.Leger-sur-Dheune is ideally placed to enlarge the possibilities for one-way cruises. Cruising the Canal du Centre you pass though some of the most renowned vineyards of the Cote Chalonnaise. Along the twisting valley of the Cote Chalonnaise sparkle the varnished tile roofs of charming villages. At the foot of the Cote Chalonnaise are world famous wine-producing villages:Mercurey, Santenay with its 13th century church of St Jean de Naroise standing amin the vines, Montrachet, synonymous with fine whites, and Rully with its 12th century castle. Further south, the Saone and the Seille offer a voyage of discovery. The Seille in paricular makes a delightful side-trip: your route through this landscape of ponds and pastures leads to Louhans, the capital of Bresse:its arcades and its facades which date back to the 15th and 16th centuries are unique.

ACCESS:
Airport - Lyon 175m)
Trains Le Creusot/Montchanin (20km)
Motorway -Chalon Nord (A6) (20 km)

Canals: Canal lateral a la Garonne,Baise, lot Aval, Canal du Midi
Bases: Agen

Gascony and the Lot et Garonne region have some of France's prettiest countryside. A number of interesting structures command attention too, including the 549 metre long aqueduct at Agen with its 23 arches. Take the little river Baise and you will wind your way through deepest countryside. Its towns, Vianne and Nerac, possess all the charm of a medieval Book of Hours. Carry on up the Baise as far as Valence and visit the Abbey of Flaran, rated a masterpiece of Cistercian art. Wherever you go, you'll find yourself in a region of good living and great eating. The Lower Lot, recently reopened for cruising, takes you from Aiguillon to Villeneuve sur Lot and the centre of the medieval bastide country, as well as the plum orchards which produce the famous "Pruneaux".

ACCESS: Agen
Airport - Agen - Toulouse (115km)
TGV (fast train) - Agen
Motorway - Agen (A62-E72)