Boating In France - River Charente

The River Charente:
The River Charente flows some 100 miles from Angouleme westward to the Atlantic near Rochefort. There are only twenty-one locks, and navigation is easy. Four hundred years ago the Charente was described by Henry 1V as “the most beautiful river in my kingdom”. Even today, with the arrival of many more pleasure craft on it. The Charente certainly still deserves to be described in such terms.

Made navigable during the 17th and 18th century for  commercial traffic, mainly sailing barges, it’s commercial use peaked towards the end of the 19th century, but this declined dramatically during the first half of the 20th century to the extent that by the end of the second world war commercial traffic had all but disappeared. Nowadays commercial traffic has vanished from the Charente altogether. 

The upper reaches near Angouleme at its eastern end run mainly through vineyards and orchards, while further west it flows peacefully through woods, meadowland and generally tranquil countryside, past many attractive small villages, market towns, castles, watermills, and with an abundance of wildlife too.

Leaving the towering old fortified city of Angouleme, the river flows westward along a valley surrounded by vineyards and orchards through several attractive villages, including Sireuil, a well-known hire-cruiser base, to Chateauneuf-sur-Charente, which, despite its name, dates back to the 11th century! It’s worth a visit.

Continuing westward you come to the very attractive village of Saint Simon, with its narrow streets and stone cottages overlooking the harbour; famous as a barge-building centre in the 17th century, there are still signs to remind you of those days, and there’s an interesting museum mainly dedicated to the barges and other commercial craft and to the time when the Charente was an important commercial waterway.

Passing through woodlands and vineyards the river continues to flow westward through the Saintonge past Bassac, noted for its abbey, Gondeville and the prosperous little town of Jarnac where former French President Mitterand was born and is now buried.

Shortly before Bourg-Charente, where there are good moorings,  the river broadens out before running through  a wooded reach past the Chateau St.Brice and thence to Cognac, where as you’d expect, there are excellent mooring facilities, and many opportunities to visit the world-famous brandy houses.

Further down-river,  you come to Chez Landart, where it’s possible to land and visit Le Marais Chez Landart and sample both Cognac and the local “Pineau de Charente” a liqueur that’s supposed to have been discovered “by accident” as a result of accidentally storing white wine in a cask previously used for Cognac. It’s sweet, and fairly potent!

Passing two of the few remaining chain ferries, at Dompierre and Chaniers, you approach the city of Saintes, which dates from Roman times but which was developed progressively in the 12th, 15th and 19th centuries. There’s plenty here to see including the cathedral, the Roman arena and the 19th century bridge...

The next stretch of the river meanders through the villages of Narcejac, St.Saturnin, Taillebourg, and Port d’Envaux , passing several elegant manor houses on the way to the very pleasant small town, with good moorings, at St.Savinien.  This was a ship-building town in the 19th century, and the river divides here allowing you to choose either the route through the town centre or a short-cut by-passing the centre.

From here westward the Charente is tidal, running mainly through saltmarshes - about the only remarkable feature is the 30 metre high suspension bridge at Tonnay, after which you enter the outskirts of Rochefort, once the largest arsenal town in Europe. There are temporary moorings at the pontoon opposite the rope factory, and long-stay moorings in the harbour.

Rochefort dates from the 17th century, and warships were built and fitted out in its shipyards and there is an excellent maritime museum here.

A fully detailed Navigation & Tourist Guide (The Guide Fluvial Charente) to these waters is available from Boating-in-France – see appendix 1 for details of how to order the Guides Fluvial