Boating In France The Anjou

Leaving Angers there is a short stretch of the River Maine through marshes to the junction with the Mayenne and the Sarthe rivers – the Mayenne running north-westwards for some 60 miles, with 25 locks, towards Laval, and the Sarthe north-eastwards towards Le Mans.
Cruising on the Mayenne, which has relatively few locks and nowadays almost no commercial traffic, will take you through several interesting towns and villages, such as Plessis-Macé with its magnificent chateau, La Roussiere and Pruillé before reaching the lovely little town of Grez-Neuville with its 12th century church, 17th century houses and mill. There are moorings available at several places along this stretch of the Mayenne, but for the best facilities including a proper quay etc it may be worth turning left here into the River Oudon to visit Le Lion d’Angers (where there is a famous stud farm) which lies only about a mile or so up-stream on this peaceful little tributary.

 Continuing northward along the Mayenne you’ll pass through several attractive villages, with nearby chateaux, such as Montreuil-sur-Maine, Chambellay Chenillé-Changé and La Jaille-Yvon, at all of which there are moorings and usually also restaurants, until you reach the small resort town of Daon where there are more moorings. There are particularly beautiful stretches of river around here right up to Menil, where there is a quay with good mooring facilities, restaurants etc. Further on we find the port of Chateau-Gontier, with excellent mooring and other facilities, and a famous meat market.
Beyond Chateau-Gontier the Mayenne continues northward via several locks through Neuville, past the Chateau de la Rongere, Port-Rhinegeard and St.Pierre-le-Potiuer before reaching the city of Laval, with its famous chateaux, one of which is now used as a court house. The old town part of Laval has many lovely 16th century houses, as well as excellent facilities for cruisers, and it makes a good place to end your cruise on the Mayenne, although you can continue if you wish for a further 20 miles or so up to the town of Mayenne itself.

The River Sarthe runs for around 80 miles from its junction with the Maine and Mayenne rivers north of Angers, through a total of some twenty locks in a north-easterly direction to Le Mans

It’s a calm and peaceful river running through woods and meadows with several picturesque villages, and the relatively few locks makes it particularly attractive for first-timers. There are some magnificent chateaux en-route including the one at Le Plessis-Bourré, the lovely riverside town of Chateauneuf-sur-Sarthe with its excellent restaurants, many shops and fine moorings, the imposing Benedictine Abbey at Solesmes with the nearby harbour at Juigné-sur-Sarthe, the medieval hilltop village of Parcé-sur-Sarthe and Malicorne, famous for its porcelain and where there are also  good moorings.

  Running through several more small towns and villages, and past the chateau at La Suze-sur-Sarthe there are plenty of  interesting places to stop, and many useful moorings, you eventually reach the rather unattractive outskirts of Le Mans, but don’t let this deter you as further on you’ll come to ramparts of the medieval old town  However the best moorings are the central ones in the less attractive part…Le Mans is of course best-known for its associations with motorsport, and the world-famous 24 hour race; the Motor Museum is a must for all motorsports enthusiasts, but in fact the old part of Le Mans is of considerable historic interest too, and well worth a visit.

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