Port

Le Vieux-Moulin de Vernon Pontoon

Name: Le Vieux-Moulin de Vernon Pontoon
Address: Vernon, FR

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Type: Harbour

River pontoon on the Seine at Vernon, beside the Vieux-Moulin, a 16th century timbered mill built on the piers of the medieval bridge.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Moor on the right bank of the Seine just upstream of the Pont Clemenceau. The old bridge piers that carry the mill lie downstream and must be given a wide berth. Current runs steadily on the ebb; approach heading into the stream. There is good depth alongside the pontoon. Passing barges send a little wash, but they run well off and it stays manageable.

Practical

Short visitor pontoon used as a halt for Giverny, free of charge, with water and electricity on the pontoon. No fuel or crane. Bakery, restaurants, a laundry and the SNCF station of Vernon-Giverny at 500 m in the town centre. Port Ilon, 6.9 NM SE, is the nearest full-service marina.

Ashore

Claude Monet's house and garden at Giverny are 3 km from the pontoon, reachable by shuttle bus or by bike along the greenway. The Musée de Vernon, which holds works by Monet, Bonnard and Vuillard, stands at 400 m on rue du Pont. The old timbered mill itself can be viewed from the quay.

History

The mill was built in the 16th century on two piers of a medieval bridge first thrown across the Seine in the 12th century. Up to five flour mills once stood on the bridge, their wheels raised or lowered with the river level. Claude Monet painted the structure in 1883 as Vieille maison sur le pont, now held by the New Orleans Museum of Art.