Harbour

Castelnaudary Quai Canelot

Name: Castelnaudary Quai Canelot
Address: Issel, FR

2.9Issel, France

Open in BoatMap DirectionsSave

Type: Harbour

Mooring quay on the Grand Bassin of Castelnaudary, on the Canal du Midi in the Aude, Occitanie.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Reached via the Canal du Midi. The Grand Bassin is a 7-hectare artificial lake built by Pierre-Paul Riquet, the largest on the canal. Quai Canelot lies on the south bank. Approach is straight; the four-lock staircase of Saint-Roch stands at the west end of the basin. Canal gauge: draught 1.4 m, air draught 3.0 m.

Practical

Mooring rings and bollards along the quay. Water and electricity bornes. Fuel available from service station in town. Capitainerie at the port on the north bank. Hire bases on the Grand Bassin, including Le Boat. All shops, supermarkets and SNCF station within 500 m.

Ashore

Old town with the collegiate church of Saint-Michel, 14th century, 400 m from the quay. Moulin de Cugarel, 17th-century windmill on the hill, 1 km south. Cassoulet de Castelnaudary is the local speciality, several producers and restaurants in the centre. Market on Monday morning place de la République.

History

The Grand Bassin was dug between 1666 and 1671 as a harbour and a reservoir for the Saint-Roch flight of locks. Pierre-Paul Riquet made Castelnaudary one of the main stops on his 240 km canal linking the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, opened in 1681. The whole Canal du Midi was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1996.