Harbour

Monthermé

3.7Thilay, France

Maximum length: 30 m

River halt on the Meuse in the Ardennes, 15 berths, at the confluence of the Meuse and the Semoy.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Halt on the right bank of the Meuse around PK 105, just upstream of the Semoy confluence. VNF navigable waterway, locks operated from April to October on demand via VHF 22 or telephone. Concrete quay, no tidal constraint.

Practical

Fifteen places with freshwater and electricity pillars. No diesel on site. Supermarket, bakeries, restaurants and pharmacy within 300 m of the quay on the Rue Etienne Dolet. Tourist office 200 m from the halt. Train station on the Givet to Charleville line 400 m.

Ashore

Roc de la Tour footpath on the left bank, 3 km round trip, quartzite rocks 160 m above the river. Longue Roche and Roche a Sept Heures viewpoints reached from the village. Voie verte Trans-Ardennes along the quay. Valley of the Semoy starts here with footpaths to Les Hautes-Rivieres.

History

Monthermé was a medieval crossing point on the Meuse, with a church from the twelfth century at the tip of the peninsula. The town was on the main line of the German breakthrough of May 1940 and was heavily shelled during the Battle of the Meuse.

Story

The village sits on a sharp meander where the Meuse folds back on itself, leaving the old town on a peninsula less than 300 m wide between the two arms of the river.