Harbour

Ponton Aval - Port d'Arzal-Camoël

Name: Ponton Aval - Port d'Arzal-Camoël
Address: Arzal, FR

3.5Arzal, FranceMorbihan

Type: Harbour

Downstream visitor pontoon at the Arzal-Camoel marina, just below the Arzal dam on the Vilaine estuary in southern Brittany.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach from the bay of Vilaine via the buoyed channel past the Grand-Pierre and Pignon beacons. The pontoon sits on the salt-water side of the dam, so it remains subject to tide and current. The lock at Arzal opens on demand during the day for passage to the freshwater basin upstream. VHF 18 for the harbour, VHF 13 for the lock.

Practical

The aval pontoon is dedicated to visiting yachts waiting for the lock or stopping briefly. Full marina services are available on the main Arzal-Camoel site: diesel, water, electricity, showers, 45-tonne travel lift. Capitainerie open all year.

Ashore

Restaurants and chandlery inside the marina complex. The dam road crosses the Vilaine and links Arzal on the north bank to Camoel on the south. La Roche-Bernard, a listed Petite Cite de Caractere with 17th century houses, is 6 km upstream by road.

History

The Arzal dam was built between 1965 and 1970 to stop salt water intrusion into the lower Vilaine and provide drinking water for the region. Its lock turned the river upstream into a 40 km navigable freshwater basin as far as Redon.