Port of Bully

Name: Port of Bully
Address: Cordelle, FR

Cordelle, France

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Type: Harbour

Leisure harbour on the Villerest reservoir on the Loire, on the largest meander of the river, in the Loire department.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

The port sits on the upper stretch of the Villerest dam reservoir, reached from Roanne marina 6.7 NM downstream on the lake. Navigation is on flat water between wooded banks. The reservoir level can drop by several metres in summer, check water level before leaving a boat on a trailer slip.

Practical

Small harbour with a slipway, pontoons for day use and a bar-restaurant with terrace overlooking the lake. Motorboat, pedalo and canoe-kayak hire on site during the season. Limited overnight berthing: this is primarily a day base and hire centre.

Ashore

Base Nautique de Cordelle, 2 km along the shore, offers rowing and kayak outings and sits inside a Natura 2000 zone covering the Loire gorges. The medieval village of Saint-Maurice-sur-Loire with its XIth century keep is 3 km from the port. The Villerest dam, 59 m high and built in 1984, is 10 km downstream.

History

The Villerest dam was commissioned in 1984 to regulate Loire floods and produce hydroelectricity, creating a reservoir 35 km long that flooded the gorges of the Loire. The port of Bully and the Cordelle base opened shortly after on what had been steep farmland above the river.