Port

Roquemaure town wall

Name: Roquemaure town wall
Address: Roquemaure, FR

1.2Roquemaure, France

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Type: Harbour

Town quay on the right bank of the Rhone at Roquemaure, Gard, opposite the vineyards of Chateauneuf-du-Pape in Occitania.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Mooring on the Rhone downstream of the confluence with the Tave, between Caderousse lock 14 NM upstream and Avignon lock 6 NM downstream. Strong current southbound, care against the stone wall during Rhone freshets. VHF 20 for Avignon VNF sector.

Practical

Stone quay along the old town, few rings, no pontoon, no water or electricity dedicated to boaters. Village shops within 200 metres, bakery, butcher, pharmacy and several cafes on place de la Pousterle and rue des Halles.

Ashore

Chateau de l'Hers ruins on the Rhone island visible from the quay. Chapelle Saint-Joseph above the town keeps a reliquary said to hold a relic of Saint Valentine, venerated here since 1868. Vineyards of Cotes du Rhone and Lirac AOC surround the town. Chateauneuf-du-Pape village reached by the bridge and 5 km east.

History

Roquemaure was a medieval river port where Rhone boatmen paid toll to the lords of the castle built by the counts of Toulouse in the 12th century. Pope Clement V died here in 1314 while travelling on the Rhone. The vine louse phylloxera was first recorded in France in 1863 in a Roquemaure vineyard.

Story

The festival of Saint Valentine is celebrated every year in mid-February with a procession to the Chapelle Saint-Joseph and a winegrowers market on the quays.