The last week of the Summer holidays we visited Brittany spending our second week with Le Boat France cruising along the River Vilaine and the Canal de Nantes a Brest. Hiring a self-drive boat Caprice. Having previously only spent a couple of nights on a narrowboat we were excited by the chance to relax on the water. Over the course of seven nights, we travelled over 238km and clocked up 37 hours of engine time. So we really put our boat through its paces and visited some amazing places and pretty villages. Needless to say, as well as having a great time we learnt a lot during our very memorable experience. If you are thinking of going boating holiday in France then these tips will help you to make the most of your boating holiday.
AD – We were invited to review Le Boat France and the Caprice Boat
About Le Boat – Brittany
Le Boat is the No.1 provider of inland water boating holidays, bringing together 50 years of experience, expertise and memories. Le Boat has a fleet of large self-drive cruisers, allowing entire families to stay on board and explore their chosen region. History lovers and foodies alike will relish a boating holiday in Brittany. A Celtic land laced with canalised rivers studded with towering castles seemingly at every turn, boat hire in Brittany ushers you into an especially unique location. You’re not far from the North Atlantic coast, so seafood in the region’s many restaurants is in order! You can also venture to Nantes and Dinan for the museums, historic sites, and fine restaurants.
If you would like to enjoy this unique experience this year Le Boat France will operate in Brittany from 01 April until 31 October 2023. Next year Le Boat will operate in Brittany from 01 April until 31 October 2024
Le Boat France operates all over the country, meaning you can immerse yourself in the beauty of France. Including in the South of France, where you can cruise the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Canal du Midi.
Arrival at Le Boat France Messac base and check-in procedures
The Messac Le Boat home port is around 1.5km out of the town. As we had already been staying in Benodet for a week we had the car having taken the Eurotunnel le Shuttle. It is around five and a half hours from Calais. There is also a train station in the town and the nearest airport is Rennes which is 27.6km away.
Check-in for our boating holiday in France
Before our arrival, we had agreed on a time to check in with the Le Boat staff. At check-in, you run through the paperwork and pay a deposit for the boat. As well as €350 for engine hours for a week. If you do not use all your engine hours this is refunded when you check out at the end of your stay. Likewise, if you do more then you will be charged an extra. €350 will buy you around 26 hours. As we wanted to see quite a bit we ended up doing 37 engine hours and paying an additional €140 on our return of the boat.
At check-in, you are also given all the information you could ever need. The waterways guide and suggestions of where you want to go. The base teams are the local experts and are there to answer any questions you may have.
Once check-in is complete you can load up your boat with your belongings and food. It is possible to get groceries delivered in advance of arrival if you do not have a car. I paid an extra €50 to ensure the car was parked in a secure car park. Although there is parking next to the harbour. Le Boat also offers a service where you do not need to return the boat to the base you started. Instead, they will drive your car to your destination, pick up the boat and return it to another base. In hindsight, this is something we would consider in the future. As it would allow you to see a lot more of the waterways;
Technical briefing
Once you are settled in your boat there is a boat engineer that comes and shows you the important stuff! Before check-in, you are sent an email with links to the videos on how the boat will work and how to navigate the waterways and the country’s canals.
The engineer will show you how to start the boat, and how to reverse and moor the boat. As well as details of the electrics, how to fill up the water etc. There is plenty of opportunity to ask lots of questions and everything is explained in detail. You are also given a manual should you forget anything it will be in there.
I liked the fact that they did the first lock with you. As it is only five minutes from the base they will travel to the first lock to help you navigate into it. And then show you what to do. They then get off and leave you to it. However, there is an emergency number should you need it.
Our Le Boat Caprice – A Review
Inside
For our trip, we were sleeping and travelling on a Le Boat Caprice. The Le Boat Caprice boat is an ideal choice for parties of up to six. So it suited us perfectly since it had two bedrooms, with a third double bed in the saloon area. That converts into a large and comfortable seating area during the day. The two en-suite staterooms are located forward, leaving lots of room in the rear. Each en-suite has a sink, toilet and shower. Since we did not need a third sleeping area, we used the saloon as a living area. There is also a collapsable table as well which we used to eat at, play games in the evening and allow the boys to do some craft projects. As well as make use of the radio/CD player and MP3/USB connectivity.
Between the saloon and the bedrooms, there is a well-appointed kitchen. I was impressed by how much storage was created throughout the boat but in the kitchen, there was plenty of worktop space and cupboards. Along with a good-sized fridge, microwave, 3-ring gas hob and small gas oven. We ate on our Le Boat Caprice more than we ate out, with all the cooking utensils and everything we needed.
Outside
There is also a place for the captain to sit and elevated seats for the rest of the crew if it is not possible to sail from the top of the boat. We spent most of the time on the deck at the top while cruising as it gave much better views of the entire canal. Plus we found it easier to see where we were going when entering locks or needing to manoeuvre. The top deck is reached via some steps and there is a smaller deck at the back of the boat with seating. This was perfect for the boys to fish off of which they did at every opportunity. There was also seating on the top deck so we could all sit together and watch the sun go down. Or star gaze!
Sample Price
A seven-night self-catered cruise in Brittany on board a Caprice, during the 2023 boating season, starting and finishing at Le Boat’s base at Messac, is priced from £1,639 per boat/ £273pp based on six people sharing. Transport to and from the base is not included.
Tips for Boating in Brittany France
During our boating experience, we travelled down beautiful rivers and visited the magnificent village of La Gacilly. Walked around the fairytale Chateau at Josselin, enjoyed some fine French wines while the sun set and caught some wonderful fish. Le Boat France destination of Brittany worked perfectly for us. Here are our top tips when taking French canal boat holidays.
The Waterways Guide
If you would like to know the route we took and what we saw during our trip with Le Boat then you can read all about it here – A week on the River Vilaine and the Canal de Nantes a Brest. One of the things that Le Boat gave us at our check-in was a Waterways Guide. This contains maps of all of the rivers and canals which you can navigate in the Brittany area. These guides are produced for the waterways all over France and in my opinion essential for your journey.
It covers where you can moor (see below), the route you should take when passing under bridges, points of interest, kilometre markers and where your locks are. As we all as several other things. I found it easy to use and navigate and it allows you to take your journey at your own pace. We did find that many more of the stops had access to bistros, creperies and restaurants than we expected according to the waterways guide.
Canal and river equite
Night-time cruising is forbidden. The latest we were on the river was until 8 p.m. on our first evening. If you are travelling down locks then they shut at 6.30 pm in the Summer and you need to present to them 15 minutes in advance. You are also constrained by when they open at 9.15 am so this will also limit when you set off in the morning. The earliest we started was 8 a.m. when we needed to get back to our starting harbour.
The recommended speed is between 15-25 revs. It is good equite to slow down as you approach fishermen or other boats.
There will be areas which you should not travel in. These are markets out by red and green buoys. They normally indicate that there is something under the waterline you can not see or if there are large areas of weed that are best avoided.
Where can you moor?
During our visit, we cruised by the River Vilaine and the Canal de Nantes a Brest. In Brittany, it is not possible to just moor up on the side of the river. It is forbidden. So you need to map out where you can stop. These are clearly identified in the waterways guide.
While on the canal you are allowed to moor up on the banks. However, we favoured using the pontoons and mooring points but it does mean that you are not under any time pressure to reach a specific point.
We found that the popular spots filled up quickly so ideally you do not want to be trying to find somewhere to moor late in the afternoon.
Mooring in a port or harbour
During our trip with Le Boat, we only moored in a port once in Redon town centre. In this instance, we had to call ahead to book a berth. This is common practice for larger ports which have a lot of traffic and tend to be popular stop. We did this around an hour before our arrival and the harbour master could speak English and was very helpful. It is worth noting that the harbour office will close for lunch between 12.30 pm and 2 pm
Expect to pay to access the facilities in a port. Our overnight stop in Redon was €29 based on the length of our boat. We were a category 3 boat, a category 4 boat cost €42. This gives you access to water and electricity as well as the shower block and bins. Both of which were accessed via a code. It also includes tourist tax which needs to be paid by the adults in your party.
We did moor in several other places where we accessed water and electricity for free. Redon was the only place we paid.
Going through the locks
One of the attractions for the boys was going through the locks. We went through 18 locks one way and another 18 on the way back. I was surprised to find that the river had two locks as I thought they were more likely in a canal. Our Le Boat technician came with us to the first lock which was reassuring and showed us what to do.
To be honest locks in Brittany are a doddle. Each lock has a lock keeper with many of them living onsite in pretty grey stone cottages and beautiful flowers. We even made friends with a little goat at one of them! As you enter they will take the boat ropes from you and loop it around a post. All you need to do is hold the boat as close to the side of the wall as possible. We found that this was the case regardless of whether we were going up or down.
Where possible they will operate with two boats in them. But only if there is a boat close by. Although this does make it a little more tricky for the driver it is done to save power and water. Especially the manual locks. We found that the lock keepers would ask if you intended to go to the next lock. They would then talk to the next lockkeeper and let them know. Also if you were approaching near lunchtime they would ring to see if the lock keeper would take you. We found after midday the chances of getting into another lock were pretty slim.
Maintaining the boat and electricity
As we only had a week’s stay we did not need to put in diesel or empty the dirty water tank on our boat. However, we did need to maintain the freshwater. Our Le Boat base recommended that we fill up with water every two days. It’s a really simple process and most of the stops around the towns and villages will have water available. We only had to pay in Redon. The other places we stopped the water was free.
This water is for cleaning and showering. It should not be used as drinking water.
We also hooked up to electricity when we could as we did not have a generator on our boat. While the boat is running it will be charging the batteries to run the boat and also the batteries used for the lights and power sockets. I brought some fast 12V chargers and we had most things charging while we were cruising. In the evenings we could hook up and turn on the 220V sockets.
Our boat seemed to struggle with weed, but we found that if we put it into reverse this would get rid of the weed. It is also worth asking at your base where the narrow parts of the river are. We went to La Gacilly on our last day and I am pleased we left it until then as it was very narrow in places. By then we knew the dimensions of the boat.
Keeping the kids entertained during your canal boat hire in France
One of the biggest challenges is keeping the kids entertained. It is not recommended to swim in the river and canal. However, we did bring fishing rods for the boys which turned out to be great entertainment in the mornings and evenings. They even fished when we moored up for lunch. I wish we had also packed binoculars as there was a lot of amazing wildlife to look at.
Other than that we packed books, games, colouring and some small craft kits for Harry. Of course, electronic devices also came. Our boat had a lock box on board which was useful for storing them. Although there is no wifi on the boat we found that the phone signal was good in most areas allowing hot spots and tethering. We did try purchasing wifi but it did not work.
Sightseeing
Of course, a holiday like this is all about taking in the spectacular scenery of the French waterways from the comfort of your own vehicle. But if you are planning on sightseeing then it is worth getting up and going early. We found we would wake up with the sunrise anyway. By getting in early we would have the places and historic buildings to ourselves before they get too hectic. Plus it would also mean that we would most likely get to our next destination mid-afternoon. Meaning we had much more chance of getting a mooring.
At the base, we were told to aim to reach the moorings between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. for a greater chance of being able to moor. We did not have any problems and managed to get docked at the places we wanted to visit.
Finding the essentials during your Le Boat France trip
We did a supermarket shop before leaving our base in Messac. There is a Super U 1.5km from the base. We focused on the heavy items and bottled water since we had the car to transport them. During our trip, we also visited supermarkets in a couple of the towns we stopped at to top up. It is worth checking when the local market days are on your route to see if any of these coincide with your travel plan. They are a great place to buy fresh fruit and veg.
The other tip is to check to see if there is a bakery close by. All French villages, towns and cities will have a boulangerie which is the perfect way to start the day. Even some of the smaller moorings had one close by. They normally open early around 7 am and sell the most delicious cakes as well as fresh bread.
Book restaurants in advance
The waterways guide will tell you if there is a local restaurant nearby a mooring. We stopped at a couple of different towns as well. However, we found that many of the restaurants were shut. This is quite usual on a Monday and Tuesday in France. Also being at the end of the season did not help. They also tend to stop serving food from around 3 p.m. and do not start again until 7 p.m. Then they would get very busy and we would not be able to get a table. Thankfully our boat had a small kitchen with great cooking facilities allowing us to make delicious food. However, it is definitely worth making reservations if there is a particular place you want to visit. The Le Boat France guides give restaurant recommendations so you can make them in advance.
River or canal
Collecting our boat from the Le Boat base in Messac meant that we travelled on both the River Vilaine and the Canal de Nantes a Brest. Giving us a unique perspective on each. They both have their merits.
The Vilaine river was very wide in places and I think much quieter. On some days we hardly saw another boat. The horizon stretches for miles and we found that in general, the fishing was much more successful on the river than on the canal. However, the fact that you could not moor on the river stressed us out. But it was very picturesque.
There are sections of the canal which are much narrower and straight than you would expect. I was surprised to find that there are only a couple of areas like this, although we found them to be heavily clogged with weed. The rest of the canal was much more like being on a river unlike what we have experienced in the UK. A lot wider in places and without the definite edge. Although it would have existed at some point. There are many more locks on the canal as you would expect with beautiful flowery lock houses.
Mosquitos
My husband struggles with Mosquito bites so I packed plenty of spray. The water is not particularly fast moving and we docked in several harbours so I was pleasantly surprised we hardly saw any. The only insect bite he got during our Le Boat France trip was from a fly.
What to wear during your canal boat hire in France
We visited right at the end of August running into the beginning of September. The weather was mostly fine and sunny. We controlled the boat mainly from the top deck which meant we enjoyed the gentle breeze even when there wasn’t any. So it’s worth putting on sunscreen as it is easy to neglect this and get burnt as well as wearing a hat. Layers are a must too, since it can get cold in the breeze depending on how fast you are going.
Gloves are a good idea for holding the ropes while going through the locks, especially if you are doing a lot in one day like we did (10). Gardening gloves or the sort you get when you do go-karting or climbing ropes work well.
Sensible shoes are a must as you move around the boat a lot while sailing. I live in flip-flops this time of year but they are not recommended. If it rains then the boat can become very slippery and you may need to move around it while in the locks. Not only that but we found it condenses overnight and so is wet first thing in the morning, before the sun dries it off.
Le Boat provided life jackets for the children.
What sort of boat to choose for your Le Boat France trip?
As mentioned we opted for a Caprice from Le Boat. It ticked a lot of boxes for us for our first time on the canals of Europe. If we were to select a boat again then we would look for one of the boats with forward thrusters. From observing the other boats these make it a lot easier to to move away from the moorings. Likewise, it would make the boat easier to manoeuvre and reverse into docks.
If travelling in the Summer months then I would also consider air conditioning. All the time you are travelling it is lovely and cool but once stationary we found the boat would heat up considerably. Thankfully because of the lack of mosquitoes, we could sleep with the windows open.
I would also consider a boat with a BBQ or hire one separately. We ate in the boat more than we ate out due to where we moored. Also the lack of availability of restaurants when we wanted to eat, it would have been nice to be able to have a BBQ.
Conclusions of our Le Boat France trip
We had such a great experience during our Le Boat sailing. The boys will always remember the time we stayed on a boat in Brittany with Le Boat. They are already asking when can we return. They loved it all the locks, the fishing, being on the water and navigating. It is a brilliant family holiday and I think at 11 and 7 the boys were just the right age. The question is do we go back to Brittany or do we try another part of France?
Have you been on a Le Boat Holiday or have you tried a canal boat hire in France? I would love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.
WATCH – our Instagram highlight reel from our trip
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