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Hotel
Barge St Louis
Cruise South West France
Seven Days / Six Nights
Alasdair & Barbara Wyllie would like
to welcome you aboard the Saint Louis for
a cruise through the beautiful heartland
of south west France. There is so much to
do, and see, and they pride themselves on
being able to take the extra effort to personalise
the cruise holiday around the real wishes
of their individual clients.
 The
history and the architecture of this area
is breathtaking, with a wealth of Roman
and Medieval buildings. They can guide you
to these places, or help you enjoy a wide
range of activities on-board and on-shore.
They can take you to wine tastings at some
of the best vineyards in France, or you
can simply sit back and relax on the terrace
deck watching the world slip slowly by.
The 6 passenger Saint Louis is of classic
Dutch design. She carries up to six passengers
in real comfort and all up-to-date conveniences
are fitted. The three cabins are spacious
(127 square foot each) and can either be
twin beds, or queen-sized doubles. The large
sun deck has loungers for lazing away those
sunny afternoons. The Saint Louis has been
superbly converted to provide the perfect
base for your holiday in south west France.
Sample Guest Book
entries
"Alasdair + Barbara, you have done
a fantastic job! You have thoroughly
spoiled us! Fantastic meals, beautiful and
interesting scenery... we will miss you
all, and thank you for all you did. It was
great!"
"What an utterly fabulous experience!
What wonderous sights we saw, and what yummy
food and wine we consumed, and, especially,
what peace and tranquility we found. Would
love to repeat the experience."
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Cruise Highlights |
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Champagne reception
welcome |
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Excursion around
Montauban, City of Art and Culture |
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Experience the
extraordinary Montech Water Slope |
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Visit a famous
goat cheese farm at Gensac |
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A visit to the
Abbey and 11th century Cloisters
at Moissac, reputed to be the
finest cloisters in Europe. |
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Explore the mediaeval
towns of Lauzerte and Nerac |
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| Culinary
Notes |
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Ingredients sourced fresh
from local suppliers on a
daily basis.
Sample Menus
Brick de foie gras, julienne
de legumes sauce cèpes
Roti de porc aux pruneaux
riz pilaf, légumes
de saison
Plateau de fromage
Tartes aux framboises
OR
Salade de chèvre chaud
Eventail de magret de canard
au miel, legumes de saison
Plateau de fromage
Crème dessert rhum
et caramel
Wine and Drinks
The wines on board will be
excellent quality wines selected
largely from local vineyards,
including some wonderful examples
from Gaillac and Fronton,
and of course a selection
of wines from the Bordeaux
region. Local liqueurs will
be well represented in the
bar also, with a range of
Armagnacs and Flocs de Gasgogne.
The bar will also stock a
number of distinctive high
quality malt whiskies from
Scotland.
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Check
availability of this cruise
France
Hotel Barge Programme |
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Check
availability of this cruise
France Hotel
Barge Programme
| Sample
Itinerary
Montauban to Agen (or vice versa) |
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DAY 1
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Saturday
TOULOUSE - MONTAUBAN
Meet around 3 pm, normally in Toulouse.
Travel by car to the Saint Louis. Champagne
reception on board. Options for the
evening include a visit to the local
Artisan Distillerie, or a stroll around
Montech town, or a game of petanque
beside the boat. |
DAY 2
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Sunday
MONTAUBAN - CASTELSARRASIN
After breakfast, we take the car for
a short excursion around Montauban,
City of Art and Culture. We visit the
central Italian square, and the Pont
Vieux over the River Tarn. We return
to the Saint Louis, and pass through
one lock before joining the main Canal
Lateral a la Garonne. We pass down the
extraordinary Montech Water Slope, an
impressive experience for everyone.
We cruise through the canal to Castelsarrasin,
where we moor for the night. |
| DAY 3 |
Monday
CASTELSARRASIN - MOISSAC
After exploring the town in the morning,
we cruise to Moissac, City of Roman
Art, crossing on the way the brick aquaduct
over the River Tarn. In the afternoon,
we visit a famous goat cheese farm at
Gensac, and the lovely historic town
of Auvillar. |
| DAY 4 |
Tuesday
MOISSAC - LAUZERTE
We start the day with a visit
to the Abbey and 11th century Cloisters
at Moissac, reputed to be the finest
cloisters in Europe. After lunch, we
cruise to Pommevic where we moor at
a small halte under a deep canopy of
trees. In Pommevic there is an 11th
century church to visit, or we can take
an excursion up to the lovely mediaeval
town of Lauzerte. We are likely to see
pilgrims walking the Santiago di Compostella,
the ancient pilgrimage route which has
been important since the 6th century. |
| DAY 5 |
Wednesday
LAUZERTE - GOLFECH
After breakfast, we cruise first to
Valence, where we stop for lunch. We
visit the three Romanesque wash houses
in the town, and admire the unusual
pigeon houses and half-timbered buildings.
We then cruise to Golfech, where we
moor at a quiet Halte. |
| DAY 6 |
Thursday
GOLFECH - AGEN
Today we make an early start to cruise
to the city of Agen, (famous for fruit,
especially melons and prunes) taking
breakfast under way. On arrival, we
take an excursion by car to the amazing
mediaeval city of Nerac, where we see
the Chateau of King Henry 4th, and the
Gothic Pont Vieux. Alternatively, we
can take a picnic and head in the car
deep into the wine region of Bordeaux,
where the finest wines of the world
are produced - we visit, and taste at,
some wonderful vineyards.
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| DAY 7 |
Friday
AGEN - TOULOUSE
After a leisurely breakfast, we leave
the Saint Louis and travel by car back
to Toulouse. |
| NOTE: |
Please note - This itinerary is
indicative only. We will always tailor
a cruise to the interests and wishes
of the guests on board. There will always
be the opportunity to walk or cycle
along the towpath, to stroll round local
villages, to fish, to play petanque,
or just to lie back and do nothing!
Equally, we can always arrange wine
tastings at selected local vinyards,
or excursions to other places of interest.
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| Meeting
Point |
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in Toulouse, Exact
location to be confirmed on
booking |
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| Boat
Features |
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6 passengers |
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3/4 crew |
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3 Twin/Double
suites - 127 Sq feet |
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Air-conditioned |
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Centrally heated |
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Reference books/ CD Player |
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Sun-Deck |
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Air-conditioned minibus |
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