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An autumn Sunday afternoon in the depths of the Yonne departement (89 Burgundy) following the route of the Canal du Nivernais south from Auxerre towards Clamecy (58 Nievre) – a quiet, peaceful landscape where life follows a gentle pace. But, what is this? Not one, but two trains within an hour – modern, sleek and quiet – serving the chain of small villages along the valley, providng a service which can take you right to the heart of Paris. And the station which initially looks deserted, is manned with an open ticket office and a helpful man who provides me with a timetable for the route.

Rural France suffers many of the same problems of rural depopulation and poverty as the UK, but the maintenance of a good, reliable and affordable local train service makes a huge difference to the viability of the local community, and provides some of the “glue” that ensures its survival. And this is not a second-rate service, with delapidated rolling stock and surly staff.

French railways (state owned SNCF) has three levels – TGV which provides the impressive network of high speed trains between major cities, SNCF which provides the main inter-city and inter-departmental routes, and then the TER, the local network of lines.

And that elusive “joined-up thinking” seems to have been employed too, as the Region Bourgogne and the Departement of the Yonne, have also invested in the development of a tarmac cycle track alongside the Canal du Nivernais from Auxerre to Clamecy (almost complete), which being flat is a joy to ride. And you can put your bike on the TER train service which generally follows the canal.

From the hillsides of the Auxerre to the Vales of the Yonne, Clamecy-Auxerre is a wonderful route of some 62 kilometres along the Valley of the Yonne. Because it runs for the most part along the tow path of the Nivernais Canal, there are not too many hills to climb, making it ideal for a quiet family bike ride.
The Nivernais Canal, built at the end of the 18th and the start of the 19th century, runs from Auxerre to Decize, linking the Seine basin to the Loire basin. Like all the smaller canals, it has been deserted by commercial barges, which have given way to pleasure cruisers from around the world who are attracted to its route through the beautiful countryside, the quality of its engineering work and the charm of the towns and villages it runs through.

For more info on trains see TER BOURGOGNE (in French)

For more info on the Yonne and the Canal du Nivernais see YONNE TOURISME

If you are looking for a house to stay in the region we can recommend the English-owned The French House at Vincelottes

The Telegraph (19 Aug 08) includes a boat trip up the Rhone Valley as one of its top 10 river cruises:

Navigating France’s mightiest river is a favourite for wine aficionados and foodies. A cruise through Burgundy and Provence gives you the chance to visit vineyards (think Côtes du Rhône and Châteauneuf-du-Pape), explore Lyon – the gourmet capital of France – and enjoy historic towns such as the fortified city of Avignon and the Roman ruins in Arles. The countryside is equally superb: its fields of lavender and sunflowers were an inspiration for artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, and as the river drains into the Mediterranean you’ll see the famous white horses of the Camargue.

The route includes many worthwhile stops for visits to suit all tastes, but it is also remarkably rich in potential wine visits as you’ll pass through appellations such as Costieres de Nimes, Cotes du Rhone (north and south), Lirac, Tavel, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, St Joseph and Hermitage - and if you branch onto the River Saone north of Lyon you can explore Beuajolais and southern Burgundy!

It should come as little surprise that rivers and canals tend to offer good access to good vineyards - vines often grow best on the steep valley sides with their good drainage and aspect to the sun.

A more modest trip than the Rhone, could be a canal trip from Auxerre (89 Yonne, Burgundy) close to Chablis and down the Canal de Bourgogne to Dijon and the Burgundy vineyards; or a trip down the Canal Lateral de la Loire for Sancerre AC, Pouilly-Fumé and Coteaux Giennois. By using the Canal du Nivernais and the Canal de Briare you could even manage a circular route via Auxerre.

Of course, Rick Stein’s French Odyssey was based on a canal trip along the Canal du Midi and the Canal Lateral de la Garonne and included the vineyards of Bordeaux, Cotes du Marmandais, Buzet, Fronton, Minervois, Corbieres and the Coteaux du Languedoc.

For another set of options try Hilary Wright’s book Water into Wine: A Wine Lover’s Journey Through The Waterways of France which also includes itineraries in the lower Loire. Cognac, Alsace, Lorraiine and the Lot.

For more info on the canals of France see the website for VNF (Voies Navigable de la France) now much improved and in English!

Caen (14, Calvados, Normandy) is a major French port and a cross-channel ferry port - but, of course, the Ferry docks at Ouistreham which is on the coast, whilst the city of Caen is 10 miles inland - but is nevertheless a major port in its own right, by virtue of the Caen canal which links the city to the sea. Large ocean-going ships use the canal, which also has another claim to fame, i.e. Pegasus Bridge at Benouville - a bascule bridge which enables ships to pass, but is also the site of the first encounter between the Allies and the Germans on D-Day in 1944, and the beginning of the Normandy landings.

So, just to clarify - the Brittany Ferry route from Portsmouth to Caen actually terminates at Ouitreham, whilst Caen, which is 10 miles inland is a major shipping port. (see map)

So to celebrate its maritime heritage, the city of Caen holds its Fete du Port (Harbour Festival) on 13-14 September 2008 with visits onboard boats and ships, a maritime parade, boat trips, stands selling marine and other items, music and dancing, a collection of historic boats and a canoe-kayak water polo competition!

For more info see www.ville-caen.fr

The port cities of Bordeaux and Bristol both played a distinguished role in the history of the wine trade, such that even in the 13th century more than 85 per cent of all imported wine came from South West France and as much as 3,000 tons (750,000 gallons) was being landed in Bristol.
The trade with Bordeaux fluctuated, dependent on our relationship with France (war, peace, occupation) but key names in the UK wine trade were established in Bristol, such as Harveys and Averys. Both Bristol and Bordeaux have the advantaghe that navigable rivers reach right into the heart of the city. In Bordeaux the “Quai des Chartrons” on the Garonne river front. In 2007 the cities of Bristol and Bordeaux celebrated the 60th Anniversary of their twinning.

Sadly little there remains little of that trade physically - no cargo ships leave the Chartrons quayside, and in Bristol only Averys of the long-established merchants remains in the city centre.
However, all that could change with a shipping company (CTMV - Compagnie de Transport Maritime a Voile) starting to use sailing ships to transport wine from Bordeaux, initially to Ireland, but later to Bristol. Initial consignments are of Languedoc wines, which are initially transported by barge on the Canal du Midi to Bordeaux and then loaded onto the sailing ship Belem for the 4-5 day crossing to Ireland. This trip with a load of 60,000 bottles will save over 18,000 lbs of carbon emissions - so a veritable eco-friendly wine.

UPDATE

The Telegraph (25 July 2008) has a report on the same company bringing a “Green Energy” wine to Ireland:-

The first commercial cargo of wine shipped from France by sail since the late 1800s arrived in Ireland on Friday aboard a British schooner, with almost zero petrol costs and carbon emissions.
Some 30,000 bottles of “green energy” wine, arrived in Dublin aboard the 108-year old Kathleen and May - the last wooden hull three-masted topsail schooner in existence - after leaving Brest a week ago with a stop at Penzance.

Each bottle carried has saved 4.9 oz of carbon dioxide emissions compared with a regular shipment. The wines come with the label: “Carried by sailing ship, a better deal for the planet.”

Furthermore the return trip is planned to be with an equivalent cargo of crushed glass for re-making into wine bottles back in France - sounds clever to me!

Depending on your point of view, Paris is not at its best in July, and especially August. Parisiens exit the city in their millions, especially on the first weekends of July and August - heading for their “vacances”, often in other parts of France. Hence many things in the city are closed, and the proportion of tourists to locals can be overwhelming. It still seems strange to a Brit that the holiday “season” seems to stop abruptly at the end of August - timetables change, campsites close, attractions move into a “off-season” mode.

However, there are good things happening in Paris in mid-summer, as the website www.ete.paris.fr shows. There are the inevitable celebrations for the French National Day (Bastille Day) on 14 July - fireworks at the Trocadero and the Champ de Mars (by the Eiffel Tower).

Then there is the annual Paris Plages (beaches on the River Seine) voie Georges-Pompidou in the 4th arondissement, at the Bassin de la Villette near Stalingrad in the 19th et quai de la Gare, near the Bibliotheque Nationale in the 13th. Open from 21 July to 21 August they aim to create a seaside atmosphere with real sand and fun in the heart of the city.

There is also BMX racing and plenty of activities around the Canal d’Ourcq with boat rides along the canal for just €1 per person; pedalos, canoes, kayaks. Guided tours are also available following the route of the Canal which winds its way through the Paris suburbs, offering a different view of the city.

Free concerts in the Parisien parks, an ephemeral garden in the front of the Hotel de Ville, cinema, literature…….. not forgetting the final stage of the Tour de France finishing on the Champs Elysees on Sunday 27 July 2008

For more info see www.ete.paris.fr

Brittany always seems a bit different to the rest of France, with its strong links to Celtic Cornwall, Wales, Ireland and Scotland - something to do with being on the fringes of a bigger land mass with a strong maritime tradition may have something to do with it.

Your knowledge of French pronunciation will be of little use in trying to articulate some of the place names (e.g. LE RELECQ-KERHUON on this year’s Tour de France route from Brest) - its can be indecipherable as Welsh appears to non-Welsh speakers.

Fortunately Lorient (56 Morbihan, Brittany) is easier to say, and will be the venue for the 2008 Interceltic Fesitval (Festival Interceltique) which runs from 1-10 August 2008.

This year Wales in the “guest of honour” and music and musicians from the Principality will feature throughout the event.

There will be a wealth of folk and traditional music and dancing from across the Celtic world, including the Chieftains, However, do not assume that this is all about folk music - there is rock, bagpipes, Welsh Male Voice Choirs, theatrical presentations (including one about the history of the Canal from Nantes to Brest) masterclasses - all promising to offer entertainment to suit most tastes.

For more info see www.festival-interceltique.com

Lorient is a significant port in southern Brittany with plenty of decent beaches in the area - see www.lorient-tourisme.com ( (A word of warning - the site offers an English language version but this is generated through Google’s translation tool - which often results in some rather strange phrases - so treat it with caution!)

The Aude département (11 Languedoc-Roussillon) straddles the Autouroute des Deux Mers (A62) as it heads east from Narbonne towards Toulouse and eventually Bordeaux. The autoroute follows the flattish valley bottom which has for years formed a major transit route, most famously and spectacutlarly with the Canal du Midi, followed by the railway and then the A61 motorway. To the north lies Minervois and to the south is Corbières AC - this is my sort of wine - rich and complex, great body from the Grenache grape and with enough tannin and fruit to make it a wine to savour.

My favourite wine of the region has to be the Grande Cuvée de Castelmaure - because it is a really good wine, but also because we drank it with a superb Cassoulet in a very idiosyncratic restaurant in the heart of the old medieval city of Carcassonne - a memorable ocassion.

We imported this wine for the last few years of our Allez Vins! wine importing business, despite it coming from a Co-operative cellar - so often a recipe for mediocre wines, especially in the south of France. Sure, the winery is rustic, but the approach and the wine is extraordinarily good - in part because it is a small community of vignerons, but also because they have an excellent winemaker who has ensured that quality is the first priority. It’s worth a visit up narrow twisting lanes south of Durban and nearly in Fitou country - a ruggedly beautiful landscape.

Unlike New World wineries, fancy marketing has never been the strong point of the Midi winemakers. However, what they do employ is a lot of words extolling the virtues and mysteries of the local soil, the elusive “terroir”, the traditions and the horny handed skill of the sons of the soil. They have a way of waxing lyrical about what they do which is quite unlike British understatement. Hence my surprise to find that the Castelmaure winery has a new, and very lyrical website - it tells you little of significant interest, but it does it with real flair!

As anyone who has ever got his fingers sticky in the fruity blood of the Grenache grape under the blazing sun of Castelmaure knows full well: wine must have the taste of what it is, its terroir. A taste that rings true. A deep, fundamental, earthy truth that all the frills of vinification and oenology will never manage to replace. But don’t see in that a plea for some obscurantism, for some Virgilian naivety, but wine is, and must remain the child of its earth. Likewise, its sincerity, its grandeur too, pass through the callous hand of the grape-picker, hard work and the respect for a job well done. Wine is a child of the soil and the sweat of men. The grape-harvest, which gushes forth each year from the same barrel as all the old human rituals, betrays the ambiguity of the links that unite Man and Nature. Struggle and love. On the one hand, the Ancients who called the vineyards the “galleys” because of the slope, the stones, and the climate… On the other hand, this vine-grower who secretly talks tenderly to his old vine stocks to congratulate them, to thank them … It is true that here, in Castelmaure, things have changed considerably. The men have changed. The impetus came at the beginning of the eighties. Under the leadership of Patrick de Marien, the chairman, and of Bernard Pueyo, the director, the 70 members of the village old co-op began by asking themselves about their vines : which terroirs? Which varieties? This led them to upgrade the majority of their vines by replacing certain poorly-suited Carignans with Syrahs, Grenaches and, more recently, with Mourvèdres.

It is so French, and who can blame them when they make such great wines.

For more on Castelmaure see www.castelmaure.com

For a map and more info on Corbières see www.frenchduck.co.uk

The wines of Castelmaure are available in the UK from www.thewinesociety.com