The River Lot canal system
The Lot is one of the longest canalised rivers in France. Navigation extended over a distance of no less than 260km from the Garonne at Nicole (near Aiguillon) to the village of Livinhac, a few kilometres from the industrial centre of Decazeville. Opencast mines here produced coal for steel works and other heavy industry throughout south-west France. The intense traffic thus generated was the reason for improving the navigation originally developed by the early 19th century, and a series of new locks and weirs were built from 1830 onwards. At the same time the lock-cuts built to bypass the river’s extravagant meanders at Luzech, Cajarc, Montbrun and Capdenac reduced the length of the waterway by 13km. Like all the other river navigations in south-west France, the Lot was abandoned following the decline in commercial traffic due to railway competition. The river was removed from the list of navigable waterways in 1926. Its revival as a cruising waterway has been one of the most spectacular developments on French waterways, starting in 1985. A first 64 km length of the river was restored in 1990, from Luzech to Crégols. This section, centred on the town of Cahors, was a great success as a cruising holiday destination, despite some difficulties due to the river’s capricious flow regime, and also attracted many land-based visitors to the otherwise neglected river. The three départements through which the waterway runs accordingly agreed to seek funding for complete restoration, and the remarkably ambitious overall project was approved by the French Government in 1993, with an overall budget then estimated at €120m, although that included road improvements and other works.
Size: 6720px × 4480px
Location: Lac d'Isabeau, 46330 Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, France
Photo credit: © Roger Hollingsworth / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: cahors, canal, cliff, cruising, france, gate, lock, lot, navigation, path, restoration, river, saint-cirq-lapopie, south, tow, valley, waterway, west
