Canal Latéral à la Loire (Old Line)
The maximum dimensions for a boat to be able to travel on the waterway are 38.50 metres long and 5.05 metres wide. The maximum headroom is 3.50 metres. The maximum draught is 1 metre.
Closed in 1896 when improvements were made to the aqueduct at Briare, it was reopened to navigation in 1998, with historically correct timber gates installed at Écluses 39 and 40. Écluse 42 des Combles is closed so navigation is possible only up to this point. There is a contact telephone number allowing arrangements to be made signposted at the junction. Note the smaller draught for this section.
The navigational authority for this waterway is Voies navigables de France| Ecluse 44 Beauregard | |||
| Ecluse 43 Rabuteloires | 1.23 kilometres | 1 lock | |
| Ecluse 42 des Combles | 1.84 kilometres | 2 locks | |
| Ecluse 41 Les Mantelots The next lock, Ecluse 42 des Combles, is closed |
3.59 kilometres | 3 locks | |
| Ecluse 40 la Folie | 7.24 kilometres | 4 locks | |
| Ecluse 39 l'Etang | 11.39 kilometres | 5 locks | |
| Main Line - Old Line Junction (Canal Lateral a la Loire) Junction of the Main Line with the Old Line |
11.48 kilometres | 6 locks |
- VisuRiS — associated with Waterways of Mainland Europe
- The official inland waterway resource for Belgium with actual traffic and planned operations on the waterways. Also has voyage planning and notices to mariners
Wikipedia has a page about Canal Latéral à la Loire
The Canal Latéral à la Loire was constructed between 1827 and 1838 to connect the Canal de Briare at Briare and the Canal du Centre at Digoin, a distance of 196 kilometres (122 mi). It replaced the use of the river Loire, which was unreliable during winter floods and summer droughts. Aqueducts were used to cross the Allier at Le Guétin (in the commune of Cuffy) and the Loire at Digoin. However, because of the extreme length required, an aqueduct was not built to cross the Loire at Briare until 1896, when the Briare aqueduct was constructed.