L’Yonne, an inland voyage in France.

Sunset over the river Yonne, an inland voyage in France.

The river Yonne rises in the Morvan, a French national Park, and ends with its confluence with the Petite-Seine south east of Paris, the combined rivers then become La Seine. This is the cruising ground of the Randle, the picturesque departments of the Yonne and Niévre in the central French region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.

The Verdant Upper Yonne, a haven for birds and wildlife.

Over many years of trade the navigation was improved by the construction of a system of Locks, weirs and canals running parallel to the river and weaving in and out of it. This is a man-made system but one that is totally in harmony with its natural environment, in its heyday it enabled just two horses to move a fully laden barge of 200 tonnes. The locks themselves require no external energy to move a barge up over a hill, or back down again, this is the genius of a canal system.

The Randle readies to leave the river Yonne and  enter the “écluse du Parc” to be lifted 2m onto the Canal du Nivernias

All the structures relating to the canal are built from local materials found along the canal route, the natural limestone for which the region is famous, and indeed the locally quarried stone was transported to Paris over 900 years ago for the construction of the Notre-Dame cathedral, and more Locally Vézelay Abbey. Hence the structures sit in harmony within the landscape from which the materials were sourced.

Vezelay Abbey construsted from local stone, also used for the construction of Notre Dame Paris and the Canal du Nivernais.

During the construction of the canal every time a road was crossed, a bridge needed to be built, like the bridge below, built in 1870 to carry the 2000 year old Roman road, the Via Agrippa, over the canal.

Pont des Romains, Roman Bridge, built in 1870 to take the Via Agrippa over the canal

The canal now remains open only as a leisure route, the last grain barge left the canal in the 1980s. It is also a haven for the natural environment, recently a passenger and amateur ornithologist identified 53 different species of bird song using his Merlin phone app during a week’s cruise aboard the Randle. The dawn chorus is aways a pleasure to wake up too.

The Crested Grebe, 53 different spieces of birdsong were identified during a recent trip.

Enjoy a leisurely cruise along this most picturesque route aboard the Randle, with everything taken care of and personal service second to none you are bound to have memories to share for many years to come.

To find out more about an inland voyage in France aboard the Randle please see our website www.edgecharter.com

Tim Harrold is owner and captain of the Randle, a beautiful and classically styled river boat fitted with two en-suite cabins and all the modern facilities to travel in comfort. Tim offers private barge tours on the picturesque Burgundy Canal du Nivernais and river Yonne. A luxury cruise with Tim and his crew includes gourmet cuisine, fine wine, and guided tours by private car to vineyards and chateaux. Learn more about Edge Charter and barge trips on the Randle along Burgundy's canals and rivers here. Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.