Castets en Dorthe
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We arrive here early July 2013 and enjoy the rest of the season getting to know some more French friends - Yolland and Michel Lauragais and Jacki and Nanette - to name but 4. My linguistic skills improve greatly as there are very few English in the port. Mike and Rosalind on Aquarelle give us some relief. We stay the winter here which is not easy because of the mud on the approach track up to the boat where we park the van. Gum boots are an unwelcomed but essential requirement.
It rains non- stop for months it seems and we are glad to be off at the end of March. Electricity is very tempramental.
The service provided by Bruno, our Capitaine at Castets en Dorthe, is excellent and very caring of his boaters although I question the fairness of charging boaters according to their length. All boats are moored "end to" and do not vary very much in terms of their width - so why charge according to length?
Meilhan
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Capitaine Mike and Cathy Rickets were our hosts for four happy years when we made many friends like George and Sandy Smith, Derick, and many others - Much music and social occasions including my 70th birthday. Sadly had to leave when the VNF decided to apply their silly rules which insisted on the port being an "Halte Nautique" rather than a port.
All services including wifi at reasonable charge.
Pont des Sables
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This is a proper port with all facilities and a crane and chandelry. There is also a garage and excellent shop selling pink diesel for our central heating. Very easy access to Marmande by car. We have never moored up here for more than a night or two in the early days.
All services available wifi unknown
Fourques sur Garonne
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Not a proper port but one can easily tie up here for as long as you want. Very attractive setting with a small gangette bar run by the owners of the village shop. Fourques is a very busy little village including a school, a cash point and post office - we get wifi connection through the Mairie.
This is the stop where we pick up a stray cat (Totty) who tries her hardest to adopt us - even has her litter of 5 - all still-born in the bows of Body and Soul. She still comes on board, every time we visit.
There are no facilities for boats but good bollards to tie up to.. No electricity and no water available but we got wifi from the mairie which overlooks the canal..
Caumont sur Garonne
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This is where we spent one winter moored by our friends Caro and Charles on "Connie" when the Meilhan pound was emptied for repairs. Now we visit fairly regularly and tie up in the Halte section where there is water and electricity by a jetton system costing two euros per jetton for 4 hours electricity or 15 minutes of water. The village shop is now closed for good but there is a post office and a vegetable stall each Friday during the summer months.
Services by jetton (2E) but no wifi
Le Mas D'Agenais
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This small town is very attractive both as a port and as an interesting town in its own right. Good basic facilities by jetton obtained from a machine in the toilet hut. One can feed the borne enough jettons to allow for batteries to reach full capacity. There is a good small restaurant in the square, a weekly market and an ancient market place, two boulangeries, two general stores, a bank and a vetinary practice. There is an original Rembrandt painting in the church.
Services available by jetton but no wifi so far.
Lagruere
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Another very attractive spot to moor up to. The new restaurateur is doing very well and I play the piano in front of his cutomers in exchange for the mooring, electricity and water . Alain and his wife Christianne have been very welcoming to us and we have responded by bringing lots of people in to eat at the restaurant. With the exception of a few days per week, they shut down in September and close completely in October and until spring next year. We take most of the staff on a trip down stream and back and give them lunch on board as a "thankyou" before we depart for Montauban.
Lucie has arranged for the Evalys bus service to pick her up and take her shopping in to Tonniens. It is definitely our favourite spot.
We have electricity, water and wifi here and are likely to make full use of this over the coming season 2014.