Talking of natural phenomena, one expects that the maximum height of water-level in a canal would be limited by the height of the nearest lock gate, over which the excess water flows whatever 'pound' one might be in. But this year the rainfall and volume of water became so great that the level in our 'pound' rose above the quay side so that, at its peak, I feared that Body & Soul would float off on to the 'hard' where we would find ourselves stranded when the waters eventually subsided. Thankfully, this was not to be, but we did have a couple of sleepless nights.
In our 16th year of retirement on Body & Soul, I am often reminded of the wonders of past engineering feats which allow us the privilege to float in these calm waters, tamed by man-made trenches, bridges, locks, pounds, lakes, feeders and sluices-gates, much of it banked high up from the normal river levels below.
We remember our four years in Meilhan, (in Aquitaine) where we were moored on a canalized section of the river Garonne, we were able to look down upon a section of the great river Garonne rushing past, (now completely bereft of Sturgeon and its caviar, by the way!) low down and to starboard of us - a sight to behold.
Less dramatically, we are now moored at the Port Evran, (Brittany)- roughly three quarters of the way from Rennes to St. Malo on the canalized section of the Ille et Rance rivers - this is a considerably smaller waterway allowing most of its flow through the system of locks and strategically placed sluice gates which spread flood waters over wasteland and unfortunately some farmland, when in flood.
The Canal D'Ille et Rance, naturally flows Northwards to the English Channel becoming the Rance Maritime (ie an estuary subject to tidal flows), having reversed its flow from the heights of the Hede-Bazouge feeder lakes and the famous 'Onze Ecluses' (Eleven locks) from where it now flows south to Rennes meeting the river Vilaine and continuing towards Redon where it 'crosses' the Nantes-a-Brest canal and onward to the Atlantic at Arzal.
We are surely living a dream created for us by the heroic efforts of generations of engineers and workmen who must have had no idea as to how long a period of time their remarkable achievements were to remain economically viable as a service to industry and to transport in general. Our canal is now around 200 years old and today serves a completely different role to that which it was originally intended - now it is all about leisure, tourism and the management of water for agriculture.
Was 'nature' ever considered in those days? Probably not - and how do canals continue to affect the environment? The birds, trees, flora, fish, water quality and all other living things, how did they suffer as vast trenches were being dug throughout the land?.... that is a good question. Easy to answer but impossible to measure.
The Damage to the environment from canal construction must pale into insignificance when measured against the harm caused from the arrival of the motor car; the building of roads and rail networks, which harbored their inevitable decline.
The days of wine and roses..click to play.
We feel gratitude for the awe inspiring work and sacrifices made in building these canals but also feel part of the effort, through our own tiny contributions and presence, to keep them thriving for the sake of generations to come. One fears for their future viability, given the current rate of return from 'water craft tourism' which could not possibly cover the costs of their annual maintenance.
Canals are like historic buildings, churches and castles, but more important; they are more worthy of preservation and deserving of state funds. It was the French who lead the way to the canal era which spread throughout Europe and the rest of the world, heralding the industrial revolution which changed everything. Neglecting this enormous asset would be unthinkable.
History – A canal across Brittany from the Rance estuary to the Vilaine at Rennes was suggested in the 17th century, but the first serious plans were drawn up in 1736. They were incorporated in a project for three canals in the Province, but nothing was done until Napoleon ordered implementation of all three schemes in 1804. Works started, but were interrupted after his defeat. A private company took up the concession to build the canal and started work in 1822. The canal was opened in 1834.
The impacts of the Rance Barrage on the environment
The above link gives an insight into the 55 year history of the world's first tidal power station and leads to all that is entailed in its continued importance and its affect on the environment.
and it certainly wasn't all plain sailing, y'know !
Our visit to the beautiful Plage de la Passagere a real graveyard where all the old wrecks end up, I thought we should leave as soon as possible !!