Guide n° 10 - Pays de la Loire

The Sarthe, the Mayenne, the Oudon, the Maine and the Loire between Nantes and Bouchemaine.

The link between the rivers of Anjou and the Brittany canals is assured by the Loire river, officially navigable for a distance of 80 km between Nantes and Bouchemaine. The current is fast and a powerful motor is required to enable you to get through several difficult sections but the channel is well buoyed and even a boat with a substantial draft can make the journey.

The Sarthe and the Mayenne are the most important tributaries on the right bank of the Loire. No longer used for commercial traffic, these rivers, with the Oudon, are now open to leisure craft. Navigation conditions are easy as the locks are small and, for the most part, operated by lock-keepers.

The guide will give you information on lock operation, the annual closures (which affect each river one year in three) and bridge heights which are restricting upstream from Laval.