The Riquet family

The Riquet family retained their property rights until the French Revolution (1789), after which the Canal du Midi became the property of the French Republic. Since 1992, the Voies navigables de France (VNF), has been responsible for the Canal du Midi. Under Napoleon, a canal company was established in which the sovereign had a 90 per cent share. In 1858, the waterway was leased to a rail company, but in 1898 it was returned to the French government. In the 1970s, an attempt was made to widen the Canal du Midi to make it possible for larger boats to navigate. However, due to the construction of the motorway that runs parallel, this plan was soon abandoned because freight can be transported far quicker by road. The main focus then became the use of the waterway by tourists. Since 1992, the Voies navigables de France (VNF), the canal authority, has been responsible for the Canal du Midi. Canal du Midi: The Ultimate Guide takes you along the length of the Canal du Midi, revealing the best places to hop off and visit. Historic sites, wonderful patisseries and boulangeries, museums, castles, vineyards, restaurants and more are covered from Sète to Toulouse. There are top tips on how to navigate, use the locks and everything else to help you have your best boat holiday. Be warned, reading this book gives you serious wanderlust… Read our review Canal du Midi: The Ultimate Guide by Andrea Hoffmann and Hans Zaglitsch is published by Adlard Coles, Bloomsbury Publishing and is out now (Paperback: £14.99)