There are 48 locks on this canal with a complicated numbering system as follows:
- On the Meuse slope at the canal's eastern end are locks 1 to 7 leading up to the summit at le Chesne.
-
On the Aisne slope from le Chesne is a long flight of locks numbered 1
to 27 down to the junction with the Vouziers branch at Semuy.
- The
locks from Vouziers on the branch down to Semuy are numbered 1 to 4 and
continue from 5 to 14 to the western end of the canal at
Vieux-lès-Asfeld.
All the locks are Fréycinet size (38.5m x 5.1m)
taking commercial péniches of which there are still a few seen plying
their trade other than along the branch to Vouziers which is now closed.
The locks are operated by the boater using a télécommande which sets
the locks in motion. Once in the lock the boater pulls on a blue pole
set inside the lock to complete the operation.
Many of the locks still have their original lock cottages even on the le Chesne flight where the locks are quite close together.
The following information is taken from frenchwaterways.com:
The
Canal des Ardennes branches off from the canalised river Meuse
(formerly the ‘northern branch of the Canal de l’Est’) at Pont-à-Bar, a
short distance upstream from Charleville-Mézières. After crossing the
watershed between the rivers Meuse and Aisne it drops down the Aisne
valley to connect with the Canal latéral à l’Aisne at Vieux-lès-Asfeld.
The distance from the Meuse to the Canal latéral à l’Aisne is 88km.
Originally it was 5.5km longer, entering the Aisne further downstream,
but this section was bypassed by the lateral canal in 1841. A 12km long
branch leads from Semuy to the small town of Vouziers, further up the
Aisne valley. Officially the canal is divided into two lengths, with
distances counted separately on the watershed link, from Pont-à-Bar to
Semuy, and on the canal following the Aisne valley, from Vouziers to
Vieux-lès-Asfeld. It is thought more convenient here to carry the
distance through from one end to the other, and to treat the section
from Semuy to Vouziers as a branch.
At Saint-Aignan there is a tunnel, 197m in length, allowing one-way traffic only controlled by traffic lights.
History
– The canal was designed under the Revolution in the period 1793-1801
by the engineer Claude Deschamps, as a strategic connection between the
rivers Aisne and Meuse. The designs were taken up in 1823 by the same
engineer, and the canal opened in 1831. It was enlarged for 38m barges
in 1846. Although it carries little commercial traffic, it remains in
the national priority network. This designation does not apply to the
Vouziers Branch, which is unfortunately threatened with closure. Boaters
are encouraged to use this branch, also to help reduce weed growth
during the summer months. The canal has a hire base at the Meuse end,
but most clients stay on the Meuse. It is therefore mainly used by
private boats in transit.
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