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 5.5 km 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.
St-Aignan
The St-Aignan tunnel on the
canal des Ardennes can be found at the northern end of
the canal summit near the village of St-Aignan in Ardennes (08).
It is controlled by traffic lights that are also connected to a pair of
locks on the northern side as the canal and tunnel aren't wide enough
at that point for two boats to pass. It has a towpath on both sides but
only one side is open to the public.
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| North portal |
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North portal
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| South portal |
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| South portal |
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