A four-night self-catered cruise on the Canal du Midi on board a Horizon 5, during the 2023 boating season, starting and finishing at Le Boat ’s base at Homps, is priced from £2,499 per boat.

Cruising a stretch of Paul Riquet’s magnificent 17th-century canal, Canal du Midi in south west France means wineries and olive oil refineries, traditional villages and dining under the stars.

* A cruise on France's Canal du Midi potters through Languedoc-Roussillon, with excursions to Carcassonne, the Roman ruins at Narbonne and the Noilly Prat vermouth distillery on a luxury barge.

A lack of water supply was the obstacle that genius Pierre-Paul Riquet overcame to construct the Canal du Midi in the 17th Century. An engineer from Béziers, his feat in its day was equivalent to ...

By the end of a cruise, people love the locks." Australian travellers are keen on France and, in particular, the Canal du Midi, Mr Reid says.