Rising in France the Meuse meanders its way through France and Belgium before draining into the North Sea in the Netherlands. Its total length is 925 km. The river navigable over a substantial part of its length. In Belgium and the Netherlands it is part of an extensive inland navigation infrastructure connecting the Rotterdam-Amsterdam-Antwerp port areas to the industrial areas upstream.

From Givet in France, the river is canalised and can only be used by barges less than 40 meters. These smaller barges are no longer commercially viable, so this part of the river only carries pleasure boat traffic (bateaux des plaisances).

Our plan was to cruise the length of the Meuse from Namur to its intersection with the Marne au Rhin Canal, but as luck would have it, the French authorities closed the top part of the river indefinitely due to silting Yes , best layer plans of mice and men. But there is another way around, so now we are going to cruised along the Canal des Ardennes instead. That adventure will be related in an upcoming blog.

For now, we have left Namur, first stop Pronfondaville.

This is a beautiful part of the world, as the river slowly weaves its way past a landscape dotted with bespoke properties and gigantic rock monoliths.

The following day we had a lunch stop at Godinne, so Julie and I could stride up the hill to the Jardins D’Eau D’Annevolie.

The gardens were designed and laid out in 1758 by Charles-Alexis de Montpellier. He had inherited the estate and used his fortune gained from the forges he owned, to lay out the garden and extend the chateau. Today the estate is owned by a Private Family Foundation, who have carried out major renovations, restoring both the chateau and gardens to their original splendour.

We crossed the border into France at Givet, making our way onto Fumay to do some wine shopping. Yes there is a very good wine cellar just opposite the mooring, for those who are interested.

Views along the river as we travel from Fumay, via Revin and Montherme, to our final destination for this part of the journey, Charleville-Mezieres.

Charleville-Mezieres

This city was created in 1965-1966 as a result of the merger of several villages along the Meuse. Mezieres, the older of the two can trace its history back to Roman times and due to its strategic location grew into a garrison town in the late 15th century tasked with the duty as defender of France. This military function drove both trade and the population from Mezieres to the adjacent, emerging city of Charleville. Despite only being a few kms apart both cities still have a main square and a Hotel de Ville. The tourist office located in the Place Ducal has an excellent suggested walking trail.

Arthur Rimbaud

Charleville-Mezieres most famous son was a French poet who is known for his surrealist themes and is touted for his influence on modern literature. He produced the majority of his works at an early age, and stopped writing when he was 20. As a recognition his achievements this year the city commissioned a number of murals to be designed, that were well worth the walk to find.

Medieval Festival Sedan

It was not all about Charleville-Mezieres, as there was a Medieval Festival at the fort in Sedan, only a 30 minute train ride away.

Referred to both as a castle and a fort, construction started in 1424, yes 600 years ago, though I must say, this date does not entitle it to the distinction of “Medieval”. Though not to be deterred we joined the crowds that flocked to the site to celebrate a time in the distant past. No we did not don our Medieval costumes, but many did!

It was a fun but exhausting day! if you’re in the area in May 12th 2025, well worth a visit