The Haute-Perche canal

The Haute-Perche canal, some 14 kilometres long, is a real "river" despite its small size and its mysterious title of "canal".

It rises at the back of the village of La Meule in Arthon-en-Retz, now known as Chaumes-en-Retz. After branching off to the west at the village of Haute-Perche, it meanders its way to the port of Pornic.

 A bit of history

The Haute-Perche Canal has a lock or sluice gate in Pornic, at the end of the fishing port, under the 8 May 1945 bridge, which regulates the flow of water to the port. Further upstream, there is another gate, the Boismain, which regulates the water level in the marsh.
In the past, it was one of the main entrances to the town of Pornic. Navigation was easier than overland routes, which were impassable in winter.

Before the 12th century, i.e. before the construction of the mill road, which acted as a barrier to the rising sea water, the sea could reach as far as the outskirts of Arthon-en-Retz. The place names bear witness to this, such as the village of Port à Arthon.

It was called a canal because in the 18th century, man was forced to ensure that it was wide enough for flat-bottomed boats and small barges to navigate its course, which since the Middle Ages had been used for the transport of goods between the sea and the rural centre of the Pays de Retz (Princé wood, tiles and terracotta from La Feuillardais, wine, timber and firewood, fertiliser, etc.). At the dawn of the Revolution, the Marquis de Brie-Serrant wanted to use it to dig a deep-draught canal linking the sea and the Loire, from Pornic to Buzay, to overcome the difficulties of navigation in the estuary. This project never came to fruition, but the name of the canal was reinforced. Single-masted boats were powered by sail, but also by poles and oars. When there was no wind, several men could haul them along from the path along the riverbank.

Today, the ‘Ria’ development project serves as a reminder of the importance of this entrance to the town.     
 

 5 ways to discover the Haute-Perche Canal : 

Extend your visit by exploring the towns of Chaumes-en-Retz and Pornic.