Boating holidays in the Lot: a must for swimmers and watersports fans

By choosing the Lot region of France for your boating holiday you get to enjoy just as much time in the water as you do on the water thanks to the excellent quality waters.

The River Lot is a well known river to the south of Bordeaux and offers numerous opportunities to swim in clean natural waters and easy access to several beaches on foot or by bike.  If you love swimming and being in the water then you’ll love the idea of renting a canal boat in the Lot region.

Read our guide to discovering the beautiful beaches of Antinéa, Saint Cirq Lapopie, Cahors and Cabrerets as well as the watersports centre at Caïx…

Swimming in the River Lot: the beach of St Cirq Lapopie  

After just 5km of cruising from Bouziès you arrive at the village of Saint Cirq Lapopie. We recommend you moor your boat at the marked kilometre point 194 – the beach is then just 100m away! At the beach there is a supervised (in the afternoons of July/August) swimming area. It is also a stunning area to simply relax in the sun if you don’t fancy a swim. The more active might enjoy the following activities:

• Canoe rental
• Pedalo boat rental
• Fishing

Swimming in the Célé river: enjoy an unspoilt river  

If you prefer small picturesque rivers for swimming in then we suggest you head to the beach at Cabrerets which is located not on the River Lot but on the edge of the adjoining Célé river. Simply moor at the marked kilometre point 191 and then head to the beach just 6km away either on foot or by bike. Once at the beach you’ll find a picnic area with a bar/refreshments area and a swimming area set right at the foot of the cliffs.

As with the majority of these beaches, the water quality here is monitored regularly by experts so it’s a particularly good place for families to spend time together.

Moor up at the beach in Cahors

For this beach we now head west – from Bouziès you cruise along the River Lot towards Cahors. The beach is located in the heart of the city at the foot of the Louis Phillippe bridge and it is open throughout the summer months. The beach is supervised between the hours of 1pm – 7pm and in addition to swimming and relaxing there are numerous other water based activities on offer.

Access to the beach is easy. You can literally moor your Nicols canal boat at the mooring point that’s right at the front of the beach.

The Antinéa beach on the banks of the River Lot

If you continue your boating holiday on towards Douelle you’ll come across the beach of Antinéa. Here visitors can enjoying swimming (note this is not supervised) in the beautiful clean waters of the River Lot as well as hiring equipment such as canoes, pedalos and bikes.

For easy access to the beach the best place to moor your Nicols canal boat is next to the historic SNCF bridge – that’ll leave you just a few steps away!

Watersports centre at Caïx

At the furthest point of your Lot River boating holiday is Luzech. Just before here is Caïx with its watersports centre. As well as being famous for its castle owned by the Queen of Denmark, visitors also flock to the lively watersports centre. For boaters it is ideal as you can dock at the mooring pontoon that’s been specifically designed for rental canal boats and is located right next to the beach. In additon to a swimming area there is also a bar/restaurant.

Families with young children will love the amount on offer (much more than just swimming) to keep all ages entertained. There are plenty of on site playparks with inflatables and trampolines as well as things like beach volleyball, canoe and paddle board hire and gabarrots hire (small pleasure boats). You can even borrow balls, rackets and boules!

Few waterways in France offer as many possibilities for relaxing close to the water and swimming as the Lot Valley. This makes it one of the most popular boating holiday destinations for those who love the great outdoors and like the idea of being able to swim in clean natural waters. With many of these areas being well equipped and supervised for safety they are ideal for those crews made up of families with young children.

You can find more information on the various places we’ve talked about in this article by visiting the Lot Tourism website and their beaches page.

Of course you can also swim at any point on your boating holiday directly from your Nicols canal boat. Each boat has a bathing ladder for easy on/off access to the boat for a dip!

Excellent swimming opportunities is just one reason why we recommend the Lot region for your next boating holiday. Why not read our other great articles about getting the most out of your River Lot boating holiday:

• Find out more about the history and heritage of the Lot Valley.
• Read our article on the excellent gastronomy and wines on offer in the Lot region of France.

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See the cruise in Cahors