We have an opportunity to do this (self drive) next September, from Chatel Censoir to Migennes. There have been a couple of short threads previously, but not much information. If anyone has done this, please comment - thanks!
Barging the Canal Nivernais - any experiences?
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No the canal du Nivernais, but a general recommendation:
If a one-way trip, try to go upstream because the locks are generally kept open on the downstream side, perhaps to minimize algae growth in the lock itself. If going through many locks, this saves a considerable amount of time, because if going downstream, one has to wait for the lock to be filled before going in, and then emptied to leave; whereas only one of these operations takes place if going upstream.
I have gone through hundreds of locks on French waterways through the years and, in my opinion, the up stream vs. down stream advantage/disadvantage is silly. On many routes you could have both up stream and down stream segments, even on one way rentals. It really makes no difference which direction you travel. Whether the lock is full or empty when you arrive is simply a function of which direction the previous boat was traveling.
However, for Burgundy, you may want to consider renting bicycles as some of canal portions are remote and having simple supplemental transportation may help in quickly obtaining supplies or visiting restaurants.
Items you may want to have yet sometimes they are forgotten: gloves (for handling ropes), field glasses, flash lights, rain coats (particularly for Burgundy), and water proof shoes.
On many routes you could have both up stream and down stream segments, even on one way rentals. It really makes no difference which direction you travel.
The trip we took was all upstream and while not all locks were open, a greater percentage of them were, and when doing fifty locks in a week, it makes a difference.
Sure it makes a difference if the lock is ready for you when you arrive, no matter which direction you are traveling. When descending, you would prefer the lock already full on your arrival; the opposite is true if you are climbing. But absent any firm evidence to the contrary, the VNF has no program, makes no effort to leave locks full of water or leave them empty.
Whether the lock if full or not, it´s only a matter of which direction the previous boat going through the lock was traveling. Some days you might wait, other days you might not.
However, on certain segments such as the Canal entre Deux Mers, VNF personnel, who operate the locks, might anticipate your eventual arrival and have the lock ready for you if traffic is otherwise light; empty, if you are climbing, or full if you are descending.