Editing Garonne (section)

==Navigation==

The Garonne plays an important role in inland shipping. The river not only allows seagoing vessels to reach the port of Bordeaux but also forms part of the [[Canal des Deux Mers]], linking the [[Mediterranean Sea]] and the [[Atlantic Ocean]].
[[File:Bordeaux - MS Insignia (2).JPG|thumb|260px|left|Seagoing vessels may navigate as far inland as Bordeaux on the Garonne.]]
From the ocean, ships pass through the [[Gironde estuary]] up to the mouth of the Garonne (to the right of the Dordogne when sailing upstream). Ships continue on the tidal river Garonne up to the ''Pont de Pierre'' (stone bridge) in Bordeaux. Inland vessels continue upstream to [[Castets-en-Dorthe]], where the Canal de Garonne joins the river. Prior to the building of the Canal lateral à la Garonne, between 1838 and 1856, shallow-draught boats used the Garonne itself as far as [[Toulouse]]. However, navigation on the upper river was very uncertain, and this stretch of the river is no longer considered [[navigable]]. Instead the lateral canal takes boats through 53 [[Canal lock|lock]]s to the town of Toulouse, where the canal meets the [[Canal du Midi]].<ref name="Rolt">{{cite book|title=From Sea to Sea: An Illustrated History of the Canal du Midi|last=Rolt|first=L. T. C.|publisher=Euromapping|year=1973|isbn=978-2-910185-02-2|location=Grenoble, France|pages=19–40|author-link=L. T. C. Rolt}}</ref>