"Beaucaire" Beaucaire by mke1963

Beaucaire was formerly a port on the Upper Baise River, with its small wharf used for transshipping grain and in particular Armagnac to bergaes for onward transport to Libourne and Brodeaux on the Garonne river.

As with many local villages, the phylloxera virus and then the First World War reduced local farm output and as farming declined so local industries and infrastructure suffered. The River Baise, long established as a canal, was replaced by the local railway (now itself closed) and the locks fell into disuse. The canal upstream of Valence-sur-Baise returned to being a river only, with no more mills, locks or wharfs. At beaucaire, only the mossy wharf remains.

Today, Beaucaire is a small, picturesque hamlet - and I have absolutely no photos of the village simply because I always come here to kayak down the river to Valence.....river water and cameras do not mix well!