The company has been in operation prior to 1997 as we were originally ‘Alastair Sawday’s
Barge Bookers’ in the early 1990s. Then, in 1997, we became ‘The Barge
Cruise Company Ltd.’, trading as ‘The Barge Company’. Over nearly two decades our
dedicated team of directors and office staff (all great fans of barging) including
Alastair Sawday, Sheila and Dave Clifton, Elaine Brooks, Marie Hodges (now Gallé)
and Mark Gallé (now the present owners and Directors) have worked very hard to
build up The Barge Company’s widely respected reputation as the ‘true experts’
on European barge cruising. This hard-earned reputation is something that we
continually strive to maintain and build upon, in order to ensure that you feel happy
booking with us, in the comfort and knowledge that you’re booking with people
who have thorough knowledge of the barges they represent.
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Marie and Mark Gallé (left),
The Barge Company Directors
and hands-on experts
on hotel-barge cruising.
Seen here aboard the beautiful
and welcoming Luciole
barge in Burgundy.
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YOUR DIRECT LINK TO THE SPECIAL WORLD OF BARGING...
We are a small but industrious team, and are utterly dedicated to what we do. We
are Marie and Mark Gallé (see photo above), and together we are the face of
The Barge Company. If you call us (note our toll-free number from the USA
and CANADA), you’ll always get through to me (Marie) on the telephone and
I’ll be delighted to hear from you and help you with your barge booking. If you’ve a
good idea of what you want, and just need the reassurance that it’s the right barge
for your cruise, then I’m the right person to talk to. Or, if you’re just thinking of
cruising somewhere, sometime, and have questions, I’ll always be happy to help
you out, go through the possibilities and to share my in-depth knowledge of
the barges, canals and rivers with you. I will be honored to be your personal
and direct link to the barging world…
Mark works with me in the office, and together we’re dedicated to providing an
impressively personal, prompt and friendly service giving everything you
need to book the right barge for you.
WE’RE TOTALLY INDEPENDENT...
As we approach our thirteenth season as The Barge Company we continue to reinforce our position
as the leading European barge bookers. All our reviews and comments on the barges are ABSOLUTELY
INDEPENDENT – we aren’t sponsored by anyone, we don’t have shares in any of the
barges and no one gives us money to say nice things about them.
...AND BASED IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE, WE KNOW THE BARGES INTIMATELY.
In February 2004 The Barge Company relocated from the UK to the south of France. Now based
just north of Toulouse we visit the barges very often, and so are constantly abreast of any
changes or new developments. Being ‘on the spot’ means that our information and knowledge is always
up to date and you can rely upon the information that we give you. From information on the weather,
to advice on the different types of scenery or local customs, we know what we’re talking about as
we’re here experiencing the wonderful French way of life every day.
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WE MAKE VERY FREQUENT BARGE VISITS...
We love ‘talking barging’ and many of our clients become friends, regularly re-booking for next season
and sending us postcards and news from all over the world. With our frequent visits to the barges we
make sure they’re still in tip-top condition for you, ensuring that we’re up to date with their facilities
and are maintaining their excellent standards. Happily, this also means that we enjoy excellent relationships
with the barge-owners, and remain full of admiration for what they do.
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Our August 2006 inspection of the Alouette barge (above)
was superb as we cruised in total decadence on the UNESCO Heritage site which is the Canal du Midi;
an intimate-feeling waterway originally constricted to link the Atlantic Ocean with the Meditterranean Sea.
The ancient, swaying trees over our heads and gently meandering water was very restful and the delightful
villages along the way were a sheer triumph in glorious sunshine (see pics above). Our April 2006
visit to the traditional and very welcoming La Tortue
barge was also truly wonderful rural adventure on the Canal du Midi, with sumptuous food each evening
, glorious wines and a super crew.
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ON TWO WHEELS...
We also make frequent educational visits to areas that may be of particular interest to our clients pre or
post-cruise, and collect information on the cruise regions, so that we can pass it on to you. Since
our permanent relocation to France in February 2004 we have been able to tour around a lot at weekends or
during holiday times to research the various regions on your behalf. Keep your eyes on our
Barge of the Month section as we feature a barge recently
visited on there in detail each month. It makes interesting reading as our main means
of transport is our trusty Pan European ST1300 motorbike (a sharp contrast to the gentle slow
pace of life on board a barge!) Even our baby son Felix is getting into it (see below..!)
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OUR SERVICE...
We are here to inform you and to advise, but never to ‘persuade’ you to cruise. We pride ourselves
on a personal and efficient service, and are never pushy with clients. The choice to cruise is yours
alone, and we try our utmost to help you make the right decision on which barge is best for you,
drawing from our knowledge and matching it to your requirements.
AND OUR CLIENTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES...
Here is what a few of our valued clients have said about us –
- “We particularly appreciated your persuading them to run the cruise for just the two of us! I felt like a queen, with a royal barge”
- “Everything was done in a thorough and professional manner and a truly wonderful trip”
- “Thanks to your efforts and considerable patience the dream finally came true, on behalf of all the members of the trip, merci, merci, merci.....
- “What a most pleasant eye opening experience it turned out to be for us! My wife and I have looked into each others eyes at sometime each day since our return and smile saying “ What a wonderful way to celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary”
- “Your knowledgeable recommendation was arrived at only by your
diligent pursuit of excellence”
- “On a scale of one to ten, I’d give this fifteen plus!”
- “Don’t ever change!”
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Mark (far left) enjoying the very light and spacious saloon on the Colibri
in June 2006, and (second from left) a pleasant aperitif in La Tortue’s classic saloon on our one of
our Spring 2006 visits to the Canal du Midi region.
See La Tortue above, second from right. In April 2006 we ventured up to the relatively unknown (outside of
France that is) Upper Loire region, which lies about
an hour and a half’s drive south of Paris, to spend some days on board a relatively recent addition to our
collection— the Renaissance (see above right). Ultra-luxurious
and very spacious she represents the height of luxury, and we were thrilled to be able to spend some time on her
and take many excellent photographs of her following her winter 2006 total re-fit. See more in our
feature article here and also the dedicated set of pages
for the barge here
ABOUT GETTING THE BARGE CRUISE YOU WANT...
Some barges always become booked up very quickly each year – often more than a year in advance, so
we urge you to get in touch with us as soon as you are thinking of booking a barge cruise so that we can
ensure you get your first choice barge if at all possible. Sometimes your favourite barge or cruise
week will not be available, but we will always propose a similar barge or cruise area, if there is one.
The general rule though, is ‘get in touch as soon as possible’ – even if only to discuss the various
possibilities.
WE SINCERELY LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU SOON...
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