The Luciole
The Luciole accommodates twelve passengers in eight en-suite cabins
The itinerary balances cruising the glorious Nivernais Canal with daily excursions in our bus. Burgundy is a beautiful and culturally rich region with vineyards, chateaux and Medieval market towns. Our corner of France is historic and enchanting.
Barge Luciole is 114 ft (34.7 metres) long and 17 ft (5.18 metres) wide, with a flat base, straight sides and two decks. En-suite cabins are located on the lower deck. The saloon on the upper deck has large windows, allowing lovely views across the countryside. Our sundeck is raised, offering the perfect vantage point to sit and watch Burgundy slip by.
Interior
The Luciole is spacious and tastefully designed
Our eight en-suite cabins offer double, twin and single accommodation
Cabins
The cabins include three doubles, three twin bedded cabins and two singles. All have good storage and openable porthole windows. Newly installed air-conditioning units are individually controlled. In the en-suite shower bathrooms we provide towels, a safe, a hairdryer and Molten Brown toiletries.
Saloon
Our saloon is large and welcoming, with comfortable seating and dining areas. A light and bright place to relax and dine with fellow passengers. The wall to wall picture windows give an uninterrupted panorama of the Burgundian countryside as we cruise or when moored. The open-bar is well-stocked and there is a library and music system. We also offer free mobile Wi-Fi.
Sundeck
On the large raised sun deck, passengers can relax and enjoy the wonderful vista as we cruise, passing by tranquil pastures, quaint lock houses,12th Century farms and even a German World War II air base. It is the perfect place for morning coffee, afternoon teas or sun downer cocktails under the parasol. Bicycles and helmets are kept on the front bow deck just below, for passengers wanting to cycle the tow path and explore the local villages.
Deck plan
The Luciole is attractively designed with an upper and lower deck
Barge Dimensions:
Length 114 ft (34.7 metres)
Beam 17 ft (5.18 metres)
Throughout:
Non-smoking
220v electricity
Air conditioning
Heating
Saloon:
Large picture windows
Comfortable sofas & chairs
Dining area
Mobile Wi-Fi
Open and well stocked bar
Library
Music system
Cabins:
3 Doubles (or twins)
3 Twins
2 Singles
Port holes/windows
USB charging points
Good storage
Personal safe
Bathrooms:
En-suite
Showers
Heated towel rail
Molton Brown toiletries
Towels
Hair dryer
Exterior:
Large raised teak sundeck
Table and chairs
Bicycles and helmets
Our history
Hotel barging is celebrating 58 years of cruising
Our barge began life on the French canals in 1926 as a mule-drawn freight vessel carrying coal. Her first name was the 'Ponctuel'. Later equipped with an engine, she carried a heavier cargo of up to 180 tonnes. In 1966 she was bought by the entrepreneur, Richard Parsons and taken to the French port of Dunkirk, where she was converted to become the first 'hotel-barge' and renamed the 'Palinurus'. She carried 22 passengers and cruised the waterways of France. American authoress Emily Kimbrough cruised on the barge in 1968 and published ‘Floating Island’ an affectionate account of cruising the Burgundy Canal on the Palinurus.
Acquired by our company Inland Voyages Limited in 1985, she was renamed 'Luciole' (Firefly). The bunk bedded cabins and two bathrooms became a thing of the past with a major redesign to accommodate twelve passengers in larger en-suite cabins. The saloon roof was also raised. On the front bow deck the curved cargo hatch cover was retained, a reminder of her past cargo carrying days.
There are continuous upgrades to the Luciole. The hull was rebuilt and a new engine and generators installed in 2000. In 2010 the Luciole was 'stretched' in a Paris shipyard, when the barge was sliced in two and a new 17 ft section manoeuvred and welded into the bow, providing greater comfort throughout. Updating and improving the interior is an annual focus.
Each season we endeavour to retain the spirit of the early days. We salute and thank our old friend Richard Parsons, the pioneer of hotel barging, who began cruising all those decades ago…
The Owners
The Luciole is privately owned and celebrating over 45 years as a family-run business
The business was founded by John Liley, following a detailed exploration of waterways in Europe that began in the in the 1960s. At the time John was editor of a leading British yachting magazine. His books include 'France - the Quiet Way', an exploration of the entire French canal and river system. These early journeys inspired him to select the Nivernais cruising area and establish the present hotel-barge business in 1976. This was with another canal barge 'Secunda', fore-runner to Luciole. John's latest book 'Keeping Afloat' is a lively account of those early years. John is now semi-retired and able to spend more time writing and working towards his next publication.
Penny trained as a chef, cooking for schoolmasters at Eton College and Formula 1 racing drivers, before joining the Luciole in 1986. Since then she has played a major role in creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere on barge Luciole, where a feeling of calm with attention to detail is apparent as soon as one steps aboard. Nowadays, Penny is responsible for the overall running of the business having swapped apron for computer. With her hands-on approach she divides her time between England and France.
Will has been on the Luciole since he was born, he understands the boat inside out and has overseen many changes and improvements in the last few years. Mostly working in the UK office having built the website and taken the photos, he is always working behind the scenes to keep things moving. Will balances this with being an On-Call firefighter in the UK.
Penny Liley
Owner
Will Liley
Owner
John Liley
Owner
Hotel barge Luciole
Cruising since 1976
Phone: 00 44 1625 576880
From USA: 011 44 1625 576880
Email: info@bargeluciole.com
23 Adlington Road, Bollington
SK10 5JT England
1-2 Quai de la Republique, Auxerre
89000 France
© Hotel Barge Luciole 2024
