Écourues 2025 : Sarthe, Maine and Mayenne river closure

Écourues 2025 of the Sarthe, Maine and Mayenne rivers : understand what it is and know the schedule.

What's this "écourues 2025" business all about ?

This is indeed a term you will hear in the mouth of people living near the river here. THe écourues, which means a river closure, is a time where the waterway returns to its naturel bed. In other words : the dams are opened, followed by a drastic lowering of the water level …

But ... what for ?

But, what is the aim of this, are you asking yourself …

Indeed, there are several reasons for this operation.

First of all, it is the perfect moment to do a thorough cleaning of the whole river.

Secondly, it is an opportunity to check the condition of structures such as bridges, dams, locks, etc …

And most importantly, it is a critical time for the administrators of the Rivers of Wester France® (the departments of Sarthe, Maine et Loire and Mayenne).It is the time when important maintenance can be done on areas that would normally be underwater.

And, in 2025, the écourues are concerning the Sarthe, Maine and the souther part of the Mayenne rivers.

Schedule of maintenance and river closures

The écourues 2025 are scheduled in two main phases :

First of all : the closure of the canal pounds of the southern Mayenne starting from the 21st of August (between La Roussière and Montreuil Juigné)
Then, the complete closure of the Sarthe and Maine rivers starting from the 8th of September

End of the écourues 2025 :

Scheduled : 16th November, 2025

You can follow the official news by checking the river notices of the administrators :

What consequence for your cruise ?

You booked or are scheduling a booking after the 20th of August 2025 ? Here is what you can expect :

One ways between our two marinas will be impossible
Navigation starting from Grez Neuville will only be going North (toward Château Gontier / Segré / Laval / Mayenne)
Part of the fleet of Sablé Sur Sarthe will still be up for rental until the 8th of September. After this day, all rentals for the end of the season will be made in our Grez Neuville marina.

To conclude, should you have any remaining doubt on the impact of those écourues on your cruise, do not hesitate to reach us directly !

+33 2 43 95 14 42