Situated on the banks of the Rhône in Champagne, one particular building catches the eye: the Pile du Bac à Traille, once used to transport passengers from one bank of the river to the other.
Champagne’s trawl tank?
Along the banks of the Rhône in this Ardèche village, the Pile du Bac à Traille de Champagne is one of the last physical reminders of an age when people crossed the river by cable, long before the rise of suspension bridges and modern structures.
Located at the end of the rue du Port, this statue-like mass of stone is more than just a picturesque vestige: it tells the story of centuries of trade, river ingenuity and memorable accidents.
Listed as a historic monument in 2006, this discreet vestige now serves as a gateway to understanding how the river was crossed for centuries.
What is a trawl tank?
This is a flat-bottomed boat attached to a cable stretched between the two banks of the river, between the Ardèche and the Drôme.
The principle of the towing ferry is well known on several rivers in Europe and around the world: a cable stretched between the banks guides a flat-bottomed boat. By turning the ferry at an angle, the current is enough to push it from one bank to the other. The system organises a day-to-day economy, with paid crossings for pedestrians, herds, carts and goods between two banks, using basic equipment: the ferry (a barge for crossing), the traille (the cable), the traillon (the link between the ferry and the cable), the pulley and the winches.
The one at Champagne linked the commune on the Ardèche side to the present-day border between Andancette and Saint-Rambert d’Albon, on the other bank in the Drôme. In 1816, it could carry 60 people.
A history linked to the port and the priory
The site in Champagne was particularly well suited to this system, with a narrowing of the riverbed, an active port that appeared in the 10th century, and regular traffic between the Ardèche bank and the Saint-Rambert-d’Albon area. The remaining pier, made of carefully restored rubble stone, is considered to be one of the oldest on the Rhône. It bears witness to installations already in place at the end of the Middle Ages and to successive modernisations (ropes, then cables), in line with local needs and technical developments.
In the past, the port served the village of Champagne as an east-west link between Grenoble and Le Puy, via the Bièvre-Valloire depression, theAnnonay plateau and the Col du Tracol pass.
Until the 13th century, there was certainly a great deal of traffic at the time of the construction of the Romanesque church of Champagne (12th century) and at the time of the great pilgrimages that sent Christians on the roads to Rome, Notre-Dame-Du-Puy, Santiago de Compostela, Jerusalem and many other sanctuaries.
The signpost on the Camino de Compostela still bears witness to this on the dirt road leading toAndance.
Port activities
The development of goods transport on the Rhône began in the 15th century and enriched the neighbouring towns of Andance and Serrières, which were better placed to serve as stopping-off points for navigation on the river. The ferry contributed to the use of the Champagne ferry.
Ferry traffic increased as trade between the banks of the river grew, consolidating the activity of the local port. The construction of the Andance suspension bridge in 1828 diverted some of the customers, and the abolition of the toll for crossing the bridge in 1867 was the final blow to the port of Champagne.
The end of the trawl bin
The chronology breaks down definitively at the end of the 19th century. On 24 August 1896, a tugboat from the Rhône, the Pilat, struck the tramway: its chimney, which had not been lowered, swept away the structure. The pile on the left bank collapsed.
The municipality requested repairs in vain, but the ferry continued to operate at low speed until it was finally shut down in December 1897.
What remains today is the pier on the right bank, which has become a landscape landmark and a heritage symbol. The on-site information panels provide a technical reminder, the history of the crossing and the site’s place in the network of crossings of the Rhône.
It wasn’t until a footbridge was built over the Peyraud railway bridge in 1935 that pedestrians and cyclists from the Champagne region could once again make the short journey to Saint-Rambert-d’Albon.
The pile in Champagne is therefore theonly remaining pile from this river boat, probably dating from between the 14th and 15th centuries.
A historic site in a charming setting
Today, it’s easy to admire it while discovering thearea developed around the site:
a picnic and play area with a zip line, in a wooded setting much appreciated by locals and passers-by alike.
The port of Champagne is not mentioned in the texts before 1347, but a 1255 transaction between the Dauphin Count of Albon and the Prior of Champagne implies its existence.
With its ferry, the port played only the current role of a bridge, as the name given to the ferryman, the pontonnier, clearly indicated. The port is particularly well placed, at the point where the flood zone is narrowest between Andance and Serrières (around 300 metres wide), in a tight spot where the river, caught between two relatively high banks, could not wander as it did almost everywhere at the time.
The Champagne ferry remained the property of the Count Archbishop of Vienne until 1790, and as the parish of Champagne spanned both banks of the Rhône, its inhabitants could use the ferry free of charge.
In 1816, the Rhone crossing was served by a large ferry 14 metres long and 3.60 metres wide, equipped with a rudder and a spare oar, and capable of holding 60 people.
The tow was raised 8.5 metres above the river, and two bargemen were on duty during high water.
Source : Médarus
Locating the historic plunder
Where is the battery for the bac à traille in Champagne en Ardèche?
Here’s a satellite map to help you find the bac à traille on the banks of the Rhône and the route to take on foot, by bike or by car.
The nearest train station is Saint-Rambert-d’Albon in the Drôme department.
- Satellite map, Champagne towing tank :
- The trawl bin, POP sheet