July 2014

1st July. We borrowed Steve’s car today and drove into Beaune for me to have the medical for my French driving licence and for Di to visit the Hospice and this delightful town. As I have seen it before I sat in a cafe and read the FT!   However I had not previously visited the Cathedral of Notre Dame which was quite impressive with wonderful carved wooden doors. The organist was having great fun with some very modern and alternative music.

      

2nd July. A nice cycle ride into Auxonne today to have crêpes for lunch!

7th July. We moved onto the boat today.  The Idea being that our presence would spur the workers on towards completing the job. We were comfortable enough in our rooms and the kitchen but the wheelhouse, where we like to sit and look at the view, was a bit like a tool shed!  However we put our feet up, opened a bottle and made the best of it!

8th July. The work is sooooo close to being complete that it is driving us crazy. However sitting in the workshop area had compensations this evening as there was wonderful light around sunset and we were able to get some really good photos including this month;s banner,

                                

9th July. Off at last. Because it has rained so much over the past few days and the forecast for this week is more of the same, we have changed our plan. The River Doubs, which we would be on and off if we went up the Rhone au Rhin comes up very fast and can cause stoppages. Instead we have headed down the River Saône towards the Canal de Centre, via the huge Seure lock. Our mooring for tonight is at Chazelles, a mini hamlet with a few houses and almost as many wells. It has a few really interesting old barns begging for a conversion and some that have already been nicely executed without loosing any of their charm.

               

 

10th July. The engine would not start this morning! Tried to raise Phillippe on the phone to no avail so ended up calling Charles. Thieri came out and fixed three problems while muttering uncomplimentary things about his colleague Jonathon! We eventually pulled away at midday but couldn’t get any power and pootled along the River at tick-over speed. There was really no where to stop and look for the problem till we got to the turn-off to the Canal de Centre where we tied up outside the 10.6m deep lock! The problem was the connection of the linkage from the throttle and was quite quick and easy to fix. The last 6 k to Fragnes was more comfortable. Not that we went any faster but it was good to know that we had the power if we did need it.

The alongside mooring at Fragnes is really good and inexpensive. We pain E15.40 for two nights and this includes toilets & showers, electricity & water and free wifi as well as being a lovely spot a cycle ride from Challon-sur-Saoône. The hamlet is well kept and the port is run by the municipality.

      

                           11th July. We cycled into

Challon today and I do not know if it was the weather  but I was underwhelmed by the town. There was a pretty square in front of the Cathedral where they were just packing up the food market but it had obviously been made over for tourists. We spent the afternoon on the boat – chilling!

    

 

12th July Cruised to Santenay to a very nice wild mooring under trees, free and with bins and water for drinking but with no hose attachment. We decided to stay here for two nights. Lock 32 on the way had a spectacular garden. The Canal de Centre reminds me of the gentle canals of rural England with a bit more space! After mooring up we cycled back to the pretty village of Remigny where they were having the village fêtê. We joined in the festivities with Molulle Frites to a really good jazz band and the unwanted attentions of a couple of the local wino’s. There was a great lavoir which did not go un-noted!

      

13th July. We did 26ks of cycling today to climb up the hill to Couches and visit the castle where they were staging a medieval festival. It was a really nice ride through vineyards and small villages and they really had gone all out to put on a good show at the castle.

 

       

         

        

14th July

We got precisely 4k before finding that all the locks are closed as it is Bastile Day!

16th July. Moored in Blanzy, a small and pretty town with pastel coloured houses along the quai. The mooring, electricity and water are all free.

  

 

 

18th & 19th. Stuck at lock 12 south of Montceau on the Centre waiting for the mechanic. Haven’t commented on this before as I don’t want this blog to turn into a winging session but our trip so far has been beleaguered with technical problems since the day we left St Jean de Losne. Fortunately this is not an unpleasant spot to get stuck in but we are running short of supplies so it is to be hoped that we will be able to get on our way later today. Steve and Helen drove out and had dinner with us last night, most of which they bought with them! It was really nice to see them. We amused ourselves during the day picking plumbs and making jam.

      

 

Cruised to Génelard once the mechanic had left where we moored on a delightfully wide section of the canal with full services and no payment. We have to stop where there is electricity now as one of the things the mechanic bought to light was the fact that the new generator they had installed was nor charging the battries! Thierry will be back sometime next week with a replacement.  Génelard itself was an intregueing little town with interesting vestiges of art deco architecture. It also marks the demarcation line between Vichy France and the German occupied territory of WW2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

20th Pleasant cruise from Génelard to Paray-le-Monial. We took a cycle ride to Digoin to view the Pont Canal aquaduct which we will not be able to see when we are cruising over it! Very nice ride and a tea stop. Once it got dark all the churches and monuments were lit up in the town and we took a stroll down there. It was very beautiful and we will go in again in the morning.

      

      

 

21st/22nd Nothing special stop at Pierrefitte-sur-Loire free moorings with no facilities. We arrived late and in the rain. There was a nothing special rather expensive restraurant. The next day we did a big push through to Gannay where Phil & Bogusia and Steph & Henry were both stuck with boat issues.

Moored beside Steph and Hens boat.

 

 

 

 

23rd On to the Nivernais today and moored up at Decize. The locks on this canal are much more like the UK locks with gate paddles to wind up.

      

24th Had a productive day. Looked at Decize, shopped, did two loads of washing, cleaned boat, cleaned boat engine and settled down with wine, dinner and music! Move on to Cercy-le-Tour  tomorrow.

25th Got into Cercy at noon. It is an interesting little town and the “Tour” was probably an old hill fort but is now ramparts with a quite modern statue of the Virgin on top. Lovely steep winding and narrow roads lead up to the town square with church, Marie etc. The mooring is free and has water and electricity. Thierry arrived and fitted the new generator so I now have the ability to wild moor and a working rev counter. Fitted new fenders to one side of the boat today and will do the other side tomorrow when we are tied up on that side. The basin here is part canal and part river Aron with a big wier making waterfall sounds in the background.

 

 

 

26th Intended to stop at Pannecot this afternoon but the entrance to the little port was not obvious and we overshot which turned out to be a good thing. We stopped instead in a broad pound just above lock 24 which had the most amazing garden and vegetable patch and was selling produce. We spent an idylic quiet night and bought salad and baby potatoes fresh from the garden before heading off the next day.

      

 

 

 

 

 

27th Cruised on to Châtillon today with the intention of staying for two nights and cycling into Taamnay to look at the pottery tomorrow but after a night of wild mooring we really needed electricity and water and it was not possible to get close enough to it. There were interesting art installations at the lock, a castle, pretty river front houses and a quaint lavoir that was a protected site. There was also a Brocant taking place in the town square behind the church. Later in the afternoon I cycled up over the hills behind the town and through the village of Ravisy where there was another much neglected lavoir.

                  

 

         

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

28th. Cruised on to Baye on a very rainy day. Three staircases to negotiate, two or two locks and one of three locks. Arriving in Baye was a joy with a good mooring with great views across a large lake and all facilities. All we need now is for the sun to come out!

      

 

29th Still no sign of the sun! Stayed put today. Did a cycle ride and some work. Got some good photos on a walk yesterday evening but this evening it all looked quite dismal. The quirky and interesting art installations continue to follow us along the canal.

      

 

30th July. Cruised from Baye to PK74 at the base of the sixteen lock flight.  The art works continued and some of the lock cottages as well as looking suitably 60’s Hippy Generation were also potters and sculptures.

      

Really nice quiet wild mooring with picnic tables, broard water and lovely scenery. Did a bit of a ride and discovered a quaint lavorie and station in the village of Sardy-les-Epiry. A further ride in the opposite direction revealed the Locoboat site where we would have moored if we had continued. It was not awe inspiring but there was a nice little Lavoir on the Yonne which ran nearby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

31st Cruised to Citry-les-Mines and moored at Ted Johnson’s boat yeard. It was very hot. Zambesi was also there and we all ate at the quaiside eatery where the food was good and cheap. Did laundry etc and decided that we would have a later start tomorrow to facilitate shopping and the market in Corbigny, 3 k up the hill! Although the boat yard was a less than inspiring vista the view across the water to the farm buildings was delightful.